How to Count to Ten in French
Learn how to count from one to ten in French with correct pronunciation. Covers each number, common mistakes, and when you will actually use them.
French numbers from one to ten are some of the most useful words you can learn before visiting France or any French-speaking country. You will use them to order food, ask for a table, buy things at markets, give your hotel room number, and tell a taxi driver where to go.
The pronunciation is the tricky part. French has sounds that do not exist in English, particularly the nasal vowels and the throaty French R. But for counting to ten, you only need to handle a few of these sounds, and approximate pronunciation is perfectly understandable.
This guide gives you each number with a phonetic pronunciation guide that works for English speakers, plus the common mistakes to avoid.
Un, deux, trois (one, two, three)
"Un" (uh) sounds like the "u" in "uh-huh" spoken through your nose. Your lips should be slightly rounded. This is a nasal vowel, meaning air passes through your nose as you say it. "Deux" (duh) sounds like a short "duh" said with rounded lips, almost like you are about to whistle. The "x" is silent. "Trois" (trwah) keeps both the "t" and the French "r" before the "wah". Do not drop that r. "Twah" without it is "toi", which is a different French word meaning "you". The "oi" spelling almost always makes a "wah" sound, and the final "s" is silent. Practice these three together as a group until the rhythm feels natural.
Quatre, cinq, six (four, five, six)
"Quatre" (KAH-truh) has a soft "r" that comes from the back of the throat, not the tip of the tongue like in English. The final "e" is a short, barely-there "uh" sound. Think "KAH-truh" with the "truh" very soft. "Cinq" (sank) sounds like the English word "sank" but with a nasal quality on the vowel. The "n" is what nasalizes the vowel in front of it, and the "q" is a hard "k". When counting alone, pronounce the final consonant. "Six" (seess) sounds like "cease" in English. The "x" makes an "ss" sound when the number is said by itself. When followed by a noun starting with a consonant, the "x" becomes silent ("six personnes" sounds like "see").
Sept, huit, neuf, dix (seven, eight, nine, ten)
"Sept" (set) sounds like the English word "set." The "p" is silent. This is one of the easier French numbers for English speakers. "Huit" (weet) sounds like "wheat" without the "h." Start with your lips rounded into a "w" shape and slide into "eet." "Neuf" (nuhf) has the same rounded "uh" vowel as "deux." It sounds like "nuhf" with rounded lips on the vowel. The "f" is pronounced nearly every time, and the two exceptions are ones you will actually use. Larousse gives "neuf ans" and "neuf heures" a "v" sound, so they come out as "nuh-vahn" and "nuh-vur". Everything else keeps the f, including "neuf hommes". "Dix" (deess) sounds like "peace" with a "d" at the front. Like "six," when counting alone the final consonant is pronounced. When followed by a consonant-starting noun, the "x" goes silent.
Good to know: Record yourself saying all ten numbers and play it back. The sounds you think you are making are often different from what comes out. Compare with any online French pronunciation resource to calibrate your ear.
Practice the nasal vowels
French has four nasal vowels that do not exist in English. For counting to ten, you only need two: the one in "un" and the one in "cinq." To make a nasal vowel, say the vowel normally and then let air pass through your nose at the same time, as if you are about to hum. The trick is that your tongue should not touch the roof of your mouth like it does for an English "n" or "m." The "n" in "un" and "cinq" is not a real "n" sound. It just tells you that the vowel before it is nasal. Here is a test that works. Pinch your nose shut and say a plain "ah". Nothing changes, because no air was going through your nose to begin with. Now keep pinching and try the vowel in "cinq". It comes out muffled and different, because that one needs air flowing through your nose. When pinching your nose changes the sound, you are making a nasal vowel.
Put them together and count smoothly
Count from one to ten in a steady rhythm: un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix. French counting has a musical quality when spoken smoothly. There should be no gap between the numbers, just a steady flow. Practice in groups of three first (un-deux-trois, quatre-cinq-six, sept-huit-neuf, then dix). Once each group is comfortable, link them together. Speed comes naturally with repetition. Do not rush it. Count along while walking, waiting in line, or doing any repetitive task. Aim for ten smooth repetitions per practice session.
Use them in common phrases
Numbers rarely appear alone in real conversation. Practice them in context: "une table pour deux" (a table for two), "trois croissants, s'il vous plaît" (three croissants, please), "chambre neuf" (room nine), "cinq euros" (five euros). Notice that "un" becomes "une" before feminine nouns. For ordering and shopping, this distinction matters but you will be understood either way. Phone numbers work differently from English. French speakers read them in pairs of digits, so 06 12 34 56 78 comes out as "zéro six, douze, trente-quatre, cinquante-six, soixante-dix-huit". You can still give yours one digit at a time and be understood, but expect to hear numbers read back to you in pairs. Even if your pronunciation is imperfect, context usually makes the meaning clear.
Once you can count to ten confidently, most of what follows is assembly. Eleven through sixteen have their own forms, and so do the tens, so vingt, trente, quarante, cinquante, and soixante all have to be learned separately. Everything in between is built from parts you already have, which is why dix-sept is literally "ten-seven" and quarante-deux is "forty-two". Practice these ten numbers out loud until they feel automatic. They will come up constantly in any French-speaking context, from ordering "deux croissants" at a bakery to confirming "chambre cinq" at a hotel. Even imperfect pronunciation gets you understood, especially with a table, a counter, or a room key in front of you to supply the context.
Questions we get asked about this
Answers from experience, not a textbook.
French pronunciation changes based on what follows a word. When "six" and "dix" are said alone or at the end of a sentence, the final consonant is pronounced (seess, deess). Before a word starting with a vowel, the "x" becomes a "z" sound (six amis sounds like "seez-ah-mee"). Before a word starting with a consonant, the "x" is silent (six personnes sounds like "see pair-son"). The linking "z" before a vowel is called liaison. These sound changes are one of the trickier parts of French, but for basic counting they only matter when you use numbers with nouns.
The French R is not rolled like in Spanish or Italian. It is a guttural sound made in the back of the throat, similar to a gentle gargle or the "ch" in the German word "Bach." If you cannot produce this sound, using a soft English R will still be understood. Focus on the vowels first. Swapping a French R for an English one leaves the word recognizable, while a wrong or missing vowel can turn one number into another.
Eleven through sixteen have unique forms: onze (11), douze (12), treize (13), quatorze (14), quinze (15), seize (16). Seventeen to nineteen are combinations: dix-sept (17, literally ten-seven), dix-huit (18), and dix-neuf (19). Then comes vingt (20), and the pattern continues logically. The notoriously complex part of French numbers starts at 70, where "soixante-dix" (sixty-ten) means 70, and 99 is "quatre-vingt-dix-neuf" (four-twenty-ten-nine). But that is a problem for later.
Most numbers are the same everywhere, but 70, 80, and 90 vary. In France, 70 is "soixante-dix" (sixty-ten) and 90 is "quatre-vingt-dix" (four-twenty-ten). Belgium and Switzerland both use the more logical "septante" (70) and "nonante" (90). Eighty is where those two part company, and France's language academy records that the old form "octante" was replaced by "quatre-vingts", and in Switzerland by "huitante". Belgium says "quatre-vingts", the same as France. For one through ten, the pronunciation and usage are identical across all French-speaking countries.
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