Portuguese Numbers 1 to 100
Portuguese numbers follow clear patterns, but there are a few surprises that set them apart from other Romance languages. The numbers 1 and 2 have gender, the teens have unique forms, and the way you say 100 changes depending on what follows it. This guide takes you from um to cem with pronunciation and the rules you need to count with confidence.
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Numbers 1 to 10
These are the foundation. Notice that 1 and 2 have both masculine and feminine forms — they must agree with the noun they describe.
Gender matters for 1 and 2. You say um carro (one car, masculine) but uma casa (one house, feminine). Similarly, dois livros (two books) but duas mesas (two tables).
Numbers 11 to 20
The teens in Portuguese have their own names from 11 to 15. From 16 onward, they follow a “ten-and-digit” pattern.
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Tens: 20 to 100
The tens each have their own word. To form compound numbers, connect them with e (“and”): vinte e um (21), trinta e dois (32), and so on.
The word for 100 changes depending on context. Cem means exactly 100, but cento is used in compounds: cento e um (101), cento e vinte (120). You never say "cem e um."
Putting It Together
Here are some compound numbers to see the patterns in action:
- Vinte e um (21) — literally “twenty and one”
- Trinta e três (33) — “thirty and three”
- Quarenta e cinco (45) — “forty and five”
- Noventa e nove (99) — “ninety and nine”
- Cento e cinquenta (150) — “hundred and fifty”
The connector e is always used between tens and units, and between hundreds and tens. This makes Portuguese numbers very regular once you know the base words.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do some Portuguese numbers have gender?
In Portuguese, the numbers 1 and 2 change based on the gender of the noun they describe. Um/uma (one) and dois/duas (two) have masculine and feminine forms. All other numbers from 3 onward are gender-neutral.
How do you count from 11 to 19 in Portuguese?
Numbers 11–15 have unique names: onze, doze, treze, catorze, quinze. From 16 to 19, the pattern is "dez" + "e" + digit: dezesseis (16), dezessete (17), dezoito (18), dezenove (19). In Portugal, 16 is "dezasseis" instead.
Is the Brazilian and Portuguese counting the same?
The numbers themselves are the same, but pronunciation differs. Some teens also have variant spellings: Brazil uses dezesseis (16) while Portugal uses dezasseis. Brazil uses catorze or quatorze for 14, while Portugal prefers catorze.
How do you say large numbers in Portuguese?
1,000 is mil (no "um" before it). 2,000 is dois mil. 1,000,000 is um milhão. Note that Portuguese uses periods for thousands and commas for decimals: 1.000 = one thousand, 1,5 = one and a half.