Cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers, time, dates, prices, and the critical formatting differences between German and English numbers.
| Number | German | English | Number | German | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | eins / ein | one | 16 | sechzehn | sixteen |
| 2 | zwei | two | 17 | siebzehn | seventeen |
| 3 | drei | three | 18 | achtzehn | eighteen |
| 4 | vier | four | 19 | neunzehn | nineteen |
| 5 | fünf | five | 20 | zwanzig | twenty |
| 6 | sechs | six | 21 | einundzwanzig | twenty-one |
| 7 | sieben | seven | 22 | zweiundzwanzig | twenty-two |
| 8 | acht | eight | 23 | dreiundzwanzig | twenty-three |
| 9 | neun | nine | 24 | vierundzwanzig | twenty-four |
| 10 | zehn | ten | 25 | fünfundzwanzig | twenty-five |
| 11 | elf | eleven | 26 | sechsundzwanzig | twenty-six |
| 12 | zwölf | twelve | 27 | siebenundzwanzig | twenty-seven |
| 13 | dreizehn | thirteen | 28 | achtundzwanzig | twenty-eight |
| 14 | vierzehn | fourteen | 29 | neunundzwanzig | twenty-nine |
| 15 | fünfzehn | fifteen | 30 | dreißig | thirty |
| 40 | vierzig | forty | 600 | sechshundert | six hundred |
| 50 | fünfzig | fifty | 700 | siebenhundert | seven hundred |
| 60 | sechzig | sixty | 800 | achthundert | eight hundred |
| 70 | siebzig | seventy | 900 | neunhundert | nine hundred |
| 80 | achtzig | eighty | 1.000 | tausend | one thousand |
| 90 | neunzig | ninety | 10.000 | zehntausend | ten thousand |
| 100 | hundert | one hundred | 100.000 | hunderttausend | one hundred thousand |
| 200 | zweihundert | two hundred | 1.000.000 | eine Million | one million |
| 300 | dreihundert | three hundred | 1.000.000.000 | eine Milliarde | one billion |
| 400 | vierhundert | four hundred | 1.000.000.000.000 | eine Billion | one trillion |
| 500 | fünfhundert | five hundred |
German numbers follow consistent construction rules once you know the building blocks. For numbers 21-99, the unit comes first, connected with und (and), then the tens: einundzwanzig (21 = one-and-twenty), fünfundvierzig (45 = five-and-forty), neunundneunzig (99 = nine-and-ninety). This is the opposite of English "twenty-one."
Hundreds are formed by placing the multiplier before hundert: zweihundert (200), fünfhundert (500). For combined hundreds and smaller numbers, they are written as one word: dreihundertfünfundzwanzig (325 = three-hundred-five-and-twenty).
Thousands use tausend: dreitausend (3,000), siebenundzwanzigtausend (27,000). Million and Milliarde are feminine nouns and take an article: eine Million (one million), zwei Millionen (two million), eine Milliarde (one billion in English). Milliarde is the German word for what English calls a billion — this is a critical translation distinction. German Billion (with capital B, as a noun) = English trillion.
Key irregular forms to know: siebzehn (17, not siebenzehn), siebzig (70, not siebengzig), dreißig (30, irregular spelling with ß), sechs → sechzehn, sechzig (loses the -s in sixteen and sixty).
| Number | German Ordinal | English | Number | German Ordinal | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | erste | first | 11 | elfte | eleventh |
| 2 | zweite | second | 12 | zwölfte | twelfth |
| 3 | dritte | third | 13 | dreizehnte | thirteenth |
| 4 | vierte | fourth | 14 | vierzehnte | fourteenth |
| 5 | fünfte | fifth | 15 | fünfzehnte | fifteenth |
| 6 | sechste | sixth | 16 | sechzehnte | sixteenth |
| 7 | siebte | seventh | 17 | siebzehnte | seventeenth |
| 8 | achte | eighth | 18 | achtzehnte | eighteenth |
| 9 | neunte | ninth | 19 | neunzehnte | nineteenth |
| 10 | zehnte | tenth | 20 | zwanzigste | twentieth |
Ordinals 2-19 add -te to the cardinal; 20 and above add -ste. Irregular: erste (1st), dritte (3rd), siebte (7th — drops the 'en'), achte (8th — no double 't'). German ordinals decline like adjectives and agree with the noun in gender, case, and number: der erste Mann, die erste Frau, das erste Kind, am ersten Januar (on the first of January).
German time has a unique half-hour system that trips up English speakers. Halb drei (half three) means 2:30 — halfway to three, not half-past three. Think of it as "half of the third hour." This is completely opposite to English "half past two."
| Time | German | Literal | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | ein Uhr / es ist eins | one o'clock | 1:00 / one o'clock |
| 1:15 | Viertel nach eins | quarter after one | 1:15 / quarter past one |
| 1:30 | halb zwei | half (to) two | 1:30 / half past one ⚠️ |
| 1:45 | Viertel vor zwei | quarter to two | 1:45 / quarter to two |
| 2:30 | halb drei | half (to) three | 2:30 / half past two ⚠️ |
| 12:00 | zwölf Uhr / Mittag | twelve o'clock / noon | 12:00 noon |
| 20:30 | zwanzig Uhr dreißig | twenty hours thirty | 8:30 PM (24-hour format) |
German dates use Day.Month.Year format (DD.MM.YYYY). American dates use Month/Day/Year. This is one of the most critical translation considerations for legal and official documents.
| German Date | Correct English | Common Mistake |
|---|---|---|
| 09.04.2026 | April 9, 2026 | September 4, 2026 ❌ |
| 01.12.2025 | December 1, 2025 | January 12, 2025 ❌ |
| am 3. Mai 2026 | on May 3, 2026 | on the 3rd of May 2026 |
| 15. März | March 15 | 15 March (British) or March 15 (American) |
| 1. Januar 2025 | January 1, 2025 | 1st January 2025 (British variant) |
In German, the decimal separator is a comma (,) and the thousands separator is a period (.) — the exact opposite of American English. German €1.299,99 = English $1,299.99. This is critical in financial translations.
| German Format | English Equivalent | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| € 1,99 | €1.99 | one euro ninety-nine cents |
| € 1.000 | €1,000 | one thousand euros |
| € 1.299,99 | €1,299.99 | one thousand two hundred ninety-nine euros |
| 2,5 Millionen € | €2.5 million | two and a half million euros |
| 0,5% | 0.5% | half a percent |
The difference between German and English number formatting is one of the most consequential translation issues in financial, legal, and business documents. The confusion arises because the two systems use the same symbols (period and comma) for opposite purposes.
In the German system (used throughout most of continental Europe): the period . is the thousands separator (1.000 = one thousand), and the comma , is the decimal marker (1,5 = one and a half). In the American/English system: the comma , is the thousands separator (1,000 = one thousand), and the period . is the decimal marker (1.5 = one and a half).
The implications: A German price tag showing 12.500,75 € means twelve thousand five hundred euros and seventy-five cents (€12,500.75 in American notation) — not €12.500.75, which would be an impossible decimal. In a German bank statement, a transfer amount of 1.250.000,00 € means 1.25 million euros, not €1.250.000 in American notation (which would be ambiguous). Always verify context when translating financial figures from German.
| German Format | American English Format | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1.000 | 1,000 | one thousand |
| 1.000.000 | 1,000,000 | one million |
| 1,5 | 1.5 | one point five |
| 12.500,75 | 12,500.75 | twelve thousand five hundred and 75/100 |
| 0,05% | 0.05% | five hundredths of a percent |
| 2.450.000,00 € | €2,450,000.00 | two million four hundred fifty thousand euros |
German builds compound numbers with the units first (einundzwanzig = twenty-one, literally "one-and-twenty"). Hundreds use hundert, thousands use tausend. Critical: German Milliarde = English billion; German Billion = English trillion. In financial translations, this distinction can mean being off by a factor of 1,000.
German uses a unique half-hour system: "halb drei" means 2:30 (halfway to three), NOT 3:30. Quarter hours: Viertel nach (quarter past), Viertel vor (quarter to). The 24-hour clock is standard in official and written contexts: 14:30 Uhr = 2:30 PM. "Um wie viel Uhr?" means "At what time?" and "Es ist…" is used to tell time.
German date format is Day.Month.Year (DD.MM.YYYY), the opposite of American Month/Day/Year. So 09.04.2026 = April 9, 2026, not September 4. This is a critical distinction for legal document translation. When translating for American audiences, always convert to Month Day, Year format. Months can also be written in words: "9. April 2026" or "am 9. April 2026."
German uses period as thousands separator and comma as decimal marker — opposite to American English. German 1.000 = American 1,000 (one thousand). German 1,5 = American 1.5 (one and a half). In financial documents, German €12.500,00 = American $12,500.00. This is one of the most critical formatting issues in German-to-English financial translation.
Ordinals 2-19 add -te: zweite (2nd), vierte (4th), zehnte (10th). From 20 up, add -ste: zwanzigste (20th), hundertste (100th). Irregular: erste (1st), dritte (3rd), siebte (7th — no 'en'), achte (8th — no double 't'). Ordinals also decline like adjectives: der erste Mann, den ersten Mann, dem ersten Mann.
German Milliarde = English billion (1,000,000,000 = 10⁹). German Billion = English trillion (1,000,000,000,000 = 10¹²). German uses the "long scale" while English uses the "short scale." This is a critical distinction in economic, financial, and political translations. When translating budget figures, GDP data, or corporate earnings from German to English, always check whether the source uses Milliarden or Billionen.
German phone numbers are typically read in pairs: "030 / 12 34 56" = null dreißig, zwölf vierundreißig sechsundfünfzig. The area code (Vorwahl) is stated separately. Germany's country code is +49; the leading zero is dropped in international format. Mobile numbers start with 015x, 016x, or 017x. The digit 0 is always "null" (not "oh" as in English).
Age: "Ich bin 30 Jahre alt" (I am 30 years old) — "Jahre alt" follows the number. Measurements are metric: Kilometer, Meter, Zentimeter, Kilogramm, Gramm, Liter. Temperatures are always Celsius. Height: "Er ist 1,85 Meter groß" (He is 1.85 meters tall — note the German comma as decimal). For US audiences, metric conversions may be needed: 1 km ≈ 0.62 miles, 1 kg ≈ 2.2 lbs.
German street addresses follow Street Name + House Number format: "Müllerstraße 5" (not "5 Müllerstraße" as in English). Apartment numbers follow after a slash or with "Wohnung": "Hauptstraße 12/3" (No. 12, apartment 3). The postal code (Postleitzahl/PLZ) precedes the city name: "80331 München." When translating German addresses for English-speaking audiences, the format often needs adaptation but the number itself stays the same.