Vocabulary

Portuguese Numbers: How to Count from 1 to 1000 (With Pronunciation)

March 10, 2026

Numbers come up constantly when you are learning Portuguese. You need them at restaurants, at shops, when telling time, when giving your phone number, and when understanding prices. This guide covers every number from 1 to 1000, with pronunciation guides, ordinal numbers, and practical tips for using numbers in everyday situations.

Numbers 1 to 20

These are the building blocks. Memorize these first, and the rest of the number system follows a predictable pattern.

  1. 1 - um / uma (oom / OO-mah). "Um" is masculine, "uma" is feminine.
  2. 2 - dois / duas (doysh / DOO-ash). Also has masculine/feminine forms.
  3. 3 - três (tresh)
  4. 4 - quatro (KWAH-troo)
  5. 5 - cinco (SEEN-koo)
  6. 6 - seis (saysh)
  7. 7 - sete (SET-eh)
  8. 8 - oito (OY-too)
  9. 9 - nove (NOH-veh)
  10. 10 - dez (desh)
  11. 11 - onze (OHN-zeh)
  12. 12 - doze (DOH-zeh)
  13. 13 - treze (TREH-zeh)
  14. 14 - catorze (kah-TOR-zeh)
  15. 15 - quinze (KEEN-zeh)
  16. 16 - dezasseis (deh-zah-SAYSH)
  17. 17 - dezassete (deh-zah-SET-eh)
  18. 18 - dezoito (deh-ZOY-too)
  19. 19 - dezanove (deh-zah-NOH-veh)
  20. 20 - vinte (VEEN-teh)

Note: numbers 1 and 2 change depending on gender. "Um café" (one coffee, masculine) but "uma cerveja" (one beer, feminine). "Dois gatos" (two cats, masculine) but "duas casas" (two houses, feminine).

Numbers 21 to 100

From 21 onward, Portuguese numbers follow a simple pattern: tens + "e" (and) + units. For example, 21 is "vinte e um" (twenty and one).

Examples: 35 is "trinta e cinco," 47 is "quarenta e sete," 89 is "oitenta e nove." The pattern is consistent and predictable once you know the tens.

Numbers 100 to 1000

"Cem" means exactly 100. When followed by another number, it becomes "cento": 101 is "cento e um," 150 is "cento e cinquenta."

Note that hundreds also have masculine and feminine forms. "Duzentos euros" but "duzentas pessoas" (two hundred people, feminine).

Example: 745 is "setecentos e quarenta e cinco." 1000 is simply "mil." 2000 is "dois mil."

Ordinal numbers

Ordinal numbers (first, second, third) are used for floors, centuries, and rankings. Here are the most common ones:

Ordinals change for gender, just like adjectives. "O primeiro andar" (the first floor, masculine) but "a primeira vez" (the first time, feminine).

Practical uses for numbers

Prices

In Portugal, prices use euros and cêntimos (cents). To ask the price, say "Quanto custa?" (KWAHN-too KOOSH-tah). For more restaurant and shopping vocabulary, see our food guide.

Phone numbers

Portuguese phone numbers are said digit by digit. The number 912 345 678 would be: "nove, um, dois, três, quatro, cinco, seis, sete, oito." Some people group the digits in pairs: "noventa e um, vinte e três, quarenta e cinco, sessenta e sete, oito."

Dates

Dates in Portuguese use cardinal numbers (not ordinals like in English). March 10 is "dez de março" (ten of March), not "tenth of March." The year 2026 is "dois mil e vinte e seis."

Time

For telling time, Portuguese uses "horas" (hours). "São três horas" (It is three o'clock). "São oito e meia" (It is eight thirty, literally "eight and a half"). For 1 o'clock, use the singular: "É uma hora."

European Portuguese number pronunciation

The numbers are identical in European and Brazilian Portuguese, but pronunciation differs. In European Portuguese, unstressed vowels are reduced. "Quarenta" sounds more like "kwah-REN-tah" with the final "a" barely audible, while in Brazilian Portuguese every syllable is clearly pronounced.

The best way to internalize number pronunciation is to hear them in context, such as in stories where characters talk about prices, ages, or addresses. Seeing numbers used naturally helps them stick better than drilling a list.

Hear Portuguese numbers in real stories

Learnables teaches Portuguese through bilingual stories with native audio. Encounter numbers naturally in conversations about prices, ages, and daily life.

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