Numbers are a fundamental part of any language, and they play a crucial role in everyday life. Whether you’re shopping, telling time, giving your age, or discussing quantities, understanding numbers is essential. In the Russian language, numbers are relatively straightforward to learn once you grasp the basics. Let’s explore cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers, fractions, and decimals in Russian .
Cardinal Numbers in Russian
1. Один (Odin) – One
2. Два (Dva) – Two
3. Три (Tri) – Three
4. Четыре (Chetyre) – Four
5. Пять (Pyat’) – Five
6. Шесть (Shest’) – Six
7. Семь (Sem’) – Seven
8. Восемь (Vosem’) – Eight
9. Девять (Devyat’) – Nine
10. Десять (Desyat’) – Ten
Numbers from 11 to 19 are formed by adding “надцать” (nadtsat’) to the corresponding digit:
11. Одиннадцать (Odinnadtsat’) – Eleven
12. Двенадцать (Dvenadtsat’) – Twelve
13. Тринадцать (Trinadtsat’) – Thirteen
14. Четырнадцать (Chetyrnadtsat’) – Fourteen
15. Пятнадцать (Pyatnadtsat’) – Fifteen
16. Шестнадцать (Shestnadtsat’) – Sixteen
17. Семнадцать (Semnadtsat’) – Seventeen
18. Восемнадцать (Vosemnadtsat’) – Eighteen
19. Девятнадцать (Devyatnadtsat’) – Nineteen
For numbers 20 and beyond, Russian follows this pattern:
20. Двадцать (Dvadtsat’) – Twenty
21. Двадцать один (Dvadtsat’ odin) – Twenty-one
22. Двадцать два (Dvadtsat’ dva) – Twenty-two
30. Тридцать (Tridtsat’) – Thirty
40. Сорок (Sorok) – Forty
50. Пятьдесят (Pyat’desyat) – Fifty
60. Шестьдесят (Shest’desyat) – Sixty
70. Семьдесят (Sem’desyat) – Seventy
80. Восемьдесят (Vosem’desyat) – Eighty
90. Девяносто (Devyanosto) – Ninety
For hundreds, add “сто” (sto) for one hundred and “сот” (sot) for two hundred, three hundred, etc.
100. Сто (Sto) – One hundred
200. Двести (Dvesti) – Two hundred
300. Триста (Trista) – Three hundred
400. Четыреста (Chetyresta) – Four hundred
500. Пятьсот (Pyatsot) – Five hundred
600. Шестьсот (Shest’sot) – Six hundred
700. Семьсот (Sem’sot) – Seven hundred
800. Восемьсот (Vosem’sot) – Eight hundred
900. Девятьсот (Devyat’sot) – Nine hundred
When counting from 101 to 199, use “сто” instead of “сот.”
101. Сто один (Sto odin) – One hundred and one
115. Сто пятнадцать (Sto pyatnadtsat’) – One hundred and fifteen
For thousands and beyond, use:
1, 000 Тысяча (Tysyacha) – One thousand
1,000,000. Миллион (Million) – One million
Ordinal Numbers in Russian
Ordinal numbers in Russian are similar to cardinal numbers. To form them, add “-й” (“-y”) to the cardinal number, except for “первый” (pervyy) – first, “второй” (vtoroy) – second, and “третий” (tretiy) – third.
1st. Первый (Pervyy) – First
2nd. Второй (Vtoroy) – Second
3rd. Третий (Tretiy) – Third
4th. Четвёртый (Chetvyortyy) – Fourth
5th. Пятый (Pyatyy) – Fifth
6th. Шестой (Shestoy) – Sixth
7th. Седьмой (Sedmoy) – Seventh
8th. Восьмой (Vos’moy) – Eighth
9th. Девятый (Devyatyy) – Ninth
10th. Десятый (Desyatyy) – Tenth
Fractions in Russian
To express fractions in Russian, use:
1/2 – Половина (Polovina) – One-half
1/3 – Треть (Tret’) – One-third
2/3 – Две трети (Dve treti) – Two-thirds
1/4 – Четверть (Chetvert’) – One-fourth
3/4 – Три четверти (Tri chetverti) – Three-fourths
Decimals in Russian
In Russian, decimals use a comma (,) instead of a period (.) as in English, similar to Portuguese.
2,5 – Два запятая пять (Dva zapyataya pyat’) – Two point five
Now you have a foundation for understanding and using numbers in Russian. Practice counting and using these numbers in everyday conversations to become more comfortable with them.