Numbers in Portuguese:
How to Count from 1 to 1000+

Whether you're haggling at a market in Rio, splitting the bill at a restaurant, or just telling someone your age, numbers are one of the first things you need in Portuguese. The good news: the patterns are logical, and once you know 1-20 the rest builds naturally.

This is a practical reference guide with Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation. Every number below uses the way we actually say them in Brazil — not the European Portuguese variants. Keep this page bookmarked. You'll come back to it.

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Numbers 1-10

These are the building blocks. Master these and you can handle prices, addresses, and most everyday situations.

Gender matters for 1 and 2: "Um" and "dois" are masculine. "Uma" and "duas" are feminine. You say "um cafe" (one coffee, masculine) but "uma cerveja" (one beer, feminine). This is one of the first things Portuguese beginners learn, and it becomes automatic fast.

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Numbers 11-20

Need help with pronunciation? Our Portuguese Alphabet & Pronunciation Guide covers every sound in detail.

Here's where it gets tricky. Unlike English (where "thirteen" clearly comes from "three"), Portuguese numbers 11-15 have unique forms that you just have to memorize. From 16-19, though, a pattern emerges: dez + number.

See the pattern from 16 onward? Dezesseis is "dez + seis" (ten-six), dezessete is "dez + sete" (ten-seven), and so on. Numbers 11-15 don't follow this pattern though — you just need to commit them to memory.

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Numbers 21-100

Now it gets easy. The tens have their own words, and everything in between follows one simple pattern: tens + e + units. "E" means "and." Twenty-one is vinte e um. Thirty-five is trinta e cinco. That's it.

The tens

How to combine them

Just add "e" (and) between the tens and units:

If you already speak Spanish, you'll notice the numbers are very similar — see our Portuguese vs Spanish comparison for more on what transfers. This pattern works exactly the same from 21 all the way to 99. Once you know the tens, you can say any number.

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Big Numbers: 100, 1,000, and Beyond

Here's where Portuguese has a few quirks worth knowing.

100: Cem vs. Cento

Use cem when you mean exactly 100. Use cento when 100 is followed by another number.

Gender in hundreds: Numbers 200-900 change based on the noun they describe. "Duzentos reais" (200 reais — masculine) but "duzentas pessoas" (200 people — feminine). In everyday life, you'll mostly use the masculine form for prices since real (the currency) is masculine.

1,000 and above

Note that mil never becomes "um mil" in Portuguese. It's just mil for 1,000. But for millions and billions, you do need um: um milhão, um bilhão. And the plural forms are milhões and bilhões.

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Using Numbers in Real Life

Knowing how to count is one thing. Knowing how Brazilians use numbers in daily life is what actually matters. Here's how numbers show up in the situations you'll encounter most.

Prices in reais (R$)

Brazil's currency is the real (plural: reais). Cents are centavos.

In casual conversation, Brazilians usually drop "reais" and "centavos" when the context is obvious. At a market, the vendor might just say "quinze e cinquenta" for R$15.50. You'll also hear "custa dez reais" (it costs ten reais) or just "dez" with a pointed gesture.

When you hear "Quanto custa?" (How much does it cost?) in a market, listen for the number that follows. It comes fast, so knowing your numbers well makes all the difference.

Phone numbers

Brazilians say phone numbers digit by digit, often in pairs. A cell phone number like (21) 97208-9114 would be said as:

"Dois-um, nove-sete-dois-zero-oito, nove-um-um-quatro"

The area code (DDD) is grouped separately. Rio de Janeiro is 21 (dois-um), São Paulo is 11 (um-um). The number 6 is often said as "meia" (literally "half" — short for meia dúzia, half a dozen) instead of "seis" to avoid confusion with "três" over the phone.

Dates

In Brazil, dates are day/month/year (not month/day like in the US). You say the day as a cardinal number, not ordinal — except for the first of the month.

Telling time

Portuguese uses a 12-hour system in conversation (with context making AM/PM clear) and a 24-hour system in writing.

Notice that 1:00 uses "e" (is, singular) while all other hours use "são" (are, plural). And for "half past," Brazilians say "e meia" rather than "e trinta." You'll hear both, but "e meia" is far more common.

Ages

To say your age in Portuguese, use "ter" (to have), not "ser" (to be). Brazilians "have" years — they don't "are" years.

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Ordinal Numbers

Ordinals (first, second, third...) are used for rankings, floors, dates (only the 1st), and addresses. In Portuguese, they agree in gender with the noun they describe.

Gender agreement in action: "O primeiro andar" (the first floor — masculine) but "a primeira vez" (the first time — feminine). The ending always matches the noun: -o for masculine, -a for feminine. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, ordinals above 10th are rare — people usually switch to cardinal numbers. You'll hear "o andar doze" (floor twelve) rather than "o decimo segundo andar."

You'll encounter ordinals most often with floors (segundo andar = second floor), addresses, and the days of the week — segunda-feira (Monday, literally "second fair"), terça-feira (Tuesday), quarta-feira (Wednesday), quinta-feira (Thursday), sexta-feira (Friday).

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do you count to 10 in Portuguese?

The numbers 1-10 in Brazilian Portuguese are: um (1), dois (2), três (3), quatro (4), cinco (5), seis (6), sete (7), oito (8), nove (9), dez (10). Numbers 1 and 2 have feminine forms — uma and duas — that you'll use depending on the noun's gender.

What is the difference between "cem" and "cento"?

Use cem when you mean exactly 100: "cem reais" (100 reais), "cem pessoas" (100 people). Use cento when 100 is followed by another number: "cento e um" (101), "cento e cinquenta" (150). Easy rule: cem stands alone, cento always has company.

Do Portuguese numbers have gender?

Most are gender-neutral, but a few change. The numbers 1 and 2 have masculine and feminine forms: um/uma and dois/duas. Hundreds from 200 onward also agree in gender: duzentos/duzentas, trezentos/trezentas, and so on. Ordinal numbers always agree: primeiro/primeira, segundo/segunda.

How do Brazilians say prices?

The pattern is number + reais: "dez reais" (R$10), "vinte e cinco reais" (R$25). For cents, add "e [number] centavos": "quinze reais e cinquenta centavos" (R$15.50). In casual speech, Brazilians often drop both reais and centavos when the context is obvious — you'll hear "quinze e cinquenta" at the register.

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Start Using Numbers in Real Conversations

Numbers on a screen are a starting point. Using them in real conversation — understanding a fast-talking vendor at the feira, telling a taxi driver your address, or ordering for the table — takes practice with a real person.

I'm Anne Caroline, a native carioca from Rio de Janeiro with 1,900+ lessons taught and a perfect 5.0 rating from 49 students. I turn reference knowledge into real fluency, one conversation at a time. Numbers are one of the first things we cover in beginner lessons, and my students always surprise themselves by how quickly they stick.