Mastering Numbers in Dutch Language: From 0 to 100+

Short answer: In the numbers in Dutch language system, you count with base-10, form teens with -tien (11–19), make tens with -tig (20–90), and say 21–99 in reverse order as ones + en + tens (e.g., eenentwintig = 21). Bigger numbers are honderd (100), duizend (1,000), miljoen (1,000,000), and miljard (1,000,000,000). If that’s what you came for—you’re set. Keep reading for the full, practical guide with pronunciation, spelling rules, and everyday usage.

Table of Contents

Dutch Numbers: The Quick Overview (How the System Works)

Before we dive into tables, here’s the mental model:

• 0–10 have unique words.
• 11–19 mostly use -tien (teen) with a few irregular forms for 11–12.
• 20–90 are tens that end in -tig.
• 21–99 use reverse order: ones + en + tens (literally “one-and-twenty”), written as one word in standard Dutch spelling.
• 100+ builds with honderd, duizend, miljoen, miljard.
• Ordinals mostly add -de or -ste (first = eerste, second = tweede, third = derde, twentieth = twintigste, etc.).
• Notation uses a comma for decimals (e.g., 3,5) and often a point or space for thousands (1.234 / 1 234).

Dutch writes compound number words as one word up to duizend, and uses spaces around miljoen/miljard (e.g., drie miljoen).¹²

Two fast “gotchas”:
1 21 = eenentwintig (not “twenty-one” order).
2 één (with accent) is the numeral “one”, while een (no accent) is the article “a/an”.

Dutch Numbers 0–10 (with Pronunciation Notes)

Say it out loud: nul, één, twee, drie, vier, vijf, zes, zeven, acht, negen, tien.

11–19: The -tien Pattern (and the Irregulars)

• 11 = elf (irregular)
• 12 = twaalf (irregular)
• 13 = dertien
• 14 = veertien
• 15 = vijftien
• 16 = zestien
• 17 = zeventien
• 18 = achttien (note the double t)
• 19 = negentien

Memory tip: 13–19 follow the -tien pattern, but elf and twaalf don’t.

Tens 20–90 (and 100)

Tens end with -tig (pronounced roughly “-tich” with a guttural g).

21–99: The Reversed Order Rule (Ones + en + Tens)

In standard Dutch spelling, 21–99 (except the tens themselves) are written as one word in reverse order: this “ones + en + tens” form is spelled solid (no spaces).¹

• 21 = een-en-twintig → eenentwintig
• 34 = vierendertig
• 48 = achtenveertig
• 57 = zevenenvijftig
• 62 = tweeënzestig (note the diaeresis/trema on ë)
• 73 = drieënzeventig (trema on ë)
• 99 = negenennegentig

Why the trema (¨)?
When forming numbers like 22 or 23, the vowels would merge without a separator. Dutch uses a trema to show that the vowel starts a new syllable: this avoids klinkerbotsing (“vowel collision”), hence tweeën- / drieën- in compounds like tweeëntwintig, drieëndertig.³⁴

• 22 = tweeëntwintig (not tweentwintig)
• 23 = drieëntwintig
• 32 = tweeëndertig
• 33 = drieëndertig

Quote (style guidance):
“Getallen in woorden worden zo veel mogelijk aan elkaar geschreven.”²

Spelling Essentials: Trema (tweeën, drieën) & Accents (één vs een)

• één (with accent) = the number one; een (no accent) = a/an.
• Plurals like “twos” and “threes” are tweeën and drieën (again: trema).
• In compounds, use the trema to break up vowel clusters: tweeëntwintig, drieëndertig.
• 21/31/41/etc. with een do not need a trema: eenentwintig, eenendertig.³¹

Counting Past 100: Hundreds, Thousands, Millions, Billions

• 100 = honderd → 200 tweehonderd, 350 driehonderdvijftig
• 1.000 = duizend → 2.000 tweeduizend
• 1.000.000 = miljoen → 3 miljoen drie miljoen (note: miljoen behaves like a noun)
• 1.000.000.000 = miljard (Dutch uses miljard for “billion”)

Examples

• 101 = honderd één (you’ll also hear honderdéén in speech)
• 1.234 = duizend tweehonderd vierendertig
• 45.678 = vijfenveertigduizend zeshonderd achtenzeventig
• 2,3 miljoen = twee komma drie miljoen

Dutch follows the long scale: miljard = 10^9, biljoen = 10^12.⁵⁶

Ordinal Numbers in Dutch: -de vs -ste

Most ordinals add -de; those ending in 8, 9, and round tens often take -ste. Common irregulars: eerste (1st), tweede (2nd), derde (3rd).

Formed by adding -de/-ste; eerste/derde are irregular. For numeric abbreviations, 1e and 1ste are both acceptable—choose one system and be consistent.⁷⁸⁹

Quote (usage note):
“Zowel 1ste als 1e is goed.”⁸

How to Say Time, Dates & Years (incl. the “half vier” quirk)

Time in Dutch frequently uses quarters and halves relative to the next hour:

• 3:15 = kwart over drie (a quarter past three)
• 3:30 = half vier (literally “half four” → 3:30)
• 3:45 = kwart voor vier (a quarter to four)

Years can be read as full numbers or chunked:

• 1985 → negentien vijfentachtig (common speaking style)
• 2025 → tweeduizend vijfentwintig (also common: twee-nul-twee-vijf in some contexts)

Dates use ordinals when spoken: de eerste mei (May 1st), de vijfde december (Dec 5th).

“Half vier” literally means halfway to four → 3:30; it’s standard phrasing in Dutch.¹⁰¹¹

Quote (example pattern):
“03:30 → … om half vier.”¹⁰

Money, Prices & Phone Numbers (Everyday Reading)

• €3,50 → drie euro vijftig (often no “en” in casual speech)
• €12,99 → twaalf euro negenennegentig
• €1.250,00 → één duizend tweehonderdvijftig euro / twaalfhonderdvijftig euro (both heard)
• Phone numbers are read in pairs or triplets: 06-12 34 56 78 → nul-zes, twaalf, vierendertig, zesenvijftig, achtenzeventig

Dutch uses a comma for decimals and a point or space for thousands grouping; follow NBN/NEN norms when style-critical.^12131415

Fractions, Decimals & Number Notation (Comma vs Period)

• 0,5 = nul komma vijf (half) | ½ = een half
• 0,25 = nul komma vijfentwintig | ¼ = een kwart
• ¾ = driekwart
• 1,75 = één komma vijfenzeventig

Ratios & percentages

• 3:2 = drie staat tot twee
• 15% = vijftien procent
• 2,3% = twee komma drie procent

Quote (notation rule):
“We zetten een komma voor decimalen, zoals in € 14,95 …”¹²

Pronunciation Tips (and Tricky Pairs)

• g / ch: both can be a guttural sound (varies by region). In acht, tachtig, achttien, let the sound come from the back of the throat.
• ij / ei: often similar; in vijf, vijftig, keep it short and clear.
• zestig vs zeventig: practice minimal pairs—zes-tig (60) vs ze-ven-tig (70).
• achttien: don’t drop the double t; it’s acht-tien, not ach-tien.

Common Pitfalls & Listening Traps (and How to Avoid Them)

1 Reverse order: English speakers want to say “twenty-one”, but Dutch insists on eenentwintig (one-and-twenty) as one word.¹
2 Trema usage: write tweeëntwintig, drieëndertig—that ¨ matters.³
3 één vs een: add the accent to avoid ambiguity in writing.
4 Half vier: means 3:30, not 4:30.¹⁰
5 Miljard: is billion in English; miljoen is million.⁶

Practice Drills: From 0–100 to Big Numbers

Read aloud ladders

• 0–20 straight through; then backwards 20–0.
• Tens: twintig, dertig, veertig, vijftig, zestig, zeventig, tachtig, negentig (repeat twice).
• Minimal pairs: zestig/zeventig, dertien/dertig, veertien/veertig, vijftien/vijftig.

Build 21–99 quickly

• Start from the ones and tack on en + tens:
  • 21 eenentwintig, 24 vierentwintig, 28 achtentwintig, 33 drieëndertig, 47 zevenenveertig.

Write-it drills (with trema awareness)

• 22 tweeëntwintig, 23 drieëntwintig, 32 tweeëndertig, 33 drieëndertig.
• 62 tweeënzestig, 73 drieënzeventig.

Applied practice

• Prices: write how you’d say €7,80, €12,05, €109,90.
• Times: say 2:15, 5:30, 8:45 in Dutch.
• Big numbers: read 1.234, 45.678, 2.300.000.

Regional Notes: Flemish Variants & Stress Patterns

You’ll hear accent and timbre vary between the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium), especially on g/ch and vowel quality. The number words themselves, spelling, and the reverse order rule remain the same. Price reading conventions can differ slightly in how much detail is spoken (drie euro vijftig vs drie euro en vijftig), but both are widely understood.

“Numbers in Dutch Language” at a Glance (Printable Cheat Sheet)

Core blocks to master first:

1 0–10 unique words
2 11–19 (-tien) with elf, twaalf, achttien
3 Tens (-tig) 20–90
4 Reverse order 21–99 as one word
5 Hundreds, thousands, miljoen, miljard
6 Ordinals (-de / -ste)
7 Comma decimals, point/space thousands

Pin this one-liner: ones + en + tens (spelled as one word).

Comprehensive Tables & Examples

0–20

Tens & Key Compounds

Note the trema in tweeën- / drieën-. When een is the ones digit (21, 31, 41…), no trema is used: eenentwintig.¹³

Hundreds to Millions

(Hyphenation/accents may vary in informal writing; the standard favors long compounds.)¹⁶

Mini Phrasebook: Numbers Doing Real Work

• Ik ben achtentwintig. — I’m 28.
• De trein vertrekt om half vier. — The train leaves at 3:30.
• Dat kost twaalf euro vijfennegentig. — That costs €12.95.
• We zien elkaar op de derde verdieping. — We’ll meet on the 3rd floor.
• Het adres is nummer zesenvijftig. — The address is number 56.
• Bel me op nul-zes, twaalf, vierendertig, zesenvijftig, achtenzeventig. — Call me at 06-12 34 56 78.

FAQ (People also ask)

Q: How do you say numbers in Dutch?
A: Learn 0–10 (nul, één, twee…), teens with -tien (13 dertien), tens with -tig (20 twintig), and 21–99 as ones + en + tens (21 eenentwintig) written solid.¹

👉 Want to hear and practice every number with native audio and 3D mouth animation? Try Avatalks — free, no sign-up, and includes click-to-hear tables + writing practice.

Q: Why are Dutch numbers like 21 “reversed”?
A: It’s the historic “ones + en + tens” pattern (one-and-twenty). In modern spelling, these compounds are one word: eenentwintig, tweeëntwintig, drieëntwintig….¹

Q: How do you write 22 and 23 in Dutch?
A: tweeëntwintig and drieëntwintig. The trema (¨) shows the vowel starts a new syllable to avoid klinkerbotsing (“vowel collision”).³⁴

Q: What is 21, 34, 73 in Dutch?
A: 21 eenentwintig, 34 vierendertig, 73 drieënzeventig (trema on ë). All are one word.¹³

Q: How do you say 100, 1,000, and a billion in Dutch?
A: honderd (100), duizend (1,000), miljoen (1,000,000), miljard (1,000,000,000). NL uses the long scale (so miljard = 10^9).⁵⁶

Q: How do you form ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd) in Dutch?
A: Mostly add -de/-ste (eerste, tweede, derde, vierde… twintigste). Numeric forms 1e and 1ste both occur—pick one system and stay consistent.⁷⁸⁹

Q: How do decimals and thousands separators work in Dutch?
A: Dutch uses a comma for decimals (3,5) and space or point for thousands (1 234 / 1.234). For money: € 14,95 is standard.^12131415

Q: How do you say 3:30 in Dutch?
A: half vier (literally “halfway to four”). So 3:30 = half vier, 9:30 = half tien.¹⁰¹¹

Q: What’s the difference between ‘één’ and ‘een’?
A: één = numeral one; een (no accent) = a/an. Use the accent to avoid ambiguity in writing.

Q: How do you say 1995 or 2025 in Dutch?
A: negentienhonderdvijfennegentig (1995); tweeduizend vijfentwintig (2025). In speech, chunking like negentien vijfentachtig for 1985 is common.

Q: How do you read prices and phone numbers in Dutch?
A: € 12,99 → twaalf euro negenennegentig. Phone numbers are often read in pairs: 06-12 34 56 78 → nul-zes, twaalf, vierendertig, zesenvijftig, achtenzeventig.¹²

Q: Is the Dutch number system similar to German?
A: Yes—both use the reverse order for 21–99 (e.g., einundzwanzig / eenentwintig). Spelling rules differ; follow Dutch aaneenschrijven and trema usage.¹³

Final Word

If you remember only three things about numbers in Dutch language:
1 Reverse order for 21–99 (eenentwintig),
2 Trema on tweeën- / drieën- where vowels collide, and
3 Comma decimals with point/space thousands (1.234,56).

From train times to prices and phone numbers, these patterns repeat everywhere. Read them out loud, write a few every day, and you’ll sound natural faster than you think—veel succes!

References