Portuguese for Beginners: Numbers and Counting

Welcome to an in-depth exploration of Portuguese numbers and counting. This article will provide comprehensive explanations and a wealth of examples to help you understand and practice counting in Brazilian Portuguese.

Understanding Basic Numbers (0-20)

Mastering the basic numbers in Portuguese is crucial for everyday communication. Let’s expand our understanding of numbers from zero to twenty.

• Zero: zero
  • Example: Zero carros passaram. (Zero cars passed.)

• One: um (masculine), uma (feminine)
  • Example: Ele comprou uma maçã. (He bought one apple.)

• Two: dois (masculine), duas (feminine)
  • Example: Elas têm duas irmãs. (They have two sisters.)

• Three: três
  • Example: Três pessoas entraram na loja. (Three people entered the store.)

• Four: quatro
  • Example: Há quatro cadeiras na sala. (There are four chairs in the room.)

• Five: cinco
  • Example: Ela esperou por cinco minutos. (She waited for five minutes.)

• Six: seis
  • Example: Seis livros estavam na mesa. (Six books were on the table.)

• Seven: sete
  • Example: Sete dias compõem uma semana. (Seven days make a week.)

• Eight: oito
  • Example: Oito gatos dormiam no sofá. (Eight cats were sleeping on the couch.)

• Nine: nove
  • Example: Nove alunos passaram no exame. (Nine students passed the exam.)

• Ten: dez
  • Example: Ele tem dez dedos. (He has ten fingers.)

• Eleven: onze
  • Example: Onze pessoas foram convidadas. (Eleven people were invited.)

• Twelve: doze
  • Example: Doze meses no ano. (Twelve months in a year.)

• Thirteen: treze
  • Example: Ela celebrou seu aniversário de treze anos. (She celebrated her thirteenth birthday.)

• Fourteen: quatorze
  • Example: Quatorze convidados chegaram cedo. (Fourteen guests arrived early.)

• Fifteen: quinze
  • Example: Quinze minutos até a meia-noite. (Fifteen minutes until midnight.)

• Sixteen: dezesseis
  • Example: Dezesseis velas no bolo. (Sixteen candles on the cake.)

• Seventeen: dezessete
  • Example: Dezessete estudantes na classe. (Seventeen students in the class.)

• Eighteen: dezoito
  • Example: Dezoito pássaros no céu. (Eighteen birds in the sky.)

• Nineteen: dezenove
  • Example: Dezenove flores no jardim. (Nineteen flowers in the garden.)

• Twenty: vinte
  • Example: Vinte linhas em cada página. (Twenty lines on each page.)

Numbers 21-100: Building Blocks

After mastering the basics, we move to numbers between 21 and 100. These numbers are combinations of the tens and units.

The Tens

• Twenty: vinte
  • Example: Vinte e um dias de férias. (Twenty-one days of vacation.)

• Thirty: trinta
  • Example: Trinta alunos na turma. (Thirty students in the class.)

• Forty: quarenta
  • Example: Quarenta minutos de exercício. (Forty minutes of exercise.)

• Fifty: cinquenta
  • Example: Cinquenta páginas lidas. (Fifty pages read.)

• Sixty: sessenta
  • Example: Sessenta segundos em um minuto. (Sixty seconds in a minute.)

• Seventy: setenta
  • Example: Setenta quilômetros por hora. (Seventy kilometers per hour.)

• Eighty: oitenta
  • Example: Oitenta anos de idade. (Eighty years old.)

• Ninety: noventa
  • Example: Noventa por cento de aproveitamento. (Ninety percent efficiency.)

• Hundred: cem
  • Example: Cem anos de solidão. (One hundred years of solitude.)

Constructing Numbers 21-99

To form numbers like 22 or 58, combine the tens with the units using ‘e’ (and).

Examples:

• Vinte e um (21)
• Trinta e cinco (35)
• Quarenta e sete (47)
• Cinquenta e dois (52)
• Sessenta e nove (69)
• Setenta e oito (78)
• Oitenta e quatro (84)
• Noventa e três (93)

Practical Applications and Examples

Numbers are integral to daily life. Here are more examples illustrating their use in different contexts.

In Shopping:

• Isso custa cinquenta e sete reais. (This costs fifty-seven reais.)
• Preciso de vinte e três quilos de batatas. (I need twenty-three kilos of potatoes.)

Telling Time:

• São duas e quinze. (It’s two fifteen.)
• A reunião começará às dez e meia. (The meeting will start at half-past ten.)

Giving Addresses:

• Ele mora no número trinta e dois. (He lives at number thirty-two.)
• A loja fica na Rua das Flores, oitenta e nove. (The store is on Flores Street, eighty-nine.)

This article has provided an exploration of numbers from 0 to 100 in Portuguese, covering basic numbers, constructions of more complex numbers, and their practical applications. With this foundation, you’ll be equipped to use numbers in a variety of everyday situations in a Portuguese-speaking context.

Building on this foundational knowledge, this section dives deeper into Portuguese numbers, focusing on numbers from 100 to 1000 and beyond. We will also look at ordinal numbers.

Numbers 101-1000: A Closer Look

Understanding how numbers above 100 are formed in Portuguese is crucial for expressing larger quantities. Let’s explore these numbers in more detail.

The Hundreds

• One hundred: cem
  • Example: Cem anos de história. (One hundred years of history.)

• Two hundred: duzentos (masculine), duzentas (feminine)
  • Example: Duzentos alunos participaram. (Two hundred students participated.)

• Three hundred: trezentos (m), trezentas (f)
  • Example: Três centenas de livros. (Three hundred books.)

• Four hundred: quatrocentos (m), quatrocentas (f)
  • Example: Quatrocentos quilômetros de distância. (Four hundred kilometers away.)

• Five hundred: quinhentos (m), quinhentas (f)
  • Example: Quinhentas páginas no livro. (Five hundred pages in the book.)

• Six hundred: seiscentos (m), seiscentas (f)
  • Example: Seiscentos reais foram gastos. (Six hundred reais were spent.)

• Seven hundred: setecentos (m), setecentas (f)
  • Example: Setecentos participantes esperados. (Seven hundred participants expected.)

• Eight hundred: oitocentos (m), oitocentas (f)
  • Example: Oitocentas árvores no parque. (Eight hundred trees in the park.)

• Nine hundred: novecentos (m), novecentas (f)
  • Example: Novecentas peças no quebra-cabeça. (Nine hundred pieces in the puzzle.)

Building Numbers from 101 to 999

Numbers between 101 and 999 are formed by combining hundreds, tens, and units.

• One hundred and one: cento e um
  • Example: Cento e uma ideias. (One hundred and one ideas.)

• Two hundred and twenty-two: duzentos e vinte e dois
  • Example: Duzentos e vinte e dois dias do ano. (Two hundred and twenty-two days of the year.)

Numbers 1000 and Beyond

Understanding larger numbers is important for various contexts, such as population, finance, and measurements.

• One thousand: mil
  • Example: Mil estrelas no céu. (One thousand stars in the sky.)

• Ten thousand: dez mil
  • Example: Dez mil metros quadrados. (Ten thousand square meters.)

• One hundred thousand: cem mil
  • Example: Cem mil habitantes na cidade. (One hundred thousand inhabitants in the city.)

• One million: um milhão
  • Example: Um milhão de reais no prêmio. (One million reais in the prize.)

Examples in Sentences:

• Há dois mil, quatrocentos e cinquenta e seis alunos na universidade. (There are two thousand, four hundred and fifty-six students in the university.)
  
• O Brasil tem uma população de aproximadamente duzentos e dez milhões. (Brazil has a population of approximately two hundred and ten million.)

Ordinal Numbers: Detailed Exploration

Ordinal numbers in Portuguese are used to denote order or rank and agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.

• First: primeiro (m), primeira (f)
  • Example: Primeiro lugar na corrida. (First place in the race.)

• Second: segundo (m), segunda (f)
  • Example: Segundo andar do prédio. (Second floor of the building.)

• Third: terceiro (m), terceira (f)
  • Example: Terceira fila do cinema. (Third row in the cinema.)

• Fourth: quarto (m), quarta (f)
  • Example: Quarto capítulo do livro. (Fourth chapter of the book.)

• Fifth: quinto (m), quinta (f)
  • Example: Quinta posição na lista. (Fifth position on the list.)

• Tenth: décimo (m), décima (f)
  • Example: Décimo aniversário da empresa. (The company’s tenth anniversary.)

• Twentieth: vigésimo (m), vigésima (f)
  • Example: Vigésimo dia do mês. (Twentieth day of the month.)

Using Ordinal Numbers:

Ordinal numbers are often used in formal and ceremonial contexts.

• O primeiro ministro de Portugal. (The Prime Minister of Portugal.)
• A segunda guerra mundial. (The Second World War.)

Practice Exercise

Translate the following numbers into Portuguese:

• 115, 242, 378, 499, 560, 622, 734, 858, 999

This section has offered an exploration of numbers from 100 to 1000 and beyond, along with a look at ordinal numbers. These concepts are essential for a wide range of real-life situations, from academic and professional settings to everyday conversations.

Next, we’ll look at advanced numerical concepts in Brazilian Portuguese. This includes a look at decimal numbers, fractions, percentages, and their applications in contexts such as dates and phone numbers.

Decimal Numbers: A Closer Look

Decimal numbers are frequently used in measurements, finance, and science. In Portuguese, the comma (,) is used as the decimal separator.

• One point five: um vírgula cinco (1,5)
  • Example: A distância é de um vírgula cinco quilômetros. (The distance is one point five kilometers.)

• Two point three: dois vírgula três (2,3)
  • Example: Ele teve uma nota de dois vírgula três. (He got a grade of two point three.)

Practical Applications:

• Temperatures: A temperatura é de vinte e três vírgula dois graus. (The temperature is twenty-three point two degrees.)
• Money: O total é cinquenta vírgula sete cinco reais. (The total is fifty point seventy-five reais.)

Fractions: More than Just Parts

Fractions in Portuguese are important for cooking, measurements, and statistics. They are expressed with cardinal numbers for the numerator and ordinal numbers for the denominator.

• One half: um meio
  • Example: Preciso de um meio litro de leite. (I need half a liter of milk.)

• One third: um terço
  • Example: Um terço da pizza foi comido. (One third of the pizza was eaten.)

• Two fifths: dois quintos
  • Example: Dois quintos dos alunos faltaram. (Two fifths of the students were absent.)

• Three quarters: três quartos
  • Example: Três quartos de hora restantes. (Three quarters of an hour remaining.)

Using Fractions:

• Cooking: Adicione um quarto de colher de chá de sal. (Add a quarter teaspoon of salt.)
• Construction: Cortar a madeira em três oitavos de um metro. (Cut the wood into three eighths of a meter.)

Percentages: Beyond Simple Ratios

Percentages are widely used in statistics, sales, and finance. In Portuguese, percentages are expressed using ‘por cento’.

• Ten percent: dez por cento (10%)
  • Example: Dez por cento dos estudantes foram aprovados. (Ten percent of the students passed.)

• Fifty-five percent: cinquenta e cinco por cento (55%)
  • Example: Cinquenta e cinco por cento de desconto na loja. (Fifty-five percent discount at the store.)

Practical Uses:

• Sales: Vinte por cento de desconto em todos os sapatos. (Twenty percent discount on all shoes.)
• Polls: Sessenta e cinco por cento das pessoas concordam. (Sixty-five percent of people agree.)

Dates: More Than Just Numbers

In Portuguese, dates are typically expressed with cardinal numbers and provide context in historical, personal, and professional settings.

• January 1st: primeiro de janeiro
  • Example: A revolução começou primeiro de janeiro. (The revolution started on January first.)

• July 20th: vinte de julho
  • Example: Meu aniversário é vinte de julho. (My birthday is July twentieth.)

Historical and Personal Contexts:

• Discoveries: O descobrimento do Brasil foi em vinte e dois de abril. (The discovery of Brazil was on April twenty-second.)
• Appointments: Tenho uma consulta no quinze de setembro. (I have an appointment on September fifteenth.)

Phone Numbers: A Daily Necessity

Understanding how to communicate phone numbers is essential in daily interactions.

• 9876-5432: nove, oito, sete, seis, cinco, quatro, três, dois
  • Example: Meu número é nove, oito, sete, seis, cinco, quatro, três, dois. (My number is nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two.)

Communicating Phone Numbers:

• Business: Para assistência, ligue um, dois, três, quatro, cinco, seis, sete, oito. (For assistance, call one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.)
• Personal: O número dela é nove, zero, dois, cinco, três, um, oito, sete. (Her number is nine, zero, two, five, three, one, eight, seven.)

Practice Exercise

Translate the following into Portuguese:

• 7.89, 3/4, 46%, October 5th, 1234-5678

This article has provided a deep dive into the world of advanced numerical concepts in Portuguese. Understanding these aspects of numbers is crucial for a wide range of real-life applications, from discussing dates to sharing phone numbers. With practice and application, these concepts will become an integral part of your Portuguese-speaking experience.

To further support your language-learning journey, check out my comprehensive Portuguese Resources Page for a curated list of tools and programs that will accelerate your progress.

-Galilee Berman