Math - Counting 21 to 39!

In the teens, such as eighteen, i.e. 'diez y ocho' could also be written as 'dieciocho'. The 'z' in 'diez' became a 'c' and the 'y' became an 'i'. Moving to the twenties, as you recall, twenty is 'veinte'. To say twenty-one it can then be said as 'veinte y uno' or 'veintiuno'. The last 'e' is dropped from 'veinte' and the 'y' becomes an 'i' connecting twenty with 'uno' (one). However, and this is where it can get tricky, with the numbers in the thirties, using the 'y' remains and the numbers are not blended together to make one word.

To get a better understanding of how the numbers are written and/or spoken (phonetically), the numbers 21 through 39 in Spanish are as follows:

Try to become comfortable saying the numbers 21 through 29 both ways. As you listen to others who speak Spanish, it will be far more easier for you to pick up on these number as they are spoken if you know both pronunciations. Children will tend to use the pronunciation with the 'y' and as they grow up, the second pronunciation is used more readily but both ways are acceptable. Also, please note that for the numbers of 22, 23, and 26, when the words are combined, they contain an accent mark.

Now it’s time to see how much of this you can remember. Look at the following quiz questions and then see just how many you can get correct without reviewing the introduction. Remember you can practice the numbers before moving on to the quiz but once you do move on – challenge yourself to not look back!