Learn Portuguese Numbers: Complete Vocabulary Guide
Essential Numbers Vocabulary
When you learn Portuguese numbers, you're building a foundation for countless everyday situations—from telling time to shopping and sharing your phone number. Portuguese numbers follow logical patterns that make them easier to master once you understand the basics.
| Word | Pronunciation | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| um / uma | oom / OO-mah | one | Eu tenho um irmão. (I have one brother.) |
| dois / duas | doysh / DOO-ahsh | two | Preciso de duas cadeiras. (I need two chairs.) |
| três | traysh | three | São três horas. (It's three o'clock.) |
| quatro | KWAH-troo | four | Moro no quarto andar. (I live on the fourth floor.) |
| cinco | SEEN-koo | five | Trabalho cinco dias por semana. (I work five days a week.) |
| seis | saysh | six | O filme começa às seis. (The movie starts at six.) |
| sete | SEH-chee | seven | Há sete dias na semana. (There are seven days in the week.) |
| oito | OY-too | eight | Comprei oito maçãs. (I bought eight apples.) |
| nove | NOH-vee | nine | A reunião é às nove. (The meeting is at nine.) |
| dez | dehz | ten | Custou dez reais. (It cost ten reais.) |
| onze | OHN-zee | eleven | Tenho onze anos. (I'm eleven years old.) |
| doze | DOH-zee | twelve | Uma dúzia tem doze ovos. (A dozen has twelve eggs.) |
| vinte | VEEN-chee | twenty | Ela tem vinte anos. (She is twenty years old.) |
| cem | saym | one hundred | Custa cem reais. (It costs one hundred reais.) |
| mil | meel | one thousand | O aluguel é mil reais. (The rent is one thousand reais.) |
Common Phrases
Learning to use numbers in context is just as important as memorizing them individually. These common expressions will help you sound more natural in everyday Portuguese conversations.
- Quanto custa? (KWAHN-too KOOSH-tah) — How much does it cost?
- Quantos anos você tem? (KWAHN-toosh AH-noosh voh-SAY taym) — How old are you?
- Que horas são? (kee OH-rahsh sow) — What time is it?
- São duas e meia. (sow DOO-ahsh ee MAY-ah) — It's half past two.
- Qual é o seu número? (kwahl eh oo say-oo NOO-meh-roo) — What's your number?
- Primeiro, segundo, terceiro (pree-MAY-roo, seh-GOON-doo, tehr-SAY-roo) — First, second, third
- Uma vez, duas vezes (OO-mah vehz, DOO-ahsh VEH-zeesh) — Once, twice
- Mais ou menos (mysh oh MEH-noosh) — More or less (approximately)
Usage Notes
Portuguese numbers have some unique characteristics that differ from English. Understanding these rules will help you use numbers correctly in all situations.
Gender Agreement: The numbers one and two change based on the gender of the noun they describe. Use um/dois with masculine nouns and uma/duas with feminine nouns. For example: um livro (one book) but uma mesa (one table); dois carros (two cars) but duas casas (two houses).
Numbers 11-19: These follow a pattern—onze, doze, treze, catorze/quatorze, quinze, dezesseis, dezessete, dezoito, dezenove. Note that 14 can be spelled either catorze (more common in Portugal) or quatorze (more common in Brazil).
Compound Numbers: For numbers 21-99, connect the tens and units with e (and): vinte e um (21), trinta e cinco (35), noventa e nove (99).
Hundreds: Use cem for exactly 100, but cento when followed by other numbers: cem reais (100 reais) vs. cento e cinquenta (150). Hundreds also have gender agreement: duzentos homens (200 men) but duzentas mulheres (200 women).
Decimals and Currency: Portuguese uses a comma for decimals and a period for thousands, the opposite of English. So €1.500,50 means one thousand five hundred euros and fifty cents.
Practice Sentences
Put your knowledge into practice with these example sentences that incorporate numbers in realistic contexts.
- Eu tenho trinta e dois anos. — I am thirty-two years old.
- O voo parte às quatorze e quarenta e cinco. — The flight leaves at 14:45.
- Meu aniversário é no dia quinze de março. — My birthday is on March 15th.
- Precisamos de duzentos gramas de queijo. — We need two hundred grams of cheese.
- O hotel fica a três quilômetros daqui. — The hotel is three kilometers from here.
- Ela nasceu em mil novecentos e oitenta e cinco. — She was born in 1985.
- São vinte e cinco reais por pessoa. — It's twenty-five reais per person.
- Moro no apartamento número setecentos e doze. — I live in apartment number 712.
- A temperatura está em trinta e oito graus. — The temperature is 38 degrees.
- Ligo para você em cinco minutos. — I'll call you in five minutes.