Numbers in Danish: A complete guide to counting from 1 – 100

Learning numbers is one of the first steps in mastering any new language, and Danish is no exception! While Danish numbers might look a bit puzzling at first, they follow logical patterns that you’ll pick up with a little practice.

Danish counting has some fascinating quirks that make it unique among European languages: a special system based on 20s and compound numbers that flip the order compared to English. Ready to explore these Danish numbers together?

Danish number basics

Danish numbers from 1-100 follow a fun pattern that’s different from English and many other languages. The Danish counting system partly uses 20 as a base (instead of 10), which creates interesting forms for numbers like 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90.

What’s really cool about Danish numbers is how they flip the order when forming two-digit numbers: you say the ones digit first, then the tens. For 21, Danes say enogtyve which literally means “one and twenty.” This reversed pattern works for all numbers from 21-99.

Don’t worry if it seems tricky now! With a bit of practice, these patterns will start to feel natural. The Danish number system actually makes perfect sense once you get used to its structure and see how it developed over time.

Counting 0–10 in Danish

Ready to learn your first Danish numbers? These are the building blocks you’ll use every day in conversation!

0. Nul: Sounds like “nool” but shorter
1. En/Et: “En” sounds like “ehn” (for common gender) and Et is pronounced like “et” (for neuter gender)
2. To: Like saying “toe” but crisper
3. Tre: Sounds like “treh” with that Danish rolled r
4. Fire: Say “fee-ruh” with a soft d
5. Fem: Just like English “fem” in “feminine”
6. Seks: Sounds as it’s spelt
7. Syv: Like “sew” with a v-ending
8. Otte: “Oh-teh” with a tiny catch in your throat
9. Ni: Simply “nee”
10. Ti: Pronounced “tee”

The fun challenge with Danish is knowing when to use en or et for “one”. Use en with common gender nouns (en bil – a car) and et with neuter nouns (et hus – a house).

Try counting everything around you in Danish! Count your steps, items at the grocery store, or set your phone to Danish mode. The more you practice these first numbers, the quicker you’ll pick up the more complex ones coming up next.

Numbers 11–20

Ready to level up your Danish counting skills? Let’s tackle those teen numbers that bridge the gap between basic counting and more complex numbers!

11. Elleve: Sounds like “el-leh-veh” with a bouncy rhythm
12. Tolv: Say “toll” with a soft whisper of a v at the end
13. Tretten: “Tret-ten” with that fun Danish rolled r
14. Fjorten: “Fyore-ten” with a distinctive soft j sound
15. Femten: Simply “fem-ten” with clear pronunciation
16. Seksten: “Say-sten” (the k almost disappears!)
17. Sytten: “Soo-ten” with a slight throat catch
18. Atten: “Ah-ten” with that characteristic Danish stop
19. Nitten: “Nee-ten” with a bright, clear sound
20. Tyve: “Too-veh” with a soft y sound

Watch out for that Danish stød in words like atten (it’s that little catch in your throat that makes Danish sound so uniquely Danish!) The “fj” sound in fjorten might trip you up at first, but think of it as somewhere between “fy” and “fee-y” and you’ll get there.

Most of these teens follow a pattern with -ten at the end (just like English!), except for our rebels elleve, tolv, and tyve which march to their own beat.

The unique Danish tens – 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90

Now for the fun part — Danish tens follow a pattern that will make you smile once you get it! These numbers show off Denmark’s mathematical creativity in everyday speech.

• 20 – Tyve: Your foundation for all higher numbers
• 30 –Tredive: Simply “three tens” (tre + dive)
• 40 – Fyrre: From “fire” (four) + “tyve” (twenty)
• 50 – Halvtreds: Means “half third” or 2½ × 20 = 50
• 60 –Tres: Shortened from “three times twenty”
• 70 – Halvfjerds: Means “half fourth” or 3½ × 20 = 70
• 80 – Firs: Shortened from “four times twenty”
• 90 – Halvfems: Means “half fifth” or 4½ × 20 = 90

Did you know this counting-by-twenties approach likely came from people counting on both fingers and toes? That’s right! Your body was the original calculator! The “half” references come from Old Danish, where people would say “half way to the third twenty” to mean 50.

Most Danes today don’t think about these calculations when speaking, but the historical structure lives on in everyday conversations.

Numbers 21–49

Ready for the fun part? Let’s tackle those reversed Danish numbers that might make your brain do a little twist at first!

In Danish you say the ones digit first, then “og” (and) followed by the tens (exactly opposite from English). Check out these examples from the twenties:

21. Enogtyve: One and twenty
22. Toogtyve: Two and twenty
23. Treogtyve: Three and twenty
24. Fireogtyve: Four and twenty
25. Femogtyve: Five and twenty
26. Seksogtyve: Six and twenty
27. Syvogtyve: Seven and twenty
28. Otteogtyve: Eight and twenty
29. Niogtyve: Nine and twenty

The same pattern works beautifully with thirties and forties:

• 31 – Enogtredive: One and thirty

• 33 – Treogtredive: Three and thirty

• 32 –Toogtredive: Two and thirty

• 34 – Fireogtredive: Four and thirty

• 35 – Femogtredive: Five and thirty

• 36 – Seksogtredive: Six and thirty

• 37 – Syvogtredive: Seven and thirty

• 38 – Otteogtredive: Eight and thirty

• 39 – Niogtredive: Nine and thirty

• 40 – Fyrre: Forty

• 41 – Enogfyrre: One and forty

• 42 – Toogfyrre: Two and forty

• 43 – Treogfyrre: Three and forty

• 44 – Fireogfyrre: Four and forty

• 45 – Femogfyrre: Five and forty

• 46 – Seksogfyrre: Six and forty

• 47 – Syvogfyrre: Seven and forty

• 48 – Otteogfyrre: Eight and forty

• 49 – Niogfyrre: Nine and forty

Want a quick practice tip? Count backward from 49! This trains your brain to think in the Danish structure while having a bit of fun.

Numbers 50–99

Ready for the fun challenge of higher Danish numbers? Let’s see how those special tens combine with digits to create the full 50-99 range!

Here’s how these fascinating number combinations work:

• 51 – Enoghalvtreds: One and fifty
• 52 – Tooghalvtreds: Two and fifty
• 53 – Treoghalvtreds: Three and fifty
• 55 – Femoghalvtreds: Five and fifty
• 58 – Otteoghalvtreds: Eight and fifty

The sixties follow the same pattern:

• 61 – Enogtres: One and sixty
• 62 – Toogtres: Two and sixty
• 64 – Fireogtres: Four and sixty
• 67 – Syvogtres: Seven and sixty

For the seventies with halvfjerds:

• 71 – Enoghalvfjerds: One and seventy
• 72 – Tooghalvfjerds: Two and seventy
• 74 – Fireoghalvfjerds: Four and seventy
• 79 – Nioghalvfjerds: Nine and seventy

The eighties with firs:

• 81 – Enogfirs: One and eighty
• 82 – Toogfirs: Two and eighty
• 85 – Femogfirs: Five and eighty
• 88 – Otteogfirs: Eight and eighty

And finally, the nineties with halvfems:

• 91 – Enoghalvfems: One and ninety
• 92 – Tooghalvfems: Two and ninety
• 96 – Seksoghalvfems: Six and ninety
• 99 – Nioghalvfems: Nine and ninety

Many of our students at Preply find that speaking numbers out loud while shopping or checking the time helps cement these patterns in memory. With a bit of regular practice, you’ll soon be rattling off Danish numbers with confidence!

100 in Danish

Congratulations! You’ve made it to hundrede – the satisfying milestone of counting to 100 in Danish! This friendly number sounds like “hoon-druh-thuh” with that soft, mushy Danish d that makes natives smile when learners nail it.

When shopping in Denmark, you’ll frequently say et hundrede kroner for 100 Danish crowns. Notice we use et (not en) because hundrede is one of those neuter nouns in Danish.

Need to count beyond 100? Simply add what you’ve already learned: 101 is hundrede og en, 110 is hundrede og ti, and 125 is hundrede og femogtyve. See how your number skills stack beautifully together?

Common mistakes with numbers in Danish

Let’s talk about those tricky Danish number moments that might make you scratch your head – and how to overcome them with confidence!

Mixing up halvtreds (50) and halvfems (90) happens to nearly everyone learning Danish. They both start with “halv” and look deceptively similar! Here’s a fun memory trick: think “halvFEMS has an F like Ninety-Five” – this backwards association works wonders for many of our students.

Saying the digits in the wrong order? You’re not alone! Remember that Danish flips things around compared to English – always say the ones digit first, then “og” (and), then the tens. When you want to say 21, think “one and twenty” (enogtyve) not “twenty-one.”

Those Danish vowels can be slippery little sounds! The rounded “y” in tyve (20) might feel strange on your tongue at first. Try this: make an exaggerated “fish lips” shape while saying these numbers – it looks silly but works brilliantly!

Confused about en versus et for the number one? Think “ET phone home” for neuter nouns (et hus – a house) and “EN-joy” for common gender nouns (en bil – a car). Our Preply students find these simple associations stick better than grammar rules.

Writing Danish numbers can be just as challenging as saying them. Remember that treogtyve (23) is one word, not three separate ones. Try writing your grocery list with Danish numbers – it’s practical and helps cement the correct spelling patterns!

Practice numbers in Danish with exercises

Let’s put your Danish number skills to work! Nothing beats hands-on practice to make these numbers stick in your memory.

Fill-in-the-blank

Complete each sentence with the correct Danish number. Try answering without peeking at previous sections!

1. The Danish word for 15 is ______.
2. If you want to say 24 in Danish, you would say ______.
3. 39 in Danish is written as ______.
4. The number that comes after niogfyrre is ______.
5. Tooghalvfems represents the number ______ in English.
6. If today is April 16, next month will be May ______ (seksten).
7. The sum of syv and otte is ______.
8. Half of hundrede is ______.
9. Treogtyve plus syvogtyve equals ______.
10. The Danish number that means “half fourth times twenty” is ______.

Multiple choice

Pick the correct Danish number for each description. This helps you spot the difference between those tricky similar-sounding numbers!

1. What is 52 in Danish? a) tooghalvtreds b) halvtredsogto c) tooghalvfems d) toogfirs
2. Which number is otteogfirs? a) 58 b) 85 c) 88 d) 78
3. The Danish number fireogtyve means: a) 42 b) 24 c) 14 d) 44
4. What is the correct way to say 73 in Danish? a) treoghalvfjerds b) halvfjerdsogtre c) treogfirs d) halvfjerdstré
5. Which of these is the Danish word for 30? a) tredive b) treti c) tretive d) tres

Mastering Danish numbers with Preply

You did it! You’ve tackled one of the most unique features of Danish — from simple en, to, tre to those fascinating halvfjerds and halvfems constructions with their twenty-base system. Pretty cool, right?

The reversed order (ones before tens) might feel backward at first, but soon you’ll be counting as naturally as any Dane! Those distinctive pronunciations with stød will start to feel comfortable on your tongue with just a bit more practice.

At Preply, our online Danish tutors love helping students master these numbers through personalized sessions. Your tutor can create fun exercises focused specifically on counting, give you immediate pronunciation feedback, and help you use numbers confidently in everyday conversations.

What makes one-on-one tutoring so effective? Your tutor adapts to your pace, giving you personalized memory tricks for those tricky numbers and celebrating your progress as you improve. Whether you need quick practice before visiting Denmark or regular lessons to build overall fluency, our tutors fit into your schedule perfectly!

Ready to count like a Dane? Let’s get started!

Answers to numbers in Danish exercises

Let’s see how you did with those Danish number challenges! Ready to check your answers?

Fill-in-the-blank answers

1. The Danish word for 15 is femten.
2. If you want to say 24 in Danish, you would say fireogtyve.
3. 39 in Danish is written as niogtredive.
4. The number that comes after niogfyrre is halvtreds (50).
5. Tooghalvfems represents the number 92 in English.
6. If today is April 16, next month will be May seksten.
7. The sum of syv and otte is femten (15).
8. Half of hundrede is halvtreds (50).
9. Treogtyve plus syvogtyve equals halvtreds (50).
10. The Danish number that means “half fourth times twenty” is halvfjerds (70).

Multiple choice answers

1. What is 52 in Danish? Correct answer: a) tooghalvtreds
2. Which number is otteogfirs? Correct answer: c) 88
3. The Danish number fireogtyve means: Correct answer: b) 24
4. What is the correct way to say 73 in Danish? Correct answer: a) treoghalvfjerds
5. Which of these is the Danish word for 30? Correct answer: a) tredive

How many did you get right? Six or more? You’re rocking those Danish numbers! Still mixing up a few? No worries – even our Preply students who now speak fluent Danish once struggled with halvfjerds vs. halvfems!