Afrikaans Numbers 1–100 | Full List & Examples

Afrikaans numbers 1 to 100: one is een, two is twee, ten is tien, twenty is twintig, and one hundred is honderd. The important difference from English is that 21 is een-en-twintig — literally “one-and-twenty.” Learn the unit, add -en-, then name the ten.

If you want Afrikaans numbers for prices, age, addresses, quantities or phone details, you need more than an ordered recital. This guide gives you the complete 1–100 table plus zero, explains spelling, shows the reversed unit–ten pattern, and offers practical checks so you can recognise a number when somebody says it unexpectedly.

A fast route is to memorise zero to nineteen, then the tens, then learn to build the rest. For example, 43 is drie-en-veertig, 58 is agt-en-vyftig, and 96 is ses-en-negentig. If you can produce those from unfamiliar prompts, you are using the system instead of recalling one fixed counting chant.

Quick answer: zero to twenty and the main tens

Number	Afrikaans
0	nul
1	een
2	twee
3	drie
4	vier
5	vyf
6	ses
7	sewe
8	agt
9	nege
10	tien
11	elf
12	twaalf
13	dertien
14	veertien
15	vyftien
16	sestien
17	sewentien
18	agtien
19	negentien
20	twintig
30	dertig
40	veertig
50	vyftig
60	sestig
70	sewentig
80	tagtig
90	negentig
100	honderd

Read the tens aloud, especially veertig (40), vyftig (50), sestig (60), sewentig (70), tagtig (80) and negentig (90). Resist the temptation to invent the spelling of eighty from the number eight. Tagtig is the form to learn.

Complete Afrikaans number list from 1 to 100

1–20

Number	Afrikaans spelling
1	een
2	twee
3	drie
4	vier
5	vyf
6	ses
7	sewe
8	agt
9	nege
10	tien
11	elf
12	twaalf
13	dertien
14	veertien
15	vyftien
16	sestien
17	sewentien
18	agtien
19	negentien
20	twintig

Learn the first twenty as a foundation. The teens are not all created by adding a perfectly predictable suffix to the unit. Compare four, fourteen and forty only after you can recognise the individual forms. Every later compound depends on knowing a unit and a ten accurately.

21–30

Number	Afrikaans spelling
21	een-en-twintig
22	twee-en-twintig
23	drie-en-twintig
24	vier-en-twintig
25	vyf-en-twintig
26	ses-en-twintig
27	sewe-en-twintig
28	agt-en-twintig
29	nege-en-twintig
30	dertig

Look for a fixed twintig at the end while the opening unit changes. One-and-twenty is twenty-one; two-and-twenty is twenty-two. The hyphens are a useful writing signal that you have one compound number rather than three unrelated words.

31–40

Number	Afrikaans spelling
31	een-en-dertig
32	twee-en-dertig
33	drie-en-dertig
34	vier-en-dertig
35	vyf-en-dertig
36	ses-en-dertig
37	sewe-en-dertig
38	agt-en-dertig
39	nege-en-dertig
40	veertig

Compare drie-en-dertig (33) with drie-en-twintig (23). The first unit can stay the same while the tens word changes the value by ten. When listening, do not decide the entire figure from its first syllable.

41–50

Number	Afrikaans spelling
41	een-en-veertig
42	twee-en-veertig
43	drie-en-veertig
44	vier-en-veertig
45	vyf-en-veertig
46	ses-en-veertig
47	sewe-en-veertig
48	agt-en-veertig
49	nege-en-veertig
50	vyftig

This family is good for the 34 versus 43 test. Vier-en-dertig is 34; drie-en-veertig is 43. The order of written Arabic numerals is not the order in which the spoken units and tens appear.

51–60

Number	Afrikaans spelling
51	een-en-vyftig
52	twee-en-vyftig
53	drie-en-vyftig
54	vier-en-vyftig
55	vyf-en-vyftig
56	ses-en-vyftig
57	sewe-en-vyftig
58	agt-en-vyftig
59	nege-en-vyftig
60	sestig

For 58 use agt-en-vyftig; for 85 use vyf-en-tagtig. Both contain familiar sounds, but they are different amounts. This matters when confirming a price or a numbered item with another person.

61–70

Number	Afrikaans spelling
61	een-en-sestig
62	twee-en-sestig
63	drie-en-sestig
64	vier-en-sestig
65	vyf-en-sestig
66	ses-en-sestig
67	sewe-en-sestig
68	agt-en-sestig
69	nege-en-sestig
70	sewentig

Compare sewe-en-sestig (67) and ses-en-sewentig (76). Both parts change. Checking the units and then the tens is more reliable than guessing from overall sound when the numbers are spoken quickly.

71–80

Number	Afrikaans spelling
71	een-en-sewentig
72	twee-en-sewentig
73	drie-en-sewentig
74	vier-en-sewentig
75	vyf-en-sewentig
76	ses-en-sewentig
77	sewe-en-sewentig
78	agt-en-sewentig
79	nege-en-sewentig
80	tagtig

The seventy family ends at 79; the next round ten is tagtig. Use 78 (agt-en-sewentig) and 87 (sewe-en-tagtig) as a contrast. An English reader often reverses the order on the first attempt.

81–90

Number	Afrikaans spelling
81	een-en-tagtig
82	twee-en-tagtig
83	drie-en-tagtig
84	vier-en-tagtig
85	vyf-en-tagtig
86	ses-en-tagtig
87	sewe-en-tagtig
88	agt-en-tagtig
89	nege-en-tagtig
90	negentig

Eighty-nine is nege-en-tagtig, while ninety-eight is agt-en-negentig. Repeat both to a partner, then ask them to write the figures. Change the order between attempts so the answer cannot be predicted.

91–100

Number	Afrikaans spelling
91	een-en-negentig
92	twee-en-negentig
93	drie-en-negentig
94	vier-en-negentig
95	vyf-en-negentig
96	ses-en-negentig
97	sewe-en-negentig
98	agt-en-negentig
99	nege-en-negentig
100	honderd

After nege-en-negentig (99), the next number is simply honderd (100). Do not try to produce one hundred as a unit-plus-ninety compound; a new place-value building block begins.

The number-building rule: units first, then en, then tens

English says “twenty-one,” with the larger tens part first. Afrikaans says een-en-twintig, with the smaller units part first. For ordinary compound numbers from 21 to 99, the pattern is unit + -en- + ten. The rule is consistent enough that you can construct most of the list after memorising the main building blocks.

Try building 42. The unit is two, twee, and the ten is forty, veertig. The combination is twee-en-veertig. For 65, five is vyf and sixty is sestig, yielding vyf-en-sestig. For 93, three is drie and ninety is negentig, yielding drie-en-negentig. The mental procedure matters more than how fast you first perform it.

Reverse the procedure when listening. In vier-en-tagtig, the first word is four and the last part is eighty: 84. In nege-en-sewentig, the components are nine and seventy: 79. In ses-en-dertig, the components are six and thirty: 36. If you simply write the digits in the order in which you hear the parts, you will reverse the number.

The hyphens also matter. Een-en-twintig is one written compound; writing the separate words een en twintig is not the standard way to represent this number. Treat spelling as part of the number system, not as decoration for a list. For evidence of the convention, compare the published cardinal number tables and grammars linked at the end.

How 14, 40, 15, 50, 18 and 80 differ

Unit	Teen	Ten
4 = vier	14 = veertien	40 = veertig
5 = vyf	15 = vyftien	50 = vyftig
6 = ses	16 = sestien	60 = sestig
7 = sewe	17 = sewentien	70 = sewentig
8 = agt	18 = agtien	80 = tagtig
9 = nege	19 = negentien	90 = negentig

Read each row from left to right before shuffling the order. The forms are related, but not identical. The striking example is agt for eight versus tagtig for eighty. A learner who automatically creates “agttig” will produce a wrong spelling. The same warning applies whenever a spelling looks familiar but the verified word is different.

Make a self-test of twelve cards: write 14, 40, 15, 50, 18, 80 and their Afrikaans forms on opposite sides of the cards. Mix them and test both directions. If you repeatedly confuse 40 and 50, practise that contrast rather than reviewing the first ten numbers yet again.

Price vocabulary: what does it cost?

Hoeveel kos dit? means “How much does it cost?” A sample answer is Dit kos vyftig rand — “It costs fifty rand.” You could also say Die boek kos dertig rand — “The book costs thirty rand.” These are invented practice amounts, not a price check for a particular shop or a claim about today’s market prices.

Put imaginary tags R24, R42, R67, R76 and R89 on five objects. One learner reads a tag in Afrikaans; the other writes the figure. Then change roles. The ability to recognise a spoken number can be weaker than the ability to read a written number. Testing both directions makes that difference visible.

For a real purchase, amount and unit both matter. A spoken number may refer to rand, cents, kilograms, metres or another quantity. If a misunderstanding could cost money or create a safety problem, repeat the figure back and confirm it in writing. Knowing the basic counting inventory does not automatically make you fluent in commercial, legal or medical language.

How to say your age in Afrikaans

Ek is een-en-twintig jaar oud means “I am twenty-one years old.” The structure stays stable as the age changes. Try using imagined ages of 18, 21, 34, 47 and 63: agtien, een-en-twintig, vier-en-dertig, sewe-en-veertig and drie-en-sestig. Keep the same sentence around the changing number.

Use fictional characters for personal-information practice. A learning task does not need somebody’s real age, phone number or address. The relevant skill is recognising and producing the number accurately inside a sentence.

Room numbers, order numbers and phone numbers

A hotel room marked 37 is sewe-en-dertig when you read 37 as an ordinary number. A customer ticket marked 73 is drie-en-sewentig. The two share a similar opening and ending pattern, but the tens word changes. Ask your partner to give you pairs such as 27/72, 38/83, 46/64 and 59/95. Write the figure you hear and check it.

Telephone numbers and codes are different because speakers may group the digits in varied ways. Someone might read a long sequence one digit at a time or in short groups. Do not assume a single universal grouping; repeat the digits clearly and get confirmation. When practising, use made-up number sequences rather than anybody’s private contact details.

Zero, one and the little apostrophe: nul, een and ‘n

Nul is zero, and een is the number one. The Afrikaans article ‘n, by contrast, means “a” or “an” in an expression such as ‘n boek, “a book.” These may appear close together in an early lesson, but they have different jobs. One counts; the other introduces a noun.

Compare een boek, where the quantity is one, and ‘n boek, where the quantity is not the point of the expression. This distinction becomes useful when talking about one cup, one ticket or a single object out of several. Do not interpret the apostrophe as a decorative way of writing the numeral.

Ordinal numbers: first, second and hundredth

Number	Ordinal in Afrikaans	English
1st	eerste	first
2nd	tweede	second
3rd	derde	third
4th	vierde	fourth
5th	vyfde	fifth
6th	sesde	sixth
7th	sewende	seventh
8th	agtste	eighth
9th	negende	ninth
10th	tiende	tenth
20th	twintigste	twentieth
21st	een-en-twintigste	twenty-first
100th	honderdste	hundredth

Cardinal numbers count things: two books or twenty people. Ordinals tell you a position in a sequence: second book or twentieth person. The forms are connected but not interchangeable. An article about numbers 1–100 should at least warn you about the distinction, while an article about dates and calendars can explain how the forms operate in appointments and timetables.

In a queue, imagine the first, second and third people. Learn eerste, tweede and derde before trying to derive every possible ending. Many ordinals end in -de or -ste, but there are forms worth memorising rather than guessing.

Twenty checks: turn the text into a real recall test

Prompt	Answer key
How do you write 7?	sewe
How do you write 18?	agtien
How do you write 40?	veertig
How do you write 80?	tagtig
How do you write 21?	een-en-twintig
How do you write 35?	vyf-en-dertig
How do you write 42?	twee-en-veertig
How do you write 56?	ses-en-vyftig
How do you write 64?	vier-en-sestig
How do you write 79?	nege-en-sewentig
How do you write 83?	drie-en-tagtig
How do you write 97?	sewe-en-negentig
What figure is agt-en-twintig?	28
What figure is drie-en-veertig?	43
What figure is vier-en-sewentig?	74
What figure is nege-en-tagtig?	89
What figure is ses-en-negentig?	96
What is 100?	honderd
Which is the indefinite article, een or ‘n?	‘n
What is 21st?	een-en-twintigste

Do not peek at the answer column before attempting the prompt. Mark every error as one of four kinds: the word for a unit, the word for a ten, the order of a compound, or a spelling mistake. That diagnosis decides what you practise next. A problem with 80 requires a different correction from a problem with 46 versus 64.

Ten context tests that go beyond the table

Context test 1: A fictional shop tag says R45.

Correct route: Say vyf-en-veertig rand, not four-and-fifty. Explain how you worked it out. Then change one digit or switch who is speaking and who is listening. A new case is the evidence of learning; merely remembering the displayed answer is not enough.

Context test 2: You hear drie-en-twintig.

Correct route: Write 23, not 32. Explain how you worked it out. Then change one digit or switch who is speaking and who is listening. A new case is the evidence of learning; merely remembering the displayed answer is not enough.

Context test 3: Someone shows room 67.

Correct route: Say sewe-en-sestig. Explain how you worked it out. Then change one digit or switch who is speaking and who is listening. A new case is the evidence of learning; merely remembering the displayed answer is not enough.

Context test 4: The ticket displays 76.

Correct route: Say ses-en-sewentig. Explain how you worked it out. Then change one digit or switch who is speaking and who is listening. A new case is the evidence of learning; merely remembering the displayed answer is not enough.

Context test 5: You read the word tagtig.

Correct route: Write 80, not 18. Explain how you worked it out. Then change one digit or switch who is speaking and who is listening. A new case is the evidence of learning; merely remembering the displayed answer is not enough.

Context test 6: The instruction says first in a line.

Correct route: Choose eerste, the ordinal, not een. Explain how you worked it out. Then change one digit or switch who is speaking and who is listening. A new case is the evidence of learning; merely remembering the displayed answer is not enough.

Context test 7: You see een boek in a sentence.

Correct route: Recognise that one book is counted. Explain how you worked it out. Then change one digit or switch who is speaking and who is listening. A new case is the evidence of learning; merely remembering the displayed answer is not enough.

Context test 8: Someone says nege-en-negentig.

Correct route: Write 99. Explain how you worked it out. Then change one digit or switch who is speaking and who is listening. A new case is the evidence of learning; merely remembering the displayed answer is not enough.

Context test 9: You see the numerals 34 and 43.

Correct route: Contrast vier-en-dertig and drie-en-veertig. Explain how you worked it out. Then change one digit or switch who is speaking and who is listening. A new case is the evidence of learning; merely remembering the displayed answer is not enough.

Context test 10: A long code is dictated rapidly.

Correct route: Ask for the digits again rather than inventing a grouping. Explain how you worked it out. Then change one digit or switch who is speaking and who is listening. A new case is the evidence of learning; merely remembering the displayed answer is not enough.

Seven-day study plan for real number recognition

Day	Focus	Independent check
1	0–12	Spell all forms from the digits.
2	13–19	Distinguish teenagers from units and tens.
3	20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90	Write the tens from memory.
4	21–49	Build ten compounds from random numerals.
5	50–99	Listen to mixed units and tens.
6	Mock prices, ages and room numbers	Convert spoken numbers into figures.
7	Mixed recall and corrections	Redo the twenty-question test without consulting the list.

A short daily session that begins with recall is more diagnostic than reciting one to one hundred in the same order every time. If you can recite the sequence but cannot answer “What is 74?” without starting at one, change your practice. If you can write 74 but cannot hear it, switch to audio. If you understand it but miswrite the hyphens, use a spelling check.

Common mistakes and the precise repair

English word order: rebuild the number as unit + en + ten, then check both components.
Wrong eighty: learn tagtig as a separate ten rather than inventing a spelling.
Confused 40 and 50: contrast veertig and vyftig with recorded audio.
Missed hyphens: copy correct examples, then write new compounds with the source hidden.
Fast recital but poor random recall: use an unpredictable list of numbers, not the ordered sequence.
Writing digits in spoken order: mentally put the ten in the tens position before writing the unit.
Overconfidence with prices: confirm important values in figures and ask for repetition.
Using a cardinal when a ranking is needed: decide whether you are counting items or identifying an ordinal position.

Frequently asked questions

What are Afrikaans numbers 1 to 10?

Een, twee, drie, vier, vyf, ses, sewe, agt, nege and tien. Listen to recordings to check how these forms sound.

What is 20 in Afrikaans?

Twintig. It starts the pattern used for 21–29.

How do you say 21?

Een-en-twintig, literally one-and-twenty.

How do you say 34?

Vier-en-dertig. Place the unit before the tens part.

How do you say 47?

Sewe-en-veertig. Keep the hyphens in writing.

How do you say 80?

Tagtig, not a guessed form built directly from agt.

How do you say 99?

Nege-en-negentig.

How do you say 100?

Honderd.

Why are Afrikaans numbers backwards?

In compounds from 21–99, Afrikaans names the unit before the ten, whereas modern English normally uses the reverse order.

What is the word for zero?

Nul.

Is ‘n the same as een?

No. ‘n is the indefinite article used in phrases such as ‘n boek; een is the cardinal number one.

Can I use this for prices?

Yes, as a beginning. To check actual amounts, confirm the currency, units and figures rather than relying only on an unfamiliar spoken number.

Are first and one the same in Afrikaans?

No. Eerste is an ordinal identifying position; een is the cardinal number one.

How should I practise pronunciation?

Use verified audio and repeat short, meaningful phrases after a pause. English phonetic guesses are not a substitute for a speaker’s pronunciation.

Where to go next

Sources and accuracy notes

The number forms and unit-before-ten pattern were checked against Praat Weer’s Afrikaans numbers with audio, Afrikaans.us number lists, Omniglot’s Afrikaans numbers, and an explanatory grammar of cardinal forms. The examples in prices, ages and places are invented for teaching. Number conventions above 100 and complex formatting are outside this lookup page.

Afrikaans Numbers 1 to 100 | Counting, Prices and Useful Examples