Ordinal numbers in Spanish

- Números ordinales en español

Ordinal numbers indicate position or order in a sequence or hierarchy.

Ordinal numbers can have a variant of gender and number, depending on the noun they accompany.

It is important to remember that ordinal numbers do not indicate quantity, but rather order. If what we want to express is a quantity, we use cardinal numbers.

Ordinal numbers can be represented by letters or numerically.

If the noun that accompanies the number is masculine we write: primero, segundo, 1°, 2°. If the noun is feminine we write primera, segunda, 1^a, 2^a.

Ordinal numbers from 1st to 10th

Maschile / Femminile

1° / 1^a

Primero / Primera

2° / 2^a

Segundo / Segunda

3° / 3^a

Tercero / Tercera

4° / 4^a

Cuarto / Cuarta

5° / 5^a

Quinto / Quinta

6° / 6^a

Sexto / Sexta

7° / 7^a

Séptimo / Séptima

8° / 8^a

Octavo / Octava

9° / 9^a

Noveno / Novena

10° / 10^a

Décimo / Décima

In all cases, the plural is formed by adding an "s" at the end.

The numbers "primero" and "tercero" have the particularity of losing the final "o" when they precede a singular male noun.

Vivo en el primer pisoI live on the first floor.
En 2022 Argentina ganó su tercer mundial.In 2022 Argentina won its third World Cup.

This also happens in all its derivatives.

En mi vigesimoprimer aniversario de boda hice un viaje.On my twenty-first wedding anniversary I took a trip.
El futbolista ha marcado su trigésimo primer gol.The footballer scored his thirty-first goal.

Ordinal numbers from 11th to 29th

The ordinal forms of the 11th and 12th are "undécimo" and "duodécimo", although "decimoprimero" and "decimosegundo" are also allowed.

Ordinal numbers between 13th and 29th can be written as a single word (decimoquinto, vigesimosegundo) or separately (décimo quinto, vigésimo segundo).

Maschile / Femminile

11° / 11^a

Undécimo, Decimoprimero o Décimo primero /
Undécima, Decimoprimera o Décima primera

12° / 12^a

Duodécimo, Decimosegundo o Décimo segundo /
Duodécima, Decimosegunda o Décima segunda

13° / 13^a

Decimotercero o Décimo tercero /
Decimotercera o Décima tercera

14° / 14^a

Decimocuarto o Décimo cuarto/
Decimocuarta o Décima cuarta

15° / 15^a

Decimoquinto o Décimo quinto/
Decimoquinta o Décima quinta

16° / 16^a

Decimosexto o Décimo sexto/
Decimosexta o Décima sexta

17° / 17^a

Decimoséptimo o Décimo séptimo /
Decimoséptima o Décima séptima

18° / 18^a

Decimoctavo o Décimo octavo /
Decimoctava o Décima octava

19° / 19^a

Decimonoveno o Décimo noveno /
Decimonovena o Décima novena

20° / 20^a

Vigésimo /
Vigésima

21° / 21^a

Vigesimoprimero o Vigésimo primero /
Vigesimoprimera o Vigésima primera

22° / 22^a

Vigesimosegundo o Vigésimo segundo /
Vigesimosegunda o Vigésima segunda

23° / 23^a

Vigesimotercero o Vigésimo tercero /
Vigesimotercera o Vigésima tercera

24° / 24^a

Vigesimocuarto o Vigésimo cuarto /
Vigesimocuarta o Vigésima cuarta

25° / 25^a

Vigesimoquinto o Vigésimo quinto /
Vigesimoquinta o Vigésima quinta

26° / 26^a

Vigesimosexto o Vigésimo sexto /
Vigésimosexta o Vigésima sexta

27° / 27^a

Vigesimoséptimo o Vigésimo séptimo /
Vigesimoséptima o Vigésima séptima

28° / 28^a

Vigesimoctavo o Vigésimo octavo /
Vigesimoctava o Vigésima octava

29° / 29^a

Vigesimonoveno o Vigésimo noveno /
Vigesimonovena o Vigésima novena

Ordinal numbers that are multiples of ten

Below we present ordinal numbers that are multiples of ten.

30° - trigésimo
40° - cuadragésimo
50° - quincuagésimo
60° - sexagésimo
70° - septuagésimo
80° - octogésimo
90° - nonagésimo
100° - centésimo

Remember that the feminine is formed by replacing the final "o" with an "a". Similarly, the plural is formed by adding an "s" at the end.

Ordinal numbers from 30° to 100°

These numbers are formed with the name of the multiple of ten and the corresponding number from 1st to 9th.

See the following examples. You will see that it is very simple to form the rest of the numbers.

31° - Trigésimo primero
42° - Cuadragésimo segundo
65° - Sexagésimo quinto

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