Vocabulary: Core & Everyday Vocabulary (A1) - Lesson 7: Cardinal Numbers 1-20 & Counting by Tens to 100

Lesson 7: Cardinal Numbers (1-100)

Counting 1-20 and by Tens to 100

Numbers are all around us! We use them to talk about our age, money, time, and so much more. In Lesson 2, you used numbers to say your age. Now, let's learn the cardinal numbers¹ from one to one hundred so you can count² anything!

Numbers 1 to 10

1 ... one

2 ... two

3 ... three

4 ... four

5 ... five

6 ... six

7 ... seven

8 ... eight

9 ... nine

10 ... ten

Numbers 11 to 20

11 ... eleven

12 ... twelve³

13 ... thirteen

14 ... fourteen

15 ... fifteen

16 ... sixteen

17 ... seventeen

18 ... eighteen

19 ... nineteen

20 ... twenty⁴

Counting by Tens to 100

10 ... ten

20 ... twenty

30 ... thirty

40 ... forty

50 ... fifty

60 ... sixty

70 ... seventy

80 ... eighty

90 ... ninety

100 ... one hundred

Usage Note: Pronunciation & Spelling

• -teen vs. -ty: Be careful with pronunciation! For 13-19, the stress is on "-teen" (thir-TEEN). For 30, 40, 50, etc., the stress is on the first syllable (THIR-ty).
• Tricky Spelling: Look at the word for 4 (four) and the word for 40 (forty). The 'u' is removed in 'forty'!

In Conversation

Bora is buying some fruit at a stall in Siem Reap.

Bora: Hello! How much for the mangos?

Seller: Hello! They are two thousand Riel each.

Bora: Okay, I would like three mangos, please. And ten rambutans.

Seller: Okay. Three mangos and ten rambutans. That will be sixteen thousand Riel.

Bora: Here is twenty thousand Riel.

Seller: Thank you. Have a good day!

quiz Check Your Understanding

1. What is the next number in this sequence: ten, eleven, twelve, ______?

• a) twenty
• b) thirteen
• c) three

Click to see the answer

Answer: b) thirteen

2. How do you spell the number 40?

• a) Fourty
• b) Forty
• c) Fortie

Click to see the answer

Answer: b) Forty

3. Which number comes right after sixty-nine?

• a) Eighty
• b) Sixty-ten
• c) Seventy

Click to see the answer

Answer: c) Seventy

edit Your Mission

1. Practice Counting: Count objects in your house in English. "One book, two books, three books..." Try to count to twenty!
2. My Numbers: Write your phone number in your notebook. Then, try to say the numbers one by one in English (e.g., zero-one-two...).
3. Observe: Look at prices in a shop or at the market. Try to read the numbers in English.

book Lesson Glossary

1. Cardinal Number (noun) - A number for counting things (e.g., one, two, three). ↩
2. Count (verb) - To say numbers one after another in order. ↩
3. Twelve (number) - The number 12. ↩
4. Twenty (number) - The number 20. ↩