Master Danish Numbers
Danish has one of the most unusual counting systems in Europe, using a vigesimal (base-20) system inherited from the Vikings for numbers 50–90. The word for 50 (halvtreds) literally means "half-third times twenty" (2½ × 20), and 90 (halvfems) means "half-fifth times twenty" (4½ × 20). This makes Danish numbers notoriously tricky, even for speakers of neighboring Scandinavian languages.
Watch the videos below, then download the Foreign Numbers app and practice what you've learned!
| Numeral | Cardinal | Ordinal |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | nul | |
| 1 | en | første |
| 2 | to | anden |
| 3 | tre | tredje |
| 4 | fire | fjerde |
| 5 | fem | femte |
| 6 | seks | sjette |
| 7 | syv | syvende |
| 8 | otte | ottende |
| 9 | ni | niende |
| 10 | ti | tiende |
| 11 | ellevu | ellevte |
| 12 | tolv | tolvte |
| 13 | tretten | trettende |
| 14 | fjorten | fjortende |
| 15 | femten | femtende |
| 16 | seksten | sekstende |
| 17 | sytten | syttende |
| 18 | atten | attende |
| 19 | nitten | nittende |
| 20 | tyve | tyvende |
| 21 | enogtyve | |
| 22 | toogtyve | |
| 23 | treogtyve | |
| 24 | fireogtyve | |
| 25 | femogtyve | |
| 26 | seksogtyve | |
| 27 | syvogtyve | |
| 28 | otteogtyve | |
| 29 | niogtyve | |
| 30 | tredive | tredivte |
| 40 | fyrre | fyrrende |
| 50 | halvtreds [(3-½) x 20] | halvtredsindstyvende |
| 60 | treds [3 x 20] | tresindstyvende |
| 70 | halvfjerds [(4-½) x 20] | halvfjerdsende |
| 80 | firs [4 x 20] | firsende |
| 90 | halvfems [(5-½) x 20] | halvfemsende |
| 100 | et hundrede | |
| 200 | tohundrede | |
| 300 | trehundrede | |
| 1,000 | tusind | |
| 2,000 | totusinde | |
| 1 million | en million | |
| 1 billion | en milliard | |
| 1 trillion | en billion | |
| half | en halv | |
| third | en tredjedel | |
| quarter | en kvart |
Number data and information courtesy of Omniglot.