Numbers From 21

Level 1

From 21 to 99, say the ones first, then en, then the tens: een-en-twintig (21), literally one-and-twenty.

How It Works

The tens.

  • 20 twintig, 30 dertig, 40 veertig, 50 vyftig
  • 60 sestig, 70 sewentig, 80 tagtig, 90 negentig (also neëntig)

Watch 80. Eighty starts with a t: tagtig, not agtig. Thirty and forty use the same changed forms as 13 and 14: dertig, veertig.

Ones first. Say the ones, then en, then the tens, like old English four-and-twenty:

  • 21 een-en-twintig
  • 35 vyf-en-dertig
  • 43 drie-en-veertig
  • 99 nege-en-negentig

Both een-en-twintig and een en twintig are correct spellings.

Hundreds and thousands. 100 is honderd (or eenhonderd) and 1,000 is duisend (or eenduisend). Bigger numbers go in English order, and only the last two digits flip:

  • 200 tweehonderd (also twee honderd)
  • 125 honderd vyf-en-twintig
  • 3,000 drieduisend (also drie duisend)

Years. Years are usually said in pairs: 1994 is negentien vier-en-negentig.

For the numbers up to twenty, see numbers 1-20. For 21st, 35th and so on, see ordinal numbers.

Examples (6)

  1. My ouma is twee-en-sewentig.

    My grandmother is seventy-two.

    Word by Word: My grandma is two-and-seventy.

  2. Die boek kos vyf-en-veertig rand.

    The book costs forty-five rand.

    Word by Word: The book costs five-and-forty rand.

  3. Daar is een-en-dertig dae in Januarie.

    There are thirty-one days in January.

    Word by Word: There is one-and-thirty days in January.

  4. Ons huis se nommer is drie-en-dertig.

    Our house number is thirty-three.

    Word by Word: Our house's number is three-and-thirty.

  5. Daar was omtrent honderd mense by die troue.

    There were about a hundred people at the wedding.

    Word by Word: There was about hundred people at the wedding.

  6. Die fiets kos drieduisend rand.

    The bicycle costs three thousand rand.

    Word by Word: The bicycle costs three-thousand rand.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the tens first, as in English.

    Ek is twintig-een jaar oud.
    Ek is een-en-twintig jaar oud.

    In Afrikaans the ones come first: one-and-twenty.

  • Leaving the t off eighty.

    My oupa is agtig.
    My oupa is tagtig.

    Eighty is tagtig, with a t at the start, even though eight is agt.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Numbers From 21Level 1

Learn This First

Bigger numbers are built from the numbers 1 to 20.

Words in This Pattern

twintigdertigveertigvyftigsestigsewentigtagtignegentighonderdduisendeen-en-twintigvyf-en-dertig