Numbers One to Ten

Level 1

un, dous, tres, catro, cinco, seis, sete, oito, nove, dez. Zero is cero.

How It Works

The numbers.

  • 0 cero
  • 1 un (masculine), unha (feminine)
  • 2 dous (masculine), dúas (feminine)
  • 3 tres, 4 catro, 5 cinco, 6 seis, 7 sete, 8 oito, 9 nove, 10 dez

Gender. Only one and two change: un neno, unha nena; dous nenos, dúas nenas. Look at the noun to choose. From three on, the same word works for any noun: tres nenos, tres nenas.

Counting. When you count or answer with a number, one is simply un: un, dous, tres. It is the same word as the article un.

Sound and spelling. Unha is said with the back-of-the-mouth n, like ng in sing (see velar n). Dúas always has a written accent.

Where you will use them. To give your age (Teño oito anos, see saying your age), and to tell the time (Son as dúas, see telling the time). After ten, continue with the numbers 11 to 100.

Examples (6)

  1. Teño dous irmáns e dúas irmás.

    I have two brothers and two sisters.

    Dous goes with the masculine irmáns, dúas with the feminine irmás.

  2. Un café e unha auga, por favor.

    One coffee and one water, please.

    Auga is feminine, so it takes unha.

  3. Na clase hai cinco nenos.

    There are five children in the class.

  4. O meu fillo ten oito anos.

    My son is eight years old.

  5. Conta ata dez: un, dous, tres, catro...

    Count to ten: one, two, three, four...

  6. Quero tres mazás e dez laranxas.

    I want three apples and ten oranges.

    From three on, the number does not change for gender.

Common Mistakes

  • Using dous with a feminine noun.

    Teño dous irmás.
    Teño dúas irmás.

    Irmás is feminine, so two is dúas.

  • Answering with a Spanish-looking uno.

    —Cantos queres? —Uno.
    —Cantos queres? —Un.

    Galician has no form uno. The word for one is un, both when counting and before a masculine noun.

  • Leaving the accent off dúas.

    Quero duas cervexas.
    Quero dúas cervexas.

    Dúas always has a written accent on the u.

How It Connects

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

Numbers One to TenLevel 1

Learn This First

Numbers one and two show gender, and nouns become plural from two onward.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

douscincoseteoitonove