Writing Numbers

Level 4

Luxembourgish writes numbers the continental way: the comma separates the decimals (3,25), and a space or point may group the thousands (100 000 or 100.000). An ordinal number gets a full stop: den 1. Abrëll.

How It Works

1. Decimals and thousands

  • The comma separates the decimals: 3,25, 100,7.
  • For thousands you may use a space or a point, or nothing: 100 000, 100.000 or 100000. Both make long numbers easier to read.
  • English does it the other way round: 10,843.25 in English is 10 843,25 in Luxembourgish.

2. Ordinal numbers
An ordinal number written in figures gets a full stop: den 1. Abrëll, déi 100. Kéier, hie war de 26. an der Course. The article follows the n-rule as the number is spoken; see n-rule with numbers and abbreviations.

3. Times of day
Hours and minutes are separated by a colon: Et ass elo 10:30 Auer. Mir sinn do vun 8:00 bis 12:00. See telling the time.

4. Numbers in words
A number below a million is written as one word with a small letter: dräihonnertsechsasechzeg (366), zweedausend (2,000). See numbers above 20. Millioun and Milliard are nouns, so they are capitalized and written separately: zwou Milliounen.

5. Numbers as nouns
A number that names a figure, such as a school mark, is a noun and gets a capital: Hatt huet eng Dräi op der Zensur. (She got a three on her report.)

6. Numbers in compounds
A figure in a compound is joined with a hyphen: e 50-järege Mann, d'90er-Joren, 5-mol (or 5 Mol). With a suffix there is no hyphen: 100%eg.

Examples (6)

  1. E Kaffi kascht 3,25 Euro.

    A coffee costs 3.25 euros.

    The comma separates the decimals.

  2. D'Stad Lëtzebuerg huet méi wéi 100 000 Awunner.

    Luxembourg City has more than 100,000 inhabitants.

    A space groups the thousands; 100.000 is also correct.

  3. Haut ass den 1. Abrëll.

    Today is the 1st of April.

    The full stop marks an ordinal number: éischten.

  4. Hie war de 26. an der Course.

    He came 26th in the race.

  5. Et ass elo 10:30 Auer.

    It is now 10:30.

    A colon separates the hours and the minutes.

  6. E Schaltjoer huet dräihonnertsechsasechzeg Deeg.

    A leap year has three hundred and sixty-six days.

    A number below a million is one word with a small letter.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a point for decimals, as in English.

    E Kaffi kascht 3.25 Euro.
    E Kaffi kascht 3,25 Euro.

    In Luxembourgish the comma separates the decimals. A point may only group thousands.

  • Writing an ordinal number without a full stop.

    Haut ass den 1 Abrëll.
    Haut ass den 1. Abrëll.

    Without the full stop, 1 reads as eent. The full stop shows it is the ordinal éischten.

  • Splitting a number written in words.

    E Schaltjoer huet dräi honnert sechsasechzeg Deeg.
    E Schaltjoer huet dräihonnertsechsasechzeg Deeg.

    Numbers below a million are written as one word.

How It Connects

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

Writing NumbersLevel 4

Learn This First

Before Writing Numbers, learn Ordinal Numbers and Dates.