Números ordinales
 | |
| Share / Tweet / Pin Me! | |
Ordinal numbers are essential for lists: they denote the rank, position, or order of items in a group, whether that group is made up of people, objects, or things to do.
Por ejemplo…
| Pablo está en segundo lugar, y David en quinto. | Pablo is in second place, and David is in fifth. | |
| En primer lugar, tenemos que elegir un presidente. | In the first place, we need to choose a chairperson. |
Spanish ordinal numbers
| first | primero primer | 1st | 1º | |
| second | segundo | 2nd | 2º | |
| third | tercero tercer | 3rd | 3º | |
| fourth | cuarto | 4th | 4º | |
| fifth | quinto | 5th | 5º | |
| sixth | sexto | 6th | 6º | |
| seventh | séptimo | 7th | 7º | |
| eighth | octavo | 8th | 8º | |
| ninth | noveno | 9th | 9º | |
| tenth | décimo | 10th | 10º |
Notes
When primero and tercero precede a masculine noun, they change to the short-form adjectives primer and tercer.
Por ejemplo…
| José está en segundo lugar y Alberto está en quinto. | José is in second place and Alberto is in fifth. | |
| En primer lugar, tenemos que elegir un presidente. | In the first place, The first thing we need to do is choose a chairperson. |
All Spanish ordinal numbers have feminine forms – just change the o to a: la segunda 2ª, la séptima 7ª
The ordinal numbers up to tenth usually precede the noun. After tenth, however, ordinal numbers are commonly expressed with just the cardinal number after the noun:
| el segundo piso | the second floor | |
| el piso veinte | the twentieth floor |
Most ordinal numbers are identical to their corresponding fractions.
If you have trouble remembering the difference between ordinal and cardinal numbers, try this mnemonic:
- ordinals are for ordering
- cardinals are for counting cards
Related lessons
En français
In italiano
Share / Tweet / Pin Me!
This free website is created with love and a great deal of work.