French numbers 70, 80 and 90: the soixante-dix pattern
French numbers from 70 to 99 look strange because they reuse earlier numbers. 70 is soixante-dix (“sixty-ten”), 80 is quatre-vingts (“four twenties”), and 90 is quatre-vingt-dix (“four-twenty-ten”). Once you see the math, the pattern is learnable: 72 is soixante-douze, 81 is quatre-vingt-un, and 95 is quatre-vingt-quinze.
| Range | Build | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 70-79 | 60 + 10-19 | soixante-douze72 |
| 80 | 4 x 20 | quatre-vingts80 |
| 81-89 | 80 + 1-9 | quatre-vingt-six86 |
| 90-99 | 80 + 10-19 | quatre-vingt-quinze95 |
These are the forms you will hear most often in prices, ages, addresses and phone numbers.
| Word | Transcription | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| soixante-dix | 70 | La place coûte soixante-dix euros. | |
| soixante et onze | 71 | Mon grand-père a soixante et onze ans. | |
| soixante-douze | 72 | Le train part à soixante-douze kilomètres d'ici. | |
| soixante-dix-neuf | 79 | La veste coûte soixante-dix-neuf euros. | |
| quatre-vingts | 80 | Ma grand-mère a quatre-vingts ans. | |
| quatre-vingt-un | 81 | Le bus quatre-vingt-un va au centre. | |
| quatre-vingt-neuf | 89 | La chambre coûte quatre-vingt-neuf euros. | |
| quatre-vingt-dix | 90 | Le cours dure quatre-vingt-dix minutes. | |
| quatre-vingt-onze | 91 | Il habite au numéro quatre-vingt-onze. | |
| quatre-vingt-dix-neuf | 99 | Il y a quatre-vingt-dix-neuf pages. |
The 70s: sixty plus ten
For 70-79, French keeps soixante (60) and adds 10-19.
| Number | French |
|---|---|
| 70 | soixante-dix |
| 71 | soixante et onze |
| 72 | soixante-douze |
| 73 | soixante-treize |
| 79 | soixante-dix-neuf |
Notice the special et in 71: soixante et onze. After that, the numbers are hyphenated compounds.
J’ai soixante-douze photos.
I have seventy-two photos.
The 80s: four twenties
The word for 80 is quatre-vingts, literally “four twenties”. It takes an
s at exactly 80, but the s disappears when another number follows.
quatre-vingts euros
eighty eurosquatre-vingt-un euros, quatre-vingt-six euros
eighty-one euros, eighty-six euros
There is no et in 81: say quatre-vingt-un, not quatre-vingt et un.
The 90s: eighty plus ten
For 90-99, French starts from 80 and adds 10-19.
| Number | French |
|---|---|
| 90 | quatre-vingt-dix |
| 91 | quatre-vingt-onze |
| 92 | quatre-vingt-douze |
| 95 | quatre-vingt-quinze |
| 99 | quatre-vingt-dix-neuf |
This is the same logic as the 70s, but with quatre-vingt instead of soixante.
Common mistakes
Looking for separate words for seventy and ninety
In standard French from France, there is no everyday septante or nonante. Those forms exist in some regions, but the standard France pattern is soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix.
Keeping the s in quatre-vingt-un
The s appears only at exactly 80.
quatre-vingts-un→ quatre-vingt-un
eighty-one
Adding et after quatre-vingt
Use et in 71, not in 81 or 91.
quatre-vingt et un→ quatre-vingt-un
eighty-one
These numbers feel much easier when you hear them in real prices and times, not as an isolated math puzzle. Fluera puts them into short sentences with ages, prices and appointments, so soixante-douze and quatre-vingt-dix become recognizable chunks. Try it when you practice French.
Practice
Question 1 of 10
Frequently asked questions
Why is 70 in French soixante-dix?
Why is 80 quatre-vingts?
s appears only for exactly 80; it disappears in quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-deux and the rest.