Conceito novo
Four-and-twenty: units first
First, the tens. Most are simply the unit + -zig — vierzig, fünfzig, achtzig, neunzig:
| Number | German | Number | German |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | zwanzig | 60 | sechzig |
| 30 | dreißig | 70 | siebzig |
| 40 | vierzig | 80 | achtzig |
| 50 | fünfzig | 90 | neunzig |
Four need a second look: zwanzig (not zweizig), dreißig (with ß), sechzig (sechs loses its s) and siebzig (sieben loses its -en). And 100 is hundert — or einhundert.
In between, German says the unit first, then und, then the ten — all as one word:
- 21 — einundzwanzig, literally one-and-twenty
- 35 — fünfunddreißig
- 48 — achtundvierzig
- 99 — neunundneunzig
English once did this too — think of the nursery rhyme's four-and-twenty blackbirds. Note that eins drops its s: einundzwanzig.