TOPIC · Miscellaneous (Anders)

Ordinal numbers in German

After this lesson you can form German ordinal numbers correctly and use them in dates and simple everyday sentences.

In this lesson you learn how to form and use German ordinal numbers (erste, zweite, dritte …). Ordinal numbers express order: the first, second, third thing in a list, a date, a floor, etc.

1Forming ordinal numbers from 1 to 19

From 1 to 19 you usually add -te to the cardinal number, but there are some irregular forms.

Digit	Cardinal	Ordinal	Meaning
1	eins	erste	first
2	zwei	zweite	second
3	drei	dritte	third
4	vier	vierte	fourth
5	fünf	fünfte	fifth
6	sechs	sechste	sixth
7	sieben	siebte	seventh
8	acht	achte	eighth
9	neun	neunte	ninth
10	zehn	zehnte	tenth
11	elf	elfte	eleventh
12	zwölf	zwölfte	twelfth
13	dreizehn	dreizehnte	thirteenth
14	vierzehn	vierzehnte	fourteenth
15	fünfzehn	fünfzehnte	fifteenth
16	sechzehn	sechzehnte	sixteenth
17	siebzehn	siebzehnte	seventeenth
18	achtzehn	achtzehnte	eighteenth
19	neunzehn	neunzehnte	nineteenth

Notes:

erste is irregular (not einste).
dritte is irregular (not dreite).

2Forming ordinal numbers from 20 upwards

From 20 on, you normally add -ste to the cardinal number.

Digit	Cardinal	Ordinal	Meaning
20	zwanzig	zwanzigste	twentieth
21	einundzwanzig	einundzwanzigste	twenty-first
22	zweiundzwanzig	zweiundzwanzigste	twenty-second
23	dreiundzwanzig	dreiundzwanzigste	twenty-third
30	dreißig	dreißigste	thirtieth
40	vierzig	vierzigste	fortieth

There are no special irregular forms here: just add -ste.

3Capital and small letters

Ordinal numbers behave like adjectives.

Lowercase with a noun:
They are written with a small initial letter when they come before a noun.
- Ich lebe im dritten Stock. (I live on the third floor.)
- Er hat zum zweiten Mal gewonnen. (He has won for the second time.)
Uppercase as a noun (substantivised):
When the ordinal itself is the noun, it is capitalised.
- Ich bin immer die Erste. (I am always the first one.)
- Er kam als Zweiter ins Ziel. (He came in second.)

4Ordinal numbers in dates

In dates you almost always use the ordinal.

With article and dot:
- Heute ist der 15. August. (Today is the 15th of August.)
- Mein Geburtstag ist am 3. Mai. (My birthday is on the 3rd of May.)
Numbers only:
- Heute ist 15.08. (Today is 15/08.)
- Der Kurs beginnt am 01.10. (The course starts on 01/10.)
Written out:
- Heute ist der fünfzehnte August. (Today is the fifteenth of August.)
- Der Kurs beginnt am ersten Oktober. (The course begins on the first of October.)

Often you have am before the weekday and der before the calendar day:

Am Montag, dem dritten April, schreibe ich die Prüfung. (On Monday, the third of April, I write/take the exam.)

5Typical sentences with ordinal numbers

Das ist meine erste Wohnung in Deutschland. (This is my first apartment in Germany.)
Heute habe ich meine zweite Deutschstunde. (Today I have my second German lesson.)
Er sitzt in der vierten Reihe. (He is sitting in the fourth row.)
Sie wohnt im sechsten Stock. (She lives on the sixth floor.)

With these patterns you can build and use all German ordinal numbers in simple everyday sentences.

1Forming ordinal numbers from 1 to 19

2Forming ordinal numbers from 20 upwards

3Capital and small letters

4Ordinal numbers in dates

5Typical sentences with ordinal numbers

Knowledge test