Primero, Segundo, Tercero… – Spanish Ordinal Numbers

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Welcome 😊 to our grammar lesson on Spanish ordinal numbers (“números ordinales”).

Ordinal numbers (primero, segundo, tercero…) are equivalent to the English “first, second, third…”. They express order within a sequence.

A couple of sentences with ordinal numbers
A couple of sentences with ordinal numbers

By the end of this lesson, you have the necessary tools to understand and say any ordinal number in Spanish, from 1st to 1000th.

You will also find a Quiz and an Exercise to practice.

Note: click here if you wish to learn Cardinal Numbers instead (equivalent to the English “one, two, three…”).

List of ordinal numbers

From 1st to 10th:

AbbreviationOrdinal Number
1.ºprimero
2.ºsegundo
3.ºtercero
4.ºcuarto
5.ºquinto
6.ºsexto
7.ºséptimo
8.ºoctavo
9.ºnoveno
10.ºdécimo

From 11th to 19th:

Still written with a single word, which is decimo- followed by the words in the previous table (but 18th = decimoctavo, not “decimooctavo“)

AbbreviationOrdinal Number
11.ºdecimoprimero (or "undécimo")
12.ºdecimosegundo (or "duodécimo")
13.ºdecimotercero
14.ºdecimocuarto
15.ºdecimoquinto
16.ºdecimosexto
17.ºdecimoséptimo
18.ºdecimoctavo
19.ºdecimonoveno

From 20th to 99th:

We need to learn the tens (“vigésimo, trigésimo…”).

If the number also has units, we write two separate words:

AbbreviationOrdinal Number
20.ºvigésimo
21.ºvigésimo primero
27.ºvigésimo séptimo
30.ºtrigésimo
33.ºtrigésimo tercero
38.ºtrigésimo octavo
40.ºcuadragésimo
45.ºcuadragésimo quinto
50.ºquincuagésimo
60.ºsexagésimo
70.ºseptuagésimo
80.ºoctogésimo
90.ºnonagésimo
99.ºnonagésimo noveno

From 100th to 1000th:

Just learn each of the hundreds (“centésimo, ducentésimo…”).

Then, if there are also tens and units, keep adding more words from the previous tables.

AbbreviationOrdinal Number
100.ºcentésimo
113.ºcentésimo decimotercero
185.ºcentésimo octogésimo quinto
200.ºducentésimo
220.ºducentésimo vigésimo
296.ºducentésimo nonagésimo sexto
300.ºtricentésimo
381.ºtricentésimo octogésimo primero
400.ºcuadringentésimo
500.ºquingentésimo
600.ºsexcentésimo
700.ºseptingentésimo
800.ºoctingentésimo
900.ºnoningentésimo
999.ºnoningentésimo nonagésimo noveno
1000.ºmilésimo

Feminine and plural forms

Until this point, we have learned only the masculine form of each ordinal number.

However, there are also feminine and plural forms. If the ordinal number consists of several words, each word changes when we make it feminine and/or plural:

Masculine SingularFeminine SingularMasculine PluralFeminine Plural
segundosegundasegundossegundas
decimoséptimodecimoséptimadecimoséptimosdecimoséptimas
trigésimo novenotrigésima novenatrigésimos novenostrigésimas novenas
ducentésimo vigésimo quintoducentésima vigésima quintaducentésimos vigésimos quintosducentésimas vigésimas quintas


Here are some example sentences. Notice how ordinal numbers match the gender and number of the noun or pronoun they are connected with:

Es la séptima ciudad más grande del mundo.
It’s the 7th biggest city in the world.

Ellos han sido séptimos en la competición.
They have been 7th in the competition.

Mi edificio es el trigésimo octavo en esta calle.
My building is the 38th in this street.

Chicas, sois las trigésimas octavas de la lista.
Girls, you are the 38th on the list.

Short forms “primer” and “tercer”

Any ordinal number ending in “primero” or “tercero” also has a shortened form without the final “o”: primer, tercer, decimoprimer, decimotercer, vigésimo primer, vigésimo tercer…

We use this short form only when the number precedes a masculine singular noun:

Vivo en el tercer piso.
I live on the third floor.

Has llegado en el decimoprimer puesto.
You have arrived in 11th place.

Abbreviation of ordinal numbers

Just like in English we can write “1st” instead of “first”, we can use abbreviations for Spanish ordinal numbers.

  • If the number ends in -o → superscript o

cuarto → 4.º
trigésimo noveno → 39.º


  • If the number ends in -a → superscript a

cuarta → 4.ª
trigésima novena → 39.ª


  • If the number ends in -os→ superscript os

cuartos → 4.os
trigésimos novenos → 39.os


  • If the number ends in -as → superscript as

cuartas → 4.as
trigésimas novenas → 39.as


  • If the number ends in -er → superscript er

primer → 1.er
vigésimo tercer → 23.er

Practice

Quiz

Take this short Quiz about ordinal numbers:


Exercise

Fill the gaps with the correct ordinal number. Click on the gray spaces to see the solutions:

a) Esta es la tercera vez que me preguntas.
This is the third time you ask me.

b) Vivimos en la séptima planta.
We live on the seventh floor.

c) México es el decimotercer país más extenso del mundo.
Mexico is the thirteenth largest country in the world.

d) Enero es el primer mes del año. Es el primero .
January is the first month of the year. It is the first one.

e) Nosotros fuimos octavos en la competición por equipos.
We were eighth in the team competition.

f) ¡Felicidades por tu vigésima segunda medalla!
Congratulations on your twenty-second medal!

The Numbers in Spanish – Learn and Practice “muy” Vs. “mucho” in Spanish – Learn and Practice Comparisons of Inequality in Spanish – Learn and Practice Comparisons of Equality in Spanish – Learn and Practice “por” vs “para” in Spanish – Learn and Practice Spanish Accent Marks – Rules and Practice “por qué” vs “porque” in Spanish – Learn and Practice Negative Sentences in Spanish – Learn and Practice

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