Italian 6.1. Ordinal Numbers II

In Italian, ordinal numbers from 11 and beyond are formed by dropping the last vowel and adding “-esimo” at the end. Ordinal numbers between 11 and 19 are as follows:

undici	11	undicesimo/-a/-i/-e	11.o / 11.a/ 11.i / 11.e
dodici	12	dodicesimo/-a/-i/-e	12.o / 12.a/ 12.i / 12.e
tredici	13	tredicesimo/-a/-i/-e	13.o / 13.a/ 13.i / 13.e
quattordici	14	quattordicesimo/-a/-i/-e	14.o / 14.a/ 14.i / 14.e
quindici	15	quindicesimo/-a/-i/-e	15.o / 15.a/ 15.i / 15.e
sedici	16	sedicesimo/-a/-i/-e	16.o / 16.a/ 16.i / 16.e
diciassette	17	diciassettesimo/-a/-i/-e	17.o / 17.a/ 17.i / 17.e
diciotto	18	diciottesimo/-a/-i/-e	18.o / 18.a/ 18.i / 18.e
diciannove	19	diciannovesimo/-a/-i/-e	19.o / 19.a/ 19.i / 19.e

Note that ordinal numbers are adjectives and must agree in gender and number with the noun.

Higher Ordinal Numbers

Here are some higher ordinal numbers:

venti	20	ventesimo/-a/-i/-e	20.o / 20.a/ 20.i / 20.e
trenta	30	trentesimo/-a/-i/-e	30.o / 30.a/ 30.i / 30.e
quaranta	40	quarantesimo/-a/-i/-e	40.o / 40.a/ 40.i / 40.e
cinquanta	50	cinquantesimo/-a/-i/-e	50.o / 50.a/ 50.i / 50.e
sessanta	60	sessantesimo/-a/-i/-e	60.o / 60.a/ 60.i / 60.e
settanta	70	settantesimo/-a/-i/-e	70.o / 70.a/ 70.i / 70.e
ottanta	80	ottantesimo/-a/-i/-e	80.o / 80.a/ 80.i / 80.e
novanta	90	novantesimo/-a/-i/-e	90.o / 90.a/ 90.i / 90.e
cento	100	centesimo/-a/-i/-e	100.o / 100.a/ 100.i / 100.e
duecento	200	duecentesimo/-a/-i/-e	200.o / 200.a/ 200.i/ 200.e
trecento	300	trecentesimo/-a/-i/-e	300.o / 300.a/ 300.i/ 300.e
quattrocento	400	quattrocentesimo/-a/-i/-e	400.o / 400.a/ 400.i/ 400.e
cinquecento	500	cinquecentesimo/-a/-i/-e	500.o / 500.a/ 500.i/ 500.e
seicento	600	seicentesimo/-a/-i/-e	600.o / 600.a/ 600.i/ 600.e
settecento	700	settecentesimo/-a/-i/-e	700.o / 700.a/ 700.i/ 700.e
ottocento	800	ottocentesimo/-a/-i/-e	800.o / 800.a/ 800.i/ 800.e
novecento	900	novecentesimo/-a/-i/-e	900.o / 900.a / 900.i/ 900.e
mille	1.000	millesimo/-a/-i/-e	1000.o/1000.a/1000.i/1000.e

Names of Kings & Queens

Numbers following the names of kings and queens are ordinal and, unlike in English, do not use the definite article before the number.

For example, “Elisabetta Seconda”(Elizabeth the Second), “Edoardo Terzo”(Edward the Third), “Luigi Quattordicesimo”(Louis the Fourteenth), etc.

Fractional Numbers

Fractional numbers in Italian are identical to the ordinal numbers, e.g., “1/16 = un sedicesimo.”

If the numerator is larger than one, the denominator is expressed in plural, e.g., “3/4 = tre quarti.”

Collective Numbers

The collective numbers “un paio” (a pair) and “una dozzina” (a dozen) may also be used to describe quantities.

The adjectives “doppio” and “triplo” are used for “double” and “triple,” respectively.

Next: The Past Infinitive

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