Introduction
Learning how numbers change in Brazilian Portuguese is one of the most useful early steps for everyday communication. This guide explains how cardinal and ordinal numbers work in simple, real-life situations like shopping, telling time, giving phone numbers, dates, and quantities. Examples are in Brazilian Portuguese with clear English explanations so beginners can start using numbers confidently.
- Basic cardinals: counting and simple quantities
- Numbers in real life: prices, shopping, and counters
- Ordinal numbers: position and dates
- Telling the time
- Phone numbers, addresses, and digits
- Quantifiers and measurements: changing number words
- Common mistakes beginners make
- Practical phrases to memorize
- Tips for building confidence
- Conclusion
Basic cardinals: counting and simple quantities
Cardinal numbers answer how many. In Brazilian Portuguese, the basic set from 0 to 20 is essential because it appears in prices, age, phone digits, and small quantities.
0 zero
1 um / uma
2 dois / duas
3 três
4 quatro
5 cinco
6 seis
7 sete
8 oito
9 nove
10 dez
11 onze
12 doze
13 treze
14 quatorze
15 quinze
16 dezesseis
17 dezessete
18 dezoito
19 dezenove
20 vinte
Important note about gender
Portuguese cardinals change form for gender only for 1, and for some multiples used as adjectives. Use um (masculine) and uma (feminine), dois/duas for 2 when counting gendered nouns.
Example: Eu tenho um carro. Eu tenho uma casa.
Example: Dois livros. Duas cadeiras.
Numbers in real life: prices, shopping, and counters
When you shop in Brazil, you will read and hear prices and quantities often. Remember that Portuguese uses a comma for decimal separators in many contexts when written, but when speaking you say the decimal part as separate numbers or as centavos for currency.
Example price on a tag: Camiseta R$ 39,90
How to say it: Trinta e nove reais e noventa centavos or Trinta e nove vírgula noventa (less common spoken).
Useful shopping phrases:
Quanto custa isso?
Isso custa cinquenta reais.
Tem desconto para dois?
Eu quero três quilos de maçã.
Counting dozens and hundreds
Words for tens, hundreds, and thousands combine with connectors. Note the connector e between tens and units for 21-99 when not rounded tens.
30 trinta, 40 quarenta, 50 cinquenta, 60 sessenta, 70 setenta, 80 oitenta, 90 noventa
100 cem / cento (cem used alone; cento used for 101-199)
200 duzentos / duzentas, 300 trezentos / trezentas
1.000 mil, 1.000.000 milhão
Examples:
21 vinte e um
47 quarenta e sete
101 cento e um
253 duzentos e cinquenta e três
Ordinal numbers: position and dates
Ordinals express order: first, second, third. They change for gender and number (singular/plural). Ordinals are common for apartment numbers, floors, dates, and instructions.
1º primeiro / 1ª primeira
2º segundo / 2ª segunda
3º terceiro / 3ª terceira
4º quarto / 4ª quarta
5º quinto / 5ª quinta
10º décimo / 20º vigésimo
Note: For dates, Brazilians often use cardinal numbers or a combination; spoken dates commonly use cardinal for days and month names:
Hoje é 5 de junho. or Hoje é cinco de junho.
Apartment label example: Apt. 2A would be Apartamento segundo andar or more commonly Apartamento 2º andar / apartamento 2.
How ordinals agree
Ordinal adjectives agree with the noun they modify. For example, primeiramente (adverb) is different from primeiro (adjective).
Example: O primeiro capítulo. A primeira lição. Os terceiros colocados.
Telling the time
Telling time uses horas and minutes. For exact hours use é/ são + hour + hora(s). For minutes use e + minutes. For half hour use e meia. For quarter past and quarter to use quarto.
Example: 1:00 É uma hora.
2:00 São duas horas.
3:15 São três e quinze. or São três e quinze minutos. São três e um quarto.
4:30 São quatro e meia.
5:45 São seis menos quinze or São cinco e quarenta e cinco.
Useful phrases for schedules:
O ônibus chega às sete horas.
O filme começa às vinte horas e trinta minutos.
Phone numbers, addresses, and digits
Phone numbers are read digit by digit in many practical contexts, especially when spelling out a number or giving a code. Use the basic cardinals for each digit. For longer sequences, Brazilians often say pairs.
Example phone number: 11 91234-5678
How to say it: Zero um um nove um dois três quatro cinco seis sete oito is awkward; instead: onze, nove, doze, trinta e quatro, cinquenta e seis, setenta e oito is incorrect grouping. Better: Onze nove um dois três quatro cinco seis sete oito broken by local practice: Onze, nove, doze, três quatro, cinco seis sete oito is not standard. For beginners, say digits clearly: um um nove um dois três quatro cinco seis sete oito or colloquially: onze, nove, doze, trinta e quatro, cinquenta e seis, setenta e oito is inconsistent. Stick to saying each digit: um um nove um dois três quatro cinco seis sete oito.
Example for forms: Número do CPF: 123.456.789-09 read as um dois três ponto quatro cinco seis ponto sete oito nove traço zero nove.
Addresses and house numbers
House numbers are cardinal: Rua das Flores, 45. Say: Rua das Flores, quarenta e cinco.
Apartment and floor: Apartamento 304 is apartamento trezentos e quatro or apartamento trezentos e quatro, bloco B.
Quantifiers and measurements: changing number words
Many common quantifiers behave like adjectives and must agree in gender and number: pouco/pouca, muito/muita, bastante, vários/ várias, cada, todo/a(s).
Examples:
Muito dinheiro (much money) and muitas pessoas (many people).
Pouca água. Poucos minutos.
Várias opções. Vários exemplos.
Measure words and pluralization
When using numbers as adjectives before nouns, the noun becomes plural for quantities greater than one. One is different: um livro, duas casas.
Examples:
Três cafés. Cinco casas.
Um litro de leite. Dois litros de leite.
Common mistakes beginners make
Mixing um/uma and dois/duas: Remember to match gender. If you say eu tenho um bolsa it is wrong; correct is eu tenho uma bolsa.
Forgetting the e connector: Brazilians say vinte e três, not vinte três. Omit the e and it will sound wrong or be misunderstood for some numbers.
Using ponto instead of vírgula in speech for decimals: In writing Brazilians use comma as decimal separator, but when speaking say reais e centavos or say the decimals as numbers: trinta e nove reais e noventa centavos.
Trying to directly translate English ordinal forms: first = primeiro, not oneo or similar. Also note ordinals change with gender.
Practical phrases to memorize
Eu tenho vinte anos. (I am twenty years old.)
Quanto custa esta maçã? Ela custa dois reais. (How much is this apple? It costs two reais.)
Marque a consulta para o dia quinze. (Schedule the appointment for the fifteenth.)
O telefone é nove um um dois três quatro cinco seis sete oito. (The phone number is 9112345678; read digits clearly.)
O voo sai às seis e quinze. (The flight departs at 6:15.)
Simple exercises for practice
Read price tags and say the cost aloud: Camisa R$ 59,90 — say Trinta e nove reais e noventa centavos or Cinquenta e nove reais e noventa centavos depending on the tag.
Write your phone number with digits and practice reading each digit in Portuguese slowly and clearly.
Look at a schedule and practice reading times: 14:30 — São quatorze e trinta or São duas e meia da tarde.
Tips for building confidence
Learn the numbers 0–20 first and be comfortable with 10 multiples up to 100. These cover most basic needs.
Pay attention to gender agreement for 1 and for adjectives formed from numbers like duzentos/duzentas.
Practice listening to native speech to get used to how Brazilians group digits and say times; use simple audio resources aimed at beginners.
Conclusion
Numbers in Brazilian Portuguese become easy once you know the basic cardinals, how gender affects a few forms, the connector e for compound numbers, and how ordinals agree with nouns. Use the practical phrases and exercises here to practice prices, times, phone numbers, dates, and quantities so you can use numbers naturally in everyday situations.
