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An in-depth look at essential aspects of Frenchlanguage & culture, including common difficulties, customs, and important events. LF à fond is published every other Sunday and includes lessons, quizzes, and practice exercises to help you master each topic.

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Numbers

There are some tricky bits on the way to infinity.

Laura K Lawless

May 14, 2023

Bonjour les Francophiles !

When I talk to French students about what they have the most trouble with, at least half of them mention numbers.

To be fair, when it comes to listening comprehension, this is probably true when learning just about any language, because native speakers always seem to rattle off their numbers very quickly. Plus, when you’re not expecting something like a phone number - or even if you are - it can be hard to understand a long series of numbers, much less remember them or have time to jot them down.

But French adds up to an extra bit of funny business when it comes to the numbers 70 to 99, because of the way they’re named in French.

It’s more than just vocabulary: it’s math. 🧮

So if you find yourself writing things like 4-20-17 and then realizing, oops, that’s 97, this audio-packed issue of Lawless French à fond is for you.

Numbers and Counting

OK, so let’s start with the basics. These lessons explain the particularities of counting in French and include sound files for individual numbers.

0 - 59

60 - 99

100+

Random Number Practice

Once you know all the numbers, it’s time to move on to developing your comprehension skills. In these exercises, you can listen to a series of random numbers and write or type them, then check the answer key.