Learn Danish Numbers the Right Way

Numbers are a crucial part of life. So, when you’re learning Danish, you need to master counting in Danish to become fluent. Luckily, Danish numbers aren’t complicated. With these straightforward charts, you can learn Danish numbers from 1 to a trillion easily.

 

Danish Numbers 1-20

How do you count to 10 in Danish? Well, Danish numbers between 0 and 20 are pretty straightforward. Although their spelling and pronunciation is unique, you may be able to see some similarities between English and Danish when it comes to counting. The letters in Danish numbers 1-10 often start with the same letters in English. And just like the English “-teen”, Danish numbers 13-19 get the “-ten” ending. 

Numeral	Danish
0	nul
1	en
2	to
3	tre
4	fire
5	fem
6	seks
7	syv
8	otte
9	ni
10	ti
11	ellevu
12	tolv
13	tretten
14	fjorten
15	femten
16	seksten
17	sytten
18	atten
19	nitten
20	tyve

To hear the pronunciation of 0-20 in Danish, here’s a useful video.

Danish Numbers 20-30

When it comes to numbers in Danish between 20 and 30, the logic changes a tiny bit. You start with your numbers 1-9, and you add og + tyve for the twenties. Just like in German, the Danish count the ones first, and then add the tens. The literal translation of 23 for example would be “three and twenty” in Danish (treogtyve). Once you get used to this counting in Danish becomes easy. 

Numeral	Danish
20	tyve
21	enogtyve
22	toogtyve
23	treogtyve
24	fireogtyve
25	femogtyve
26	seksogtyve
27	syvogtyve
28	otteogtyve
29	niogtyve
30	tredive

To hear Danish numbers between 20 and 30, use this handy video:

The Danish Counting System

In English, the counting system is based on tens. In Danish however, their counting logic goes by the 20s (just like in French). This becomes evident from 50 onwards. “Halvtreds” is kind of “halfway to the third twenty”. 60 is “third twenty”, and 80 is “fourth twenty”. By this logic, 70 is “halfway to the fourth twenty”. This seems very confusing at first. But, there’s a simple trick to learning the Danish counting system easily. 

Simply stop doing maths. While the logic of the etymology of Danish numbers is fascinating, when you’re learning Danish, it will just confuse you. Take the Danish word for 50 at face value: “halvtreds”. That’s the way you say fifty. Just like in English, where you don’t think of “fifty” as “five tens”. 

If this is still confusing for you, the video below this chart can help explain the Danish counting logic easily.

Numeral	Danish
30	tredive
40	fyrre
50	halvtreds [(3-½) x 20]
60	treds [3 x 20]
70	halvfjerds [(4-½) x 20]
80	firs [4 x 20]
90	halvfems [(5-½) x 20]
100	et hundrede

 

Danish Numbers Above 100

Danish numbers after a hundred become familiar again. The only thing you should watch out for is a billion. Funnily enough, “en billion” is not a billion. It’s actually a trillion in Danish. The word for billion in Danish is “milliard”.

Numerals	Danish
100	et hundrede
200	tohundrede
300	trehundrede
1,000	tusind
2,000	totusinde
1 million	en million
1 billion	en milliard
1 trillion	en billion

Danish Fractions

Knowing how to say “half” or “quarter” in Danish is crucial, especially when it comes to telling time in Danish. Unlike in English, when you say “half two” in Danish, it doesn’t mean 2:30 (half past two). Instead, it’s 1:30 (halfway to two). This is similar to the counting logic in Danish.

Fractions	Danish Fractions
half	en halv
third	en tredjedel
quarter	en kvart

Learn Danish Fast with the Best App

Danish numbers aren’t difficult to master. Since you speak English, the sounds of Danish numbers can be very familiar. The only thing you need to get used to is the logic. If you want to learn Danish effortlessly, you need an app that can get you to fluency fast. And that app is OptiLingo.

OptiLingo gives you the most common words and phrases in Danish. Which means that you’ll learn exactly how the locals speak. Master the Danish language in record time, and speak comfortably to locals. To start your journey to Danish success download OptiLingo today!