Greek Numbers: Learn to Count in Greek

Build the first sequence

Greek numbers from zero to twenty

Learn the sequence in groups of five, then retrieve numbers out of order. The simple forms below are useful for counting. Greek number words can change form with gender in some grammatical contexts, so you may later meet alternatives such as ένας, μία, or έναν around nouns.

Reach one hundred

The useful tens

Once twenty is secure, learn the tens as anchor points. Numbers between them normally combine the ten and unit, such as είκοσι τρία for twenty-three and σαράντα δύο for forty-two.

Use numbers, do not only recite them

Prices, phone numbers, ages, time, and quantities

Combine familiar parts

How to form numbers between the tens

For most numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine, say the ten first and then the unit. Twenty-one is είκοσι ένα, thirty-four is τριάντα τέσσερα, and ninety-nine is ενενήντα εννέα. There is no equivalent of the English word “and” between these parts.

• Είκοσι τρία ευρώ.

  Íkosi tría evró.Twenty-three euros.A price using twenty plus three.

• Το δωμάτιο σαράντα δύο.

  To domátio saránda dío.Room forty-two.A hotel room number.

• Είμαι τριάντα χρονών.

  Íme triánda hronón.I am thirty years old.A complete age expression.

When numbers describe nouns, you will meet grammatical forms beyond the simple counting list. Learn those forms inside useful phrases rather than assuming the isolated counting word always stays unchanged.

A practical routine

Make the numbers retrievable

1. Count forward from zero to ten.
2. Count backwards from ten.
3. Point to random written numbers and say them.
4. Write down numbers you hear.
5. Say imaginary prices, room numbers, and times.
6. Mix old and new ranges instead of always starting at one.

Sequence practice builds familiarity, but random retrieval is what prepares you to understand a price or gate number without reciting everything that comes before it.