Numeral - Telwoord

Click here for self-correcting exercises on numerals.
There are three different kinds of numerals: cardinals (hoofdtelwoorden), ordinals (rangtelwoorden) and indefinite numerals (onbepaalde telwoorden).

These are some examples of cardinals:

Ik heb één zus en één broer.
I have one sister and one brother.
Mijn zus is tweeëntwintig jaar oud.
My sister is twenty-two years old.
Er zitten precies honderd kinderen op deze school.
There are exactly one hundred (100) children in this school.

The number één, ‘one', often receives accentuation marks to distinguish it from the article een (‘a' in English).

Note that in words like tweeëntwintig, a diaresis is placed on the –e of the word en. This is to make clear in spelling that the word is made up of more than one word. (twee and en and twintig).

Also note that ‘100' is pronounced ‘honderd' not ‘*eenhonderd'. The same goes for 1000: duizend not *eenduizend.

Ordinals are derived from cardinals, and are normally formed by adding –de or –ste to the cardinal. The words for ‘first' and ‘third' do not follow this pattern: eerste (from één) en derde (from drie). Here are some examples of ordinals:

Mijn zus viert haar tweeëntwintigste verjaardag.
My sister celebrates her twenty-second birthday.
De derde dinsdag in september is een belangrijke dag voor het Nederlandse parlement.
The third Tuesday in September is an important day for the Dutch Parliament.

Indefinite numerals are words that refer to a vague or indefinite quantity, such as een paar, veel or weinig or enkele. (see also indefinite words)

Ik heb enkele boeken over Antwerpen.
I have got a few books on Antwerp.

Kan je me een paar euro's geven?
Can you give me a couple of euro's?

Click here to read more about numerals in the Advanced Dutch Grammar.