A0~20 min

Numbers and Counting

Getallen en tellen

Dutch Numbers 0-20

Dutch numbers 0-12 have unique names. From 13-19, the pattern is "units + tien" (similar to English "-teen").

Learning numbers is essential for daily life in the Netherlands: telling time, giving phone numbers, understanding prices, and scheduling at work.

Numbers 0-20

Number	Dutch	Number	Dutch
0	nul	11	elf
1	een	12	twaalf
2	twee	13	dertien
3	drie	14	veertien
4	vier	15	vijftien
5	vijf	16	zestien
6	zes	17	zeventien
7	zeven	18	achttien
8	acht	19	negentien
9	negen	20	twintig
10	tien

Numbers 21-100

From 21 onwards, Dutch says the unit BEFORE the ten: "eenentwintig" (one-and-twenty) = 21.

This is the opposite of English. "23" is "drieentwintig" (three-and-twenty). The units come first, connected by "en" (and), then the tens. This takes practice but follows a consistent pattern: 21 = eenentwintig 32 = tweeendertig 45 = vijfenveertig 67 = zevenenzestig 89 = negenentachtig

Tens

Number	Dutch
10	tien
20	twintig
30	dertig
40	veertig
50	vijftig
60	zestig
70	zeventig
80	tachtig
90	negentig
100	honderd

Numbers in Context

Ik ben drieendertig jaar oud.

I am 33 years old.

Het kost vijfentwintig euro.

It costs 25 euros.

Mijn telefoonnummer is nul-zes-twee-drie.

My phone number is 0-6-2-3.

Phone numbers are read digit by digit

Workplace Context

Scenario: Scheduling a meeting

De vergadering is om twee uur.

The meeting is at two o'clock.

Ik heb vijftien minuten pauze.

I have a fifteen-minute break.

Er zijn twaalf collega's in het team.

There are twelve colleagues in the team.

Common Mistakes

✗tweeentig

✓twintig

"Twenty" in Dutch is "twintig", not derived regularly from "twee".

✗veertwintig (24)

✓vierentwintig

The unit comes first: vier + en + twintig = vierentwintig.