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Up to neuf-cent-quatre-vingt-dix-neuf [choses] (999 [things]), you can express quantities simply with the number + [noun]:
Vingt-six oeufs
Twenty six eggs
Deux-cents soldats
Two hundred soldiers
See previous lesson: Expressing numbers 70 to 999 in French
However, it is different when expressing higher numbers.
Learn how to express thousands, millions and billions in French
Thousands
There are two ways to express a thousand [things] in French:
mille + [plural noun]
or
un millier de + [plural noun]
or
un millier de + [plural noun]
Il lui envoie deux-mille roses.He sends her two thousand roses.
Il lui envoie deux milliers de roses.He sends her two thousand roses.
Mille soldats sont venus.A thousand soldiers came.
Un millier de soldats sont venus.A thousand soldiers came.
-> Both mille and un millier de are followed by a plural verb (sont venus).
ATTENTION:
mille never agrees in number with the noun it refers to (deux-mille), whereas un millier de becomes deux milliers de, etc
Note that you always need the de with millier !
Note that you always need the de with millier !
Millions
The way to express a million [things] is always:
un million de + [plural noun]
Un million de touristesOne million tourists
Trois millions d'eurosThree million euros
Il a gagné six millions de dollars au loto.He won six million dollars in the lottery.
Un million de agrees in number with the noun it refers to:
trois millions de, cinq millions de, ...
trois millions de, cinq millions de, ...
Billions
The way to express a billion [things] is always:
un milliard de + [plural noun]
Un milliard d'eurosA billion euros
Sept milliards d'êtres humainsSeven billion human beings
Ce château coûte dix milliards de livres sterling.This palace costs ten billion pounds.
Un milliard de agrees in number with the noun it refers to:
cent milliards de, vingt milliards de, ...
cent milliards de, vingt milliards de, ...
Note: Nowadays, following the Spelling Reform it is recommended to use hyphens with any numbers lower or greater than 100 (quarante-et-un / deux-cents). However, when using "millier(s) /million(s) / milliard(s) de" you do not add the hyphen before these numeral words (deux-cent-trente-cinq millions d'euros).
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