Ordinal numbers - 1st/2nd/10th/etc - in French

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE
Last updated: 2023-09-25
9 questions

Ordinal numbers describe an order/rank. In this lesson, you will learn how to form ordinal numbers in French.

How to form ordinal numbers in French

Look at these ordinal numbers:

English  French Long-hand
1st 1er / 1re premier (m) / première (f)
2nd 2e / 2d / 2de deuxième 
second (m) / seconde (f)
3rd 3e troisième
4th 4e quatrième
5th 5e cinquième
 9th 9e neuvième

The main rule to form ordinal numbers is as follows:

Cardinal number + -ième at the end
(stripping off any mute -e if there is one first)

EXCEPTIONS

- premier/première and second/seconde agree in gender with the noun they refer to

- you add a -u after cinq to form cinquième, as the syllable "qi" doesn't exist in French.

- the -f of neuf becomes a -v in neuvième, simply to ease the pronunciation.

Now listen to these examples:

Je préfère la première robe.I prefer the first dress.

Il a fini le troisième exercice.He finished the third exercise.

Le Cinquième Élément est un film génial !The Fifth Element is a great film!

Je suis arrivé sixième au marathon.I came sixth at the marathon.

J'ai réussi la neuvième fois.I managed the ninth time.

 

When to use deuxième vs second/seconde ?

On aime la deuxième chanson de l'album.We like the second song of the album.

Il y avait deux gâteaux sur la table: j'en ai mangé un, tu as mangé le second.There were two cakes on the table: I ate one, you ate the second one.

- Use deuxième if there are more than two things,
- Use second/e if there are only two options.

 

Cardinal numbers = 1,2,3 etc 
Ordinal numbers = describing an order/rank = 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc Fractions = describing a part of a whole = half, third, fourth etc
Also see Expressing fractions in French - general (French Numbers)

 

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Examples and resources

Je suis arrivé sixième au marathon.I came sixth at the marathon.
J'ai réussi la neuvième fois.I managed the ninth time.
Il y avait deux gâteaux sur la table: j'en ai mangé un, tu as mangé le second.There were two cakes on the table: I ate one, you ate the second one.
Le Cinquième Élément est un film génial !The Fifth Element is a great film!
Je préfère la première robe.I prefer the first dress.
Il a fini le troisième exercice.He finished the third exercise.
On aime la deuxième chanson de l'album.We like the second song of the album.
Clever stuff happening!