AIgo NotesFlashcards for:
Ordinal Numbers in French
What is a tip for learning French ordinal numbers and their exceptions?
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Remember the common exceptions (like 'premier/première', 'cinquième', and 'neuvième') and practice with examples to get used to the patterns.
How do you generally form ordinal numbers in French?
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You take the regular number and add the suffix '-ième' (with an accent on the first e) to form most ordinal numbers in French.
Are there exceptions to the general rule for forming ordinal numbers in French?
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Yes, there are exceptions, especially with the word for 'first' and some other numbers like fifth and ninth.
How do you say 'first' in French and does it differ by gender?
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'First' in French is 'premier' for masculine nouns and 'première' for feminine nouns.
How do you form the ordinal for 'second' in French?
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'Second' is formed by taking 'deux' (two) and adding the suffix, making it 'deuxième'.
How do you form the ordinal for 'third' in French?
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You add the ordinal suffix: 'troisième' (from 'trois' + 'ième').
What is special about forming the ordinal for 'fourth' ('quatrième') in French?
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For numbers ending in 'e', like 'quatre', you drop the final 'e' before adding the suffix: 'quatrième'.
Is 'fifth' ('cinquième') regular or irregular in French?
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It's irregular; after 'cinq' you add a 'u' before the suffix, making it 'cinquième'.
How do you form 'sixth' and 'seventh' in French?
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'Sixth' is 'sixième' and 'seventh' is 'septième', both following the regular pattern.
Is there anything irregular about 'ninth' in French?
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Yes, for 'neuf', the 'f' changes to a 'v' before adding the suffix, making 'neuvième'.
What is the French form for 'tenth'?
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'Tenth' is 'dixième', which follows the regular pattern.
How do you form ordinal numbers above ten in French?
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Ordinal numbers above ten generally follow the same pattern—add 'ième' to the end of the number, adjusting as needed for pronunciation or spelling.
How do you form 'twentieth' and 'eightieth' in French?
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'Twentieth' is 'vingtième' and 'eightieth' (based on quatre-vingt for eighty) is 'quatre-vingtième', with the suffix added to the last word part.
When forming compound ordinals like '200th' in French, where do you place the suffix?
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You only add the 'ième' suffix to the last part: 'deux centième' for 200th.
How do you form numbers like '46th' or '59th'?
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For numbers like '46th', add the suffix to the last part: 'quarante-sixième'; for '59th': 'cinquante-neuvième', noting 'neuf' again changes to 'neuvième'.
How do you form '61st', '71st', '81st', etc., in French?
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For compound ordinals ending in 'first' (like 61st, 71st), use 'et unième' rather than 'premier', e.g., 'soixante et unième'.
Is 'premier' used in compound ordinal numbers like '31st' or '51st'?
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No, for numbers above 20 like '31st', use 'et unième' (trente et unième), not 'premier'.
How do you say 'hundredth' and 'two hundredth' in French?
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'Hundredth' is 'centième', and 'two hundredth' is 'deux centième'—the suffix is only applied to the last part.
Do you ever repeat the ordinal suffix in multi-word numbers?
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No, you only add the 'ième' suffix to the last word of the number.
What is the French ordinal for '89th'?
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'Quatre-vingt-neuvième'—the ordinal suffix is attached to the last number part ('neuvième').
What should you remember about the use of 'et' in compound ordinals?
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Use 'et' in compound numbers ending in 1 (like 61, 71), and the ordinal formation goes on the 'un' part: 'soixante et unième'.
What is a tip for learning French ordinal numbers and their exceptions?
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Remember the common exceptions (like 'premier/première', 'cinquième', and 'neuvième') and practice with examples to get used to the patterns.
How do you generally form ordinal numbers in French?
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You take the regular number and add the suffix '-ième' (with an accent on the first e) to form most ordinal numbers in French.