German · A1 · Everyday language
Numbers one to ten in German
Practise German numbers from one to ten while counting fingers, stairs and toys together. Learn how to ask how many there are and use simple plural nouns.
What you'll learn
- Count from one to ten in German.
- Ask how many things there are.
- Use numbers with common plural nouns.
- Invite your child to count together.
German phrases for numbers one to ten
Eins, zwei, drei.
One, two, three.
Use eins when counting aloud.
Wie viele sind es?
How many are there?
Point to the things you want your child to count.
Ich habe zwei Äpfel.
I have two apples.
The plural of Apfel is Äpfel: a changes to ä.
Zähl mit mir.
Count with me.
A friendly instruction to one child.
Da sind fünf Enten.
There are five ducks.
Use this when pointing out ducks. Ente becomes Enten in the plural.
Das ist viel!
That is a lot!
A simple reaction to a big number or amount.
Zehn kleine Finger.
Ten little fingers.
Finger has the same form in the singular and plural.
Lass uns noch einmal zählen.
Let's count again.
Noch einmal means 'again' or 'one more time'.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
eins
one
Use eins on its own; before a noun, use forms such as ein or eine.
zwei
two
Example: zwei Äpfel — two apples.
drei
three
Example: drei Enten — three ducks.
vier
four
Example: vier Finger — four fingers.
fünf
five
Count the five fingers on one hand.
sechs
six
Comes after fünf.
sieben
seven
Comes after sechs.
acht
eight
Comes after sieben.
neun
nine
Comes after acht.
zehn
ten
Count all ten fingers on both hands.
Numbers and plural nouns
Use eins when counting aloud. Before a noun, 'one' changes form, as in ein Apfel or eine Ente. With numbers from two to ten, use a plural noun. German plurals vary, so learn each noun with its plural.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Counting aloud | eins, zwei, drei | Eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf. |
| Vowel change | ein Apfel → zwei Äpfel | Ich habe zwei Äpfel. |
| Add -n | eine Ente → fünf Enten | Da sind fünf Enten. |
| No noun change | ein Finger → zehn Finger | Zehn kleine Finger. |
Asking and answering how many
Wie viele means 'how many'. Use sind when asking about or pointing out several things. Use ist for one thing.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ask about a group | Wie viele sind es? | Wie viele sind es? — Drei. |
| Point out one | Da ist + singular noun | Da ist eine Ente. |
| Point out several | Da sind + number + plural noun | Da sind fünf Enten. |
More examples
Eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Count slowly together, raising one finger for each number.
Hier sind vier Bälle.
Here are four balls.
Ball becomes Bälle in the plural.
Zähl die Stufen.
Count the steps.
Use this while counting stairs together. Stufe becomes Stufen.
Ich habe einen Apfel.
I have one apple.
After habe, masculine ein Apfel becomes einen Apfel.
Wie viele Enten sind es?
How many ducks are there?
Put the plural noun Enten directly after wie viele.