16. German language A1 : Numbers (Zahlen) above 100

In our previous lessons (Lesson 3 and Lesson 4), we learned numbers up to 100. Today, we will expand our knowledge and focus on numbers above 100 in German. These numbers are essential for everyday life, such as telling the year you were born, giving large quantities, or discussing money.

1. Numbers in Hundreds

In German, the hundreds are built from the base numbers (two, three, four, etc.) followed by hundert.

100: (ein)hundert oder hundert
200: zweihundert
300: dreihundert
400: vierhundert
500: fünfhundert
600: sechshundert
700: siebenhundert
800: achthundert
900: neunhundert

👉 Note: The word ein is often dropped in 100 (just hundert).

2. Numbers in Thousands

1,000: (ein)tausend
2,000: zweitausend
10,000: zehntausend
11,000: elftausend
12,000: zwölftausend

For hundreds of thousands:

100,000: (ein)hunderttausend
200,000: zweihunderttausend

3. Numbers in Millions

1,000,000: eine Million
2,000,000: zwei Millionen
10,000,000: zehn Millionen
50,000,000: fünfzig Millionen
100,000,000: (ein)hundert Millionen

👉 Million is a feminine noun in German, so it is used with eine Million instead of ein Million.

4. Combining Numbers

Just like with smaller numbers, Germans combine numbers in a logical way. The order follows: thousands + hundreds + tens + ones.

Examples:

101 = 100 + 1 = einhunderteins
110 = 100 + 10 = einhundertzehn
111 = 100 + 11 = einhundertelf
121 = 100 + 21 = einhunderteinundzwanzig
634 = 600 + 34 = sechshundertvierunddreißig
987 = 900 + 87 = neunhundertsiebenundachtzig

With thousands:

1101 = 1000 + 100+ 1 = eintausendeinhunderteins
1111 = 1000 + 100 + 11 = eintausendeinhundertelf
1995 = 1000 + 900 + 95 = eintausendneunhundertfünfundneunzig
2448 = 2000 + 400 + 48 = zweitausendvierhundertachtundvierzig
13,236 = 13000 + 200 +36 = dreizehntausendzweihundertsechsunddreißig

5. Talking About Years (Jahreszahlen)

When speaking about years, German often groups numbers differently compared to English.

1975 = 1900 +75 = neunzehnhundertfünfundsiebzig (literally: “nineteen hundred seventy-five”)
2017 = 2000 +17 = zweitausendsiebzehn (two thousand seventeen)

👉 The year 1995 is said: neunzehnhundertfünfundneunzig.

Example conversation:

Wann bist du geboren? (When were you born?)
Ich bin (im Jahr) neunzehnhundertfünfundneunzig (1995) geboren. (I was born in 1995.)

6. Practice Section

Try reading these numbers aloud:

348 = ___________________
4521 = ___________________
20,019 = ___________________
1989 = ___________________
2024 = ___________________

Conclusion

Numbers above 100 in German follow clear patterns. Once you know how to say the hundreds, thousands, and millions, you can combine them easily. Practice regularly by reading dates, phone numbers, or prices in German.

💡 Tip: Start by practicing the years (Jahreszahlen) since they often come up in conversations about birthdays, history, or current events.