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French numbers

For those who have never studied French, French numbers are an absolute nightmare. I have been studying them now since high school and I have never been able to master them. You may be wondering what trouble I can possibly have here, let me tell you what the issue is.

In every other language I know, you have your numbers from 1 to 10. Then each group of 10 after, has a repeating number based on that digit in the ten's place that has some relation to the original 1 to 10 (like "twenty" based on two or "fifty" based on five) and then you repeat the number 1 to 10. For instance, the number 37 has the "thirty" in the tens place (based on "three") and we then say the seven in the one's place, with the final number pronounced "thirty seven." Same in German (although they say the last number first) and Italian. The teens are always a bit odd, but everything else follows suit.

The French decided long ago that no one would ever need a number bigger than 60. I will explain in English.

From 1 to 69, you are pretty much OK and they follow the same rules as every other language. Starting with 70, we have a problem. Instead of some variation of "7" and zero, we now have "sixty ten." Still looks like 70, but we say "sixty ten." OK, odd, but are you still with me? So, we then have "sixty twelve", "sixty thirteen" until "sixty nineteen." You think maybe they would go with "sixty twenty" but no. 80 is pronounced "four twenties" and so we have "four twenties one" for 81, "four twenties two" for 82. For 90? "Four twenties ten." Like the 70s again. So, the end of the double digits is "four twenties nineteen" (99).

This plays with my head too much. I get my clue when listening to numbers from that first word, but in French we introduce doubt. In numbers. These are supposed to be numbers! Black and white. I begin hearing "sixty..." and I think "6" except, now they throw a "fifteen" at the end and I have to go back and readjust my thoughts and think "75" not "60 something."

I have had flashcards, I pronounce license plates, I read every number I can aloud, and yet this is still a mental gymnastic for a couch potato brain.

Even worse, when you are in a store and they tell you the price it consists of two of these little buggers (euros and cents). So, not only do I have to work out the one number, I have to do it again for the second. And where exactly does the one number end and the next begin? Just try and look intelligent when someone says "two hundred four twenties seventeen sixty twelve." (I will save you the trouble: 297,72). I feel like I am playing bingo.

I have recently found a smartphone app that just yells numbers at me and I work with it for an hour a day. I am hoping for improvement. Someday. After 40 years, it is a bit hard to have hope.

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming."

Comments

  1. Ida AbelsonNovember 5, 2014 at 11:23 PM

    Here's my solution - if you are quoted aprice over 60 euros, simply say "trop cher" and see if the price gets lowered to a number you can recognize.

    ReplyDelete

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