Numbers

Number words are mostly fixed, but a few behave like tiny tables.

Which number words change?

The number one agrees with noun gender:

This is the most important number-word change for beginners.

Most basic cardinal number words do not change:

Store spelling variants instead of deriving them:

Ordinal numbers show order:

Learn common ordinals as stored words:

After the irregular first twelve forms, later ordinals become more predictable. Use these as recognition and composition patterns:

For 13-19, add -de to the cardinal, producing the visible ending -tonde. For tens such as tjugo and trettio, the final spelling changes to -onde or -ionde. Because spelling is not identical in every family, a dictionary should still store the ordinal form.

In compound ordinals, the last number carries the ordinal form:

Some ordinal forms have optional masculine/person-reference forms:

Use these like the adjective masculine -e forms: useful to recognize, not the default beginner form.

Some large number words behave like nouns:

Treat these as noun paradigms, not as ordinary fixed cardinal numerals.