Ordinal Numbers



Kishwer

Kishwer (46)

Kishwer
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learning target

Aim of this section is to learn the ordinal numbers in German..

  German                                                                                            English

Ich sehe sie heute das erste Mal.                                                       I'll see her today for the firts time.

Meine Prüfungen finden im zweiten Semester statt.                            My exams take place in the second semester.

Tom hat am fünften Mai Geburtstag.                                                 Tom's birthday is on the fifth of May.

 

rules

To form the ordinal number :

• add te to the cardinal number ( 1 to 20)

• add ste to the cardinal number ( 20 and above)

Exceptions are :

• erste (first)

• dritte (third)

• siebte (seventh)

• achte (eight)

 

Ordnungszahlen 1 - 31

Nummer                    Kardinalzahl                Ordnungszahl

1                               eins                             erste

2                               zwei                            zweite

3                               drei                             dritte

4                               vier                             vierte

5                               fünf                             fünfte

6                              sechs                           sechste

7                              sieben                          siebte

8                              acht                             achte

9                              neun                            neunte

10                            zehn                            zehnte

11                            elf                               elfte

12                            zwölf                           zwölfte

13                            dreizehn                      dreizehnte

14                            vierzehn                      vierzehnte

15                            fünfzehn                      fünfzehnte

16                            sechzehn                     sechzehnte

17                            siebzehn                      siebzehnte

18                            achtzehn                     achtzehnte

19                            neunzehn                    neunzehnte

20                            zwanzig                      zwanzigste

21                           einundzwanzig             einundzwanzigste

22                           zweiundzwanzig          zweiundzwanzigste

23                           dreiundzwanzig           dreiundzwanzigste

24                           vierundzwanzig           vierundzwanzigste

25                           fünfundzwanzig           fünfundzwanzigste

26                           sechsundzwanzig        sechsundzwanzigste

27                           siebenundzwanzig       siebenundzwanzigste

28                           achtundzwanzig          achtundzwanzigste

29                           neunundzwanzig         neunundzwanzigste

30                           dreißig                       dreißigste

31                           einunddreißig             einunddreißigste

 

Problem adjective endings

Ordinal numbers behave like adjectives. That's why you have to add the correct ending depending on the gender, case, numerus and kind of article. Check the topic "Adjektivendungen" if you are unsure about this.

The "e" at the end of all ordinal numbers in the table above is already such an adjective ending for nouns in the nominative case.

If you have another case you have to cancel the "e" and add the correct ending to the "naked" adjective.

examples :

• Neil Armstrong war der erste Mann auf dem Mond. (definite article, singular, male, nominative)

Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon.

• Sie hat am (=an dem ) vierzehnten Dezember Geburtstag. ( definite article, singular, male, accusative)

Her birthday is on the fourteenth of December.

• Sie möchten ein drittes Kind haben. (indefinite article, singular, neutral, accusative)

They'd like to have a third child.

 

Writting ordinal numbers

Like in English we don't write out ordinal numbers in texts because they are much to long. In German we shorten them by adding a "dot" to the cardinal number.

examples :

• 1. = 1st

• 2. = 2nd

• 3. = 3rd

• 4. = 4th

• 5. = 5th

and so on

 

Kishwer

Kishwer (46)

Kishwer
I speak:
German
I learn:
English, French, Italian, Arabic, Urdu, Busuu
Busuu berries :
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Exercise 1

Translate the ordinal numbers. Add the correct ending. This time you have to decide alone about case and gender of the nouns.

remember that often the article tells you already a lot which gender and case it might be.

1) Ich schaue mir das zweite (second) Programm an.                              I'm watching the 2nd channel.

2) Sie braucht.......................(first) Hilfe.                                                She needs 1st aid.

3) Cathy besucht das........................(third) Semester.                            Cathy attends the 3rd semester.

4) Ich wurde am....................(fourteenth) Dezember geboren./       I was born on the 14th of December.

5) Die Äpfel sind nur...................(second) Wahl.                                    The apples are just 2nd quality.

6) Fr.Fischer spielt jede...................(fourth) Woche Karten.  /  Mrs Fischer plays cards every 4th week.

7) Familie Müller wohnt in der.....................(eleventh) Etage. /     Family Müller lives on the 11th floor.

8) Das ist schon die ...................(eighth) Hausarbeit (f) in diesem Semester.

     That's already the 8th assignment in this semester.

 

9) Mercedes ist...................(first) Klasse.                                                  Mercedes is 1st class.

10) Jedes................(tenth) Jahr treffen wir uns.                                          We meet every 10th year.

11) Sie ist an der ......................( seventh) Stelle.                                       She is at the 7th position.

12) Ich kaufte mir die .....................(ninth) Folge von Star Gate./  I bought the 9th episode of Star Gate.

13) Der.............................(thirty-first) ist der letzte Tag des Monats Januar.

      The 31st is the last day of the month January.

 

14) Was ist das.......................(tenth) Gebot?  /                                  What's the 10th commandment?

15) Morgen beginnt die...................(twentieth) Olympiade. /    Tomorrow starts the 20th Olympic Games.

16) Tom wurde am.......................(fifth) Mai geboren.        /          Tom was born on the 5th of May.

17) Ich möchte gerne den.......................(sixth) Teil des Films sehen. / I would like to watch the 6th part of the movie.

 

18) Sonntag ist der..................(seventh) Tag der Woche. /              Sunday is the 7th day of the week.

19) Pluto ist der.....................(ninth) Planet.                      /             Pluto is the 9th planet.

20) Tom möchte eine.....................(third) Portion.            /             Tom would like a 3rd helping.

Kishwer

Kishwer (46)

Kishwer
I speak:
German
I learn:
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Exercise 2

Translate the ordinal numbers.

1st......erste                                          12th........................

2nd.....................                                 20th........................

3rd.....................                                  17th........................

4th........................                                30th.......................

5th.........................                                22th.......................

6th.......................                                  27th..........................

7th........................                                 14th............................

8th........................                                  24th..........................

9th........................                                  31th............................

10th......................                                  13th............................

 

Kishwer

Kishwer (46)

Kishwer
I speak:
German
I learn:
English, French, Italian, Arabic, Urdu, Busuu
Busuu berries :
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Exercise 3

Translate the ordinal numbers. add the correct ending. To take it a bit easier I gave you  gender and case of the nouns.

1) Martin geht in die zehnte (tenth) Klasse. (f,acc.)                             Martin attends the 10th class.

2) Sie gibt ihm eine......................(second) Chance.(f,acc.)                She gives him a 2nd chance.

3) Wir wohnen in der.................(third) Etage. (f,acc.)                       We live on the 3rd floor.

4) Tom hat am......................(fifth) Mai (m,dat.) Geburtstag.              Tom's b-day is on the 5th of May.

5) Joy sah Jack zum...........................(first) Mal (n,dat.) in echt.        Joy saw Jack for the 1st time in real.

6) Sie hat den........................(seventh) Sinn. (m,acc.)                        She has got the 7th sense.

7) Wir feiern heute Papas........................(sixtieth) Geburtstag.(m,acc.)

We are celebrating dad's 60th birthday today.

 

8) Der Toyota ist mein.........................(fourth) Auto. (n,nom.)                 The Toyota is my 4th car.

9) Er wurde am............................(twenty-third) April (m,dat.) geboren. / He was born on the 23rd of April.

10) Ich liebe das Mädchen aus der.........................(eighteenth) Straße (f,dat.)

I love the girl living in the 18th street.