Italian
Identity and Culture
Numbers
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Numbers
Counting in Italian
• The Italian number system is similar to the English one, but there are some key differences to be aware of. • The numbers from 1 to 10 are: uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci. • From 11 to 20, most numbers end with '-dici': undici, dodici, tredici, quattordici, quindici, sedici, diciassette, diciotto, diciannove, and venti. • In numbers from 21 to 99, the tens and units are joined by 'e' (and) if the unit is 'uno' (one) or 'otto' (eight): ventuno, ventotto, etc. • The numbers for ten multiples are: venti, trenta, quaranta, cinquanta, sessanta, settanta, ottanta, novanta. • The numbers for hundreds from 200 onwards are formed by combining 'cento' with the numbers from 2 to 9: duecento, trecento, etc. • The thousands are said as in English, using 'mila' for 'thousand': mille, duemila, tremila, etc.
Using Numbers in Everyday Life
• When giving out telephone numbers, Italians usually say the numbers individually. For example, 040 1234567 would be read as 'zero quattro zero, uno due tre quattro cinque sei sette'. • When discussing money, it is important to know the words for the Euro and the cent: 'euro' and 'centesimo'. • Dates are usually written in the format day/month/year. It's also customary to use ordinal numbers for the day: 'il primo' for the first, 'il due' for the second, and so on. • When asking or telling the time, the word 'ora' implies 'hour'. So, 'una ora' is 'one o'clock' and 'due ore' is 'two o'clock'.
Numbers in Culture and Traditions
• Italians, like most Europeans, consider 13 a lucky number and 17 to be unlucky. • Cinema is a major part of Italian culture. The words for 'half' and 'quarter' can be helpful when discussing movie runtimes: 'mezza' (half) and 'quarto' (quarter). • Football is a very popular sport in Italy. Being able to say and understand numbers can be important when discussing scores or player numbers. For example, 'zero a zero' is 'nil-nil', and 'uno a uno' is 'one all'. • Numbers play a key role in traditional Italian bingo, or 'tombola'. Practising bingo can be a fun way to reinforce your command of the numbers in Italian.
