Note that with the exception of tre, all the single digit numbers have two syllables, the first of which is always stressed: Uno, DUe, QUAttro, etc.
For 11 through 19, the spelling of the Italian word for "ten," dieci, is modified slightly, as are many of the single digit words it’s attached to. For 11-16, dici follows the single digit, while for 17-19, it precedes it.
The numbers 40+ have the same spelling changes as the 20s and 30s.
They also lend themselves to an expression related to a milestone birthday. Since the "tens" numbers all end in –anta, when turning quaranta, it’s common to say entrare negli anta, meaning "to turn 40" (literally, "to enter the ‘-antas’ ").
Tricky number notes
Uno is used only when counting (uno, due, tre) or when it refers to a masculine noun but does not precede that noun:
– Quanti ragazzi ci sono? – Uno. – How many boys are there? – One.
Uno changes to un when used in front of a masculine noun:*
un ragazzo one boy
* Except when it’s followed by certain letters and letter combinations – learn more.
When it’s attached to a "tens" number, this shortening is optional – and is less common than the longer number:
ventuno ragazzi / ventun ragazzi twenty-one boys
Una is used for a single feminine noun:
una ragazza one girl
When the noun begins with a vowel, una contracts to un’:
un’idea one idea
When it comes to "tens" numbers, una reverts back to the masculine or shortened form – again, the latter is less common:
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