Greek Numbers 0–100 and Beyond: Counting, Prices and Time

Greek numbers are regular once you know a few building blocks: the units 0 to 10, a handful of tens and the hundreds. This guide gives you all of them with a simple transliteration, then shows how to build any number, which numbers change with gender, and how Greeks use numbers for prices, phone numbers and the time. In the transliteration the accent marks the stressed syllable; d sounds like the th in "this", th like the th in "think", and ch like the German ach.

Where two forms are given, both are correct: εφτά, οχτώ and εννιά are the everyday spoken forms, επτά, οκτώ and εννέα are a little more formal and common in writing. Notice that 11 and 12 are single words, and that 13 to 19 are simply "ten-three", "ten-four" and so on.

The tens, hundreds and thousands in Greek

The other hundreds follow the same pattern: εξακόσια (600), επτακόσια or εφτακόσια (700), οκτακόσια or οχτακόσια (800), εννιακόσια (900). The tens from 30 to 90 all end in -ντα, pronounced -nda, which makes them easy to recognise when you hear them.

How to build Greek numbers from 21 to 99 and beyond

Greek builds numbers like English: the ten, then the unit, with no "and" between them.

• 21 = είκοσι ένα (íkosi éna), 35 = τριάντα πέντε (triánda pénde), 99 = ενενήντα εννιά (enenínda enniá).
• 100 on its own is εκατό, but before another number it becomes εκατόν: 150 = εκατόν πενήντα, 101 = εκατόν ένα.
• Hundreds come first, then tens, then units: 365 = τριακόσια εξήντα πέντε.
• Thousands: 1,000 is χίλια, but from 2,000 you count χιλιάδες ("thousands"): 2026 = δύο χιλιάδες είκοσι έξι, 1,500 = χίλια πεντακόσια.

Greek writes a decimal comma and a thousands dot: 3,50 means three and a half, and 1.000 means one thousand.

Gender: one, three and four change

When you count (one, two, three...) you use the neuter forms in the tables above. But in front of a noun, the numbers 1, 3 and 4 agree with its gender. All the other numbers up to 199 (including 2 and 11) never change.

The same rule applies inside bigger numbers: είκοσι μία γυναίκες (21 women), δεκατρείς μαθητές (13 pupils), τριάντα τέσσερις άντρες (34 men). "One" also changes with case: in the accusative it is έναν, so you order έναν καφέ, παρακαλώ ("a coffee, please"). The hundreds from 200 and the word χίλια agree as well: διακόσιοι άντρες, διακόσιες γυναίκες, διακόσια παιδιά. Because χιλιάδα is feminine, you say τρεις χιλιάδες and τέσσερις χιλιάδες.

Greek ordinal numbers: first, second, third

Ordinals behave like ordinary adjectives, with masculine, feminine and neuter endings (-ος, -η, -ο):

• 1st πρώτος (prótos), 2nd δεύτερος (défteros), 3rd τρίτος (trítos), 4th τέταρτος (tétartos), 5th πέμπτος (pémptos)
• 6th έκτος, 7th έβδομος, 8th όγδοος, 9th ένατος, 10th δέκατος
• 20th εικοστός, 100th εκατοστός

Examples: ο πρώτος όροφος (the first floor), η δεύτερη μέρα (the second day), το τρίτο σπίτι (the third house). For dates Greek uses ordinary numbers, except for the first of the month: η πρώτη Μαΐου (1 May), but στις είκοσι πέντε Μαρτίου (on 25 March).

Greek numerals: numbers written with letters

Ancient Greeks wrote numbers with letters, marked with a small stroke called the κεραία: αʹ = 1, βʹ = 2, γʹ = 3, δʹ = 4, εʹ = 5, ιʹ = 10, κʹ = 20, ρʹ = 100. Three letters that disappeared from the alphabet survived for 6, 90 and 900. You still see this system today, but only as ordinals: chapters and volumes (Τόμος Αʹ, volume one), school years (Αʹ Γυμνασίου, first year of lower secondary school), and kings or popes. Six is now usually written ΣΤʹ. For the letters themselves, see our Greek alphabet guide.

Using Greek numbers: prices, phone numbers and the time

Prices

Ask Πόσο κάνει; (póso káni?, how much is it?). The word ευρώ never changes: ένα ευρώ, δύο ευρώ, είκοσι ευρώ. Because it is neuter, you use the neuter forms: τρία ευρώ, τέσσερα ευρώ. Cents are λεπτά, but most people just say the two numbers: 3,50 € is τρία πενήντα or, in full, τρία ευρώ και πενήντα λεπτά.

Phone numbers

Greek phone numbers have ten digits: mobiles start with 69, Athens landlines with 210. People often read them in groups, for example 210 as διακόσια δέκα, but reading digit by digit (δύο, ένα, μηδέν) is always understood. To ask: Ποιο είναι το τηλέφωνό σου; (what is your phone number?).

The time

The hours are feminine, because they agree with η ώρα: Τι ώρα είναι; (ti óra íne?) — Είναι μία (it's one), είναι τρεις, είναι τέσσερις. Add και τέταρτο (quarter past), και μισή (half past) or παρά τέταρτο (quarter to): τρεις και μισή = 3:30, πέντε παρά τέταρτο = 4:45. "At" is στις: στις οχτώ (at eight), but στη μία (at one). The days and times grammar note covers this in detail.

Age

Πόσων χρονών είσαι; (how old are you?) — Είμαι είκοσι πέντε χρονών (I am 25).

Practise Greek numbers

• Read the numbers grammar note for all the forms in one place.
• Train your ear with listening to numbers and listening to the time.
• Practise gender with τρεις or τρία?, then write numbers in writing numbers and times.
• Handle money in euros, cents and change.

Frequently asked questions

How do you count to ten in Greek?

ένα, δύο, τρία, τέσσερα, πέντε, έξι, εφτά, οχτώ, εννιά, δέκα (éna, dío, tría, téssera, pénde, éxi, eftá, ochtó, enniá, déka).

Why are there two words for seven, eight and nine?

επτά, οκτώ and εννέα are the older, more formal forms; εφτά, οχτώ and εννιά are the everyday spoken ones. Both are correct and both are understood everywhere.

Is it τρία or τρεις?

τρία goes with neuter nouns and is used for counting; τρεις goes with masculine and feminine nouns: τρία παιδιά, but τρεις φίλοι and τρεις ώρες.

How do you say 100 in Greek?

εκατό on its own (εκατό ευρώ), εκατόν when another number follows (εκατόν είκοσι, 120).

Numbers are part of the first lessons of our free A1 Greek course, with audio and instant correction.