How French works
Ordinal numbers are used when putting things in a sequence, e.g. deuxième, troisième.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| premier / ière | first |
| deuxième | second |
| troisième | third |
| quatrième | fourth |
| cinquième | fifth |
| sixième | sixth |
| septième | seventh |
| huitième | eighth |
| neuvième | ninth |
| dixième | tenth |
An ordinal number in French is formed by adding -ième to the equivalent cardinal number . If the cardinal ends in an -e, this -e is dropped.
trois → troisième
three - third
quatre → quatrième
four - fourth
An exception to this rule is premier (but unième is used in larger numbers such as vingt et un (twenty-first).
Note also the following spelling changes:
cinq → cinquième
five - fifth
neuf → neuvième
nine - ninth
Remember that French uses a cardinal number and not an ordinal number to indicate all days of the month except the first:
le premier avril, but le deux avril.
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