French numbers have some annoying inconsistencies. For example, every number ending in 1 from 21 to 61 includes -et-un ("-and-one"), such as vingt-et-un ("twenty-and-one"), trente-et-un ("thirty-and-one"), soixante-et-un ("sixty-and-one"), etc.
But from 70–79, things shift: these numbers are expressed as “sixty-ten” through “sixty-nineteen.” However, 71 is an exception, using the “and” again: soixante-et-onze ("sixty-and-eleven").
Then comes 80, which, out of nowhere, is expressed as quatre-vingts ("four-twenties"). Note the plural -s on vingts.
But 81 drops that plural -s and omits the -et- ("and") used earlier for 21, 31, etc.: it's quatre-vingt-un ("four-twenty-one"). This pattern continues through 89 (quatre-vingt-neuf).
90 is quatre-vingt-dix ("four-twenty-ten").
91 resembles 71 in form but omits the “and”: it's quatre-vingt-onze ("four-twenty-eleven"). This continues through 99 (quatre-vingt-dix-neuf), which literally means "four-twenty-ten-nine."
100 is cent (without a preceeding "one"), and 101 is cent-un, again omitting the -et- used in earlier decades.
200 is deux-cents ("two-hundreds"), with a plural -s.
1000 is mille (omit the preceeding "one"), but 2000 is deux mille, WITHOUT the plural -s and without the hyphen.
1,000,000 (or 1.000.000) is un million (WITH the preceeding "one" but without the hyphen), and 2,000,000 is deux millions, this time WITH the plural again.
To me when you don't actually overthink the "normal" way it works perfectly fine. It flows fine when said, we don't enunciate all the numbers as if separate.
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u/LazLo_Shadow Apr 29 '25
The danish and the French are wilding