Count from 1 to 20, use numbers in a real market conversation and discover how Italians count on their fingers differently to everyone else.
Bentornati a Spoken, Episode 3! Before we start today, let's do a quick recap. In Episode 2 you learned how to introduce yourself — mi chiamo, sono di, ho anni. If you can say those three things confidently, you're already having real conversations. Today we're adding something every language learner needs immediately: numbers. By the end of this episode you'll be counting to 20 in Italian without hesitating. Pronti?
Let's start with 1 to 10. Listen carefully to each one.
uno — 1 due — 2 tre — 3 quattro — 4 cinque — 5 sei — 6 sette — 7 otto — 8 nove — 9 dieci — 10
Say each number out loud as Marco says it. OO-noh — DOO-eh — TREH — KWAT-troh — CHEEN-kweh — SEH-ee — SET-teh — OT-toh — NOH-veh — DYEH-chee. Now try it without looking — uno, due, tre…
Cinque is tricky — I keep wanting to say "sink-way"!
You're not alone Sofia — cinque catches everyone. The trick is: the C before I or E in Italian always makes a CH sound. So it's CHEEN-kweh. Say it slowly — cheen… kweh. Cinque. Perfetto!
Now 11 to 20. These have a lovely rhythm once you feel them.
undici — 11 dodici — 12 tredici — 13 quattordici — 14 quindici — 15 sedici — 16 diciassette — 17 diciotto — 18 diciannove — 19 venti — 20
OON-dee-chee — DOH-dee-chee — TREH-dee-chee — kwat-TOR-dee-chee — KWEEN-dee-chee — SEH-dee-chee — dee-cha-SET-teh — dee-CHOT-toh — dee-cha-NOH-veh — VEN-tee. Notice how 17, 18 and 19 all start with dici — that's just the word dieci, ten, used as a prefix.
Oh that's so helpful — so diciassette is literally dici plus sette? Ten and seven?
Esattamente! exactly Once you see that pattern — dici-sette, dici-otto, dici-annove — those three numbers become impossible to forget. Italian rewards you when you look for the logic.
Italians count on their fingers differently to most English speakers. Instead of starting with the index finger, Italians typically start counting with their thumb — so uno is the thumb, due is thumb and index finger, and so on. If you hold up three fingers the Italian way, you'll look immediately more local. Try it next time you order tre caffè!
Now — let's put numbers to work in real life. Imagine you're at a market in Rome. The vendor asks: Quanti ne vuole? — How many do you want? You can reply with just a number and a smile. Due, per favore — two please. Cinque, grazie — five, thank you. Simple, confident, Italian.
Vendor: Buongiorno! Quanti ne vuole?
Good morning! How many would you like?
Sofia: Tre, per favore. Quanto costa?
Three please. How much is it?
Vendor: Cinque euro.
Five euros.
Sofia: Grazie mille!
Thank you so much!
Two new phrases worth remembering. Quanto costa? — how much does it cost? And grazie mille — thank you a thousand times. That last one is a beautiful Italian expression — grazie mille makes any Italian smile.
Numbers also unlock your age from Episode 2. Now you can say it properly. Ho ventidue anni — I am 22 years old. Ho sedici anni — I am 16. The more numbers you know, the more complete your Italian becomes.
Bravissimi! You've just learned to count to 20 in Italian and used those numbers in a real market conversation. Head to the Count Along tab to practise, then test yourself in the Quiz. Every number you know opens up a new conversation. Andiamo! let's go
Tap each card to mark as learned and earn 5 XP.
Tap each number as you say it out loud. Earn 5 XP per number — unlock the Counter badge at 10.
Say each number clearly before tapping. Keep a steady rhythm — uno, due, tre…
10 questions — one per key phrase. Streaks of 3 earn bonus XP.