Numbers & Contact Details
Spanish Basic Conversation 1
Chapter 3 · Numbers, Age & Contact Details
🔢 Numbers, Age & Contact Details — Números, edad y datos de contacto
This chapter is in three parts: Part 1 teaches the numbers 0 to 100, Part 2 the hundreds and how to say your age, and Part 3 phone numbers, email addresses and the identity numbers used in Spain. Every Spanish line has an English respelling beneath it, with CAPITALS on the stressed syllable (in Spain, c before e, i and z are "th").
① How Old Are You? (informal) — ¿Cuántos años tienes?
A:
¿Cuántos años tienes, Lucía?
KWAHN-tohs AH-nyohs TYEH-nehs, loo-THEE-ah?
How old are you, Lucía?
B:
Tengo veintiocho años. ¿Y tú?
TEHN-goh bayn-TYOH-choh AH-nyohs. ee TOO?
I'm 28. And you?
A:
Tengo treinta y dos.
TEHN-goh TRAYN-tah ee DOHS.
I'm 32.
B:
¡Qué bien!
keh BYEHN!
How nice!
② How Old Are You? (formal) — ¿Cuántos años tiene usted?
A:
Perdone, ¿cuántos años tiene usted?
pehr-DOH-neh, KWAHN-tohs AH-nyohs TYEH-neh oos-TEHD?
Excuse me, how old are you? (for a form)
B:
Tengo cuarenta y cinco años.
TEHN-goh kwah-REHN-tah ee THEEN-koh AH-nyohs.
I'm 45 years old.
A:
Muy bien, gracias.
mwee BYEHN, GRAH-thyahs.
Very good, thank you.
③ A Phone Number — Mi número de teléfono
A:
¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?
KWAHL ehs too NOO-meh-roh deh teh-LEH-foh-noh?
What's your phone number?
B:
Es el seis, uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho.
ehs ehl SAYS, OO-noh, DOHS, TREHS, KWAH-troh, THEEN-koh, SAYS, SYEH-teh, OH-choh.
It's 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. (612 345 678)
A:
Perfecto. Te llamo mañana.
pehr-FEHK-toh. teh YAH-moh mah-NYAH-nah.
Perfect. I'll call you tomorrow.
B:
Vale. Hasta mañana.
BAH-leh. AHS-tah mah-NYAH-nah.
OK. See you tomorrow.
④ At the Hotel Desk — Su pasaporte, por favor
A:
Buenas tardes. ¿Su pasaporte, por favor?
BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs. soo pah-sah-POHR-teh, pohr fah-BOHR?
Good afternoon. Your passport, please?
B:
Aquí tiene.
ah-KEE TYEH-neh.
Here you are.
A:
Gracias. ¿Y su número de móvil?
GRAH-thyahs. ee soo NOO-meh-roh deh MOH-beel?
Thank you. And your mobile number?
B:
Es el siete, uno, uno, dos, dos, dos, tres, tres, tres.
ehs ehl SYEH-teh, OO-noh, OO-noh, DOHS, DOHS, DOHS, TREHS, TREHS, TREHS.
It's 7, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3. (711 222 333)
⑤ An Email Address — Mi correo electrónico
A:
¿Cuál es su correo electrónico?
KWAHL ehs soo koh-RREH-oh eh-lehk-TROH-nee-koh?
What is your email address? (formal)
B:
Ana punto Ruiz arroba ejemplo punto es.
AH-nah POON-toh RWEETH ah-RROH-bah eh-KHEHM-ploh POON-toh EHS.
ana.ruiz@ejemplo.es
A:
Muchas gracias. Le escribo hoy.
MOO-chahs GRAH-thyahs. leh ehs-KREE-boh OY.
Thank you very much. I'll write to you today.
B:
De nada.
deh NAH-dah.
You're welcome.
⑥ Swapping Numbers (casual) — ¿Me das tu número?
A:
Oye, ¿me das tu número?
OH-yeh, meh dahs too NOO-meh-roh?
Hey, will you give me your number?
B:
Claro. Es el seis, cero, cero, diez, veinte, treinta.
KLAH-roh. ehs ehl SAYS, THEH-roh, THEH-roh, DYEHTH, BAYN-teh, TRAYN-tah.
Sure. It's 6, 0, 0, 10, 20, 30. (600 102 030)
A:
Genial. Te escribo luego.
kheh-NYAHL. teh ehs-KREE-boh LWEH-goh.
Great. I'll message you later.
B:
Vale. ¡Hasta luego!
BAH-leh. AHS-tah LWEH-goh!
OK. See you later!
🔢 Part 1 — Numbers 0 to 100 — Los números
| 0–10 | 11–20 |
|---|---|
| 0 cero THEH-roh 1 uno OO-noh 2 dos DOHS 3 tres TREHS 4 cuatro KWAH-troh 5 cinco THEEN-koh 6 seis SAYS 7 siete SYEH-teh 8 ocho OH-choh 9 nueve NWEH-beh 10 diez DYEHTH |
11 once OHN-theh 12 doce DOH-theh 13 trece TREH-theh 14 catorce kah-TOR-theh 15 quince KEEN-theh 16 dieciséis dyeh-thee-SAYS 17 diecisiete dyeh-thee-SYEH-teh 18 dieciocho dyeh-THYOH-choh 19 diecinueve dyeh-thee-NWEH-beh 20 veinte BAYN-teh |
| 21–29: one word | Tens |
|---|---|
| 21 veintiuno bayn-TYOO-noh 22 veintidós bayn-tee-DOHS 23 veintitrés bayn-tee-TREHS 24 veinticuatro bayn-tee-KWAH-troh 25 veinticinco bayn-tee-THEEN-koh 26 veintiséis bayn-tee-SAYS 27 veintisiete bayn-tee-SYEH-teh 28 veintiocho bayn-TYOH-choh 29 veintinueve bayn-tee-NWEH-beh |
30 treinta TRAYN-tah 40 cuarenta kwah-REHN-tah 50 cincuenta theen-KWEHN-tah 60 sesenta seh-SEHN-tah 70 setenta seh-TEHN-tah 80 ochenta oh-CHEHN-tah 90 noventa noh-BEHN-tah 100 cien THYEHN |
The pattern from 31
From 31 to 99, write the tens and the units as separate words joined by y ("and"): treinta y uno (31), cuarenta y cinco (45), noventa y nueve (99). The numbers 16–19 and 21–29 are single words (dieciséis, veintidós), and several take a written accent: dieciséis, veintidós, veintitrés, veintiséis.
Uno Becomes Un
Uno shortens to un before a masculine noun and becomes una before a feminine one: un año, una hora. The same applies at the end of 21, 31 etc.: veintiún años (21 years), treinta y un años (31 years), but veintiuna personas.
💯 Part 2 — The Hundreds and Age — Los cientos y la edad
| Number | Spanish | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | cien (alone) / ciento (before more) | THYEHN / THYEHN-toh |
| 101 | ciento uno | THYEHN-toh OO-noh |
| 200 | doscientos | dohs-THYEHN-tohs |
| 300 | trescientos | trehs-THYEHN-tohs |
| 400 | cuatrocientos | kwah-troh-THYEHN-tohs |
| 500 | quinientos | kee-NYEHN-tohs |
| 600 | seiscientos | says-THYEHN-tohs |
| 700 | setecientos | seh-teh-THYEHN-tohs |
| 800 | ochocientos | oh-choh-THYEHN-tohs |
| 900 | novecientos | noh-beh-THYEHN-tohs |
| 1000 | mil | MEEL |
The hundreds are one word and agree in gender with the noun: doscientos euros but doscientas personas. Notice the irregular quinientos (not cincocientos), setecientos and novecientos. Put the smaller numbers after the hundreds with no y: ciento veinte (120), trescientos cuarenta y cinco (345).
Age with tener
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| ¿Cuántos años tienes? (informal) KWAHN-tohs AH-nyohs TYEH-nehs | Tengo veintiocho años. TEHN-goh bayn-TYOH-choh AH-nyohs |
| ¿Cuántos años tiene usted? (formal) KWAHN-tohs AH-nyohs TYEH-neh oos-TEHD | Tengo cuarenta y cinco años. TEHN-goh kwah-REHN-tah ee THEEN-koh AH-nyohs |
| ¿Cuántos años tiene tu hijo? (about a child) | Tiene seis años. TYEH-neh SAYS AH-nyohs |
Spanish "Has" Years
English says "I am 28". Spanish says "I have 28 years": tengo veintiocho años. Never use ser or estar for age: ✗ Soy veintiocho. The word años must be there in the question (¿Cuántos años…?), and is usually dropped in the answer (Tengo veintiocho).
🔤 Three Verbs for Contact Details — Verbos
Tener ("to have") is irregular: it has tengo, and its vowel changes e → ie in the singular forms and in ellos (tienes, tiene, tienen). Llamar ("to call; to phone") and escribir ("to write") are regular, an -ar and an -ir verb.
| tener (to have) | llamar (to call) | escribir (to write) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | tengo TEHN-goh | llamo YAH-moh | escribo ehs-KREE-boh |
| tú (you, informal) | tienes TYEH-nehs | llamas YAH-mahs | escribes ehs-KREE-behs |
| él, ella, usted | tiene TYEH-neh | llama YAH-mah | escribe ehs-KREE-beh |
| nosotros (we) | tenemos teh-NEH-mohs | llamamos yah-MAH-mohs | escribimos ehs-kree-BEE-mohs |
| vosotros (Spain) | tenéis teh-NAYS | llamáis yah-MAHYS | escribís ehs-kree-BEES |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | tienen TYEH-nehn | llaman YAH-mahn | escriben ehs-KREE-behn |
📱 Part 3 — Contact Details and ID — Datos de contacto
| Detail | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| phone number | el número de teléfono ehl NOO-meh-roh deh teh-LEH-foh-noh | a landline (in Spain: 9 digits) |
| mobile number | el número de móvil ehl NOO-meh-roh deh MOH-beel | 9 digits, usually starting with 6 or 7 |
| email address | el correo electrónico ehl koh-RREH-oh eh-lehk-TROH-nee-koh | ana punto ruiz arroba ejemplo punto es |
| @ | arroba ah-RROH-bah | |
| . (dot) | punto POON-toh | |
| - (hyphen) | guion GYOHN | |
| passport | el pasaporte ehl pah-sah-POHR-teh | ask for it at hotels |
Saying a Phone Number
A Spanish number has nine digits (612 345 678). You can say the digits one by one, as in dialog ③ (seis, uno, dos, tres…), or in short groups of two or three digits, for example seiscientos doce, trescientos cuarenta y cinco, seiscientos setenta y ocho. Both are heard; in a noisy shop, single digits are the clearest. The international code for Spain is +34 (más treinta y cuatro).
The DNI and the NIE
| Document | Full name | Form |
|---|---|---|
| DNI said as letters: DEH, EH-neh, EE | Documento Nacional de Identidad | the identity card of Spanish citizens: 8 digits and a letter (e.g. 12345678Z) |
| NIE said as letters: EH-neh, EE, EH | Número de Identidad de Extranjero | the number given to foreigners: a letter (X, Y or Z), 7 digits and a letter (e.g. X1234567L) |
You will need your passport as a visitor. If you ever live or work in Spain, you will be asked for an NIE on contracts, bank accounts and tax forms, and Spanish citizens give their DNI.
📖 Vocabulary — Vocabulario
20 key words. Read the Spanish first, then check the respelling (CAPITALS = the stressed syllable).
| # | Spanish | Say it | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | el número | ehl NOO-meh-roh | number | noun |
| 2 | el teléfono | ehl teh-LEH-foh-noh | telephone | noun |
| 3 | el móvil | ehl MOH-beel | mobile phone | noun |
| 4 | el correo electrónico | ehl koh-RREH-oh eh-lehk-TROH-nee-koh | noun | |
| 5 | el pasaporte | ehl pah-sah-POHR-teh | passport | noun |
| 6 | el año | ehl AH-nyoh | year | noun |
| 7 | cero | THEH-roh | zero | number |
| 8 | uno | OO-noh | one | number |
| 9 | diez | DYEHTH | ten | number |
| 10 | veinte | BAYN-teh | twenty | number |
| 11 | cien | THYEHN | one hundred | number |
| 12 | mil | MEEL | one thousand | number |
| 13 | tener | teh-NEHR | to have | verb |
| 14 | llamar | yah-MAR | to call; to phone | verb |
| 15 | escribir | ehs-kree-BEER | to write | verb |
| 16 | ¿cuántos? | KWAHN-tohs | how many? | q-word |
| 17 | arroba | ah-RROH-bah | the @ sign | noun |
| 18 | punto | POON-toh | dot; point | noun |
| 19 | claro | KLAH-roh | of course; sure | phrase |
| 20 | el DNI | ehl deh EH-neh EE | Spanish identity card | noun |
Latin America Note
In Latin America the mobile phone is usually el celular rather than el móvil, and the numbers have the same names, with c and z pronounced "s": cinco sounds like SEEN-koh, diez like DYEHS. Phone-number formats and identity documents differ from country to country (the DNI and NIE are Spain's), so ask ¿Cuál es su número de identificación? if you are not sure.
Grammar Pointer
Numbers are covered in full in Spanish Grammar 1 8, and tener with its vowel change in Spanish Grammar 2 4 and Spanish Grammar 2 5. The little words su and tu ("your") in this chapter are taught as possessives in Chapter 5.
✍️ Try It Yourself — Ejercicios
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Say these numbers in Spanish: 13, 22, 45, 99.
Show answer
trece · veintidós · cuarenta y cinco · noventa y nueve.
2. Say these numbers in Spanish: 100, 250, 500, 1000.
Show answer
cien · doscientos cincuenta · quinientos · mil.
3. Ask a friend how old they are, and say you are 30.
Show answer
¿Cuántos años tienes? Tengo treinta años. (KWAHN-tohs AH-nyohs TYEH-nehs? TEHN-goh TRAYN-tah AH-nyohs)
4. Complete with the right form of tener: "Yo ___ veinte años." · "Ella ___ treinta." · "Nosotros ___ cuarenta."
Show answer
tengo · tiene · tenemos.
5. Ask for a phone number (formally), then give 611 222 333 digit by digit.
Show answer
¿Cuál es su número de teléfono? Es el seis, uno, uno, dos, dos, dos, tres, tres, tres.
6. Say aloud the email pablo@ejemplo.es.
Show answer
pablo arroba ejemplo punto es (PAH-bloh ah-RROH-bah eh-KHEHM-ploh POON-toh EHS)
Coming Up in Chapter 4
Where you're from: Soy de Escocia ("I'm from Scotland"), countries and nationalities with their masculine and feminine forms (escocés / escocesa), vivo en… ("I live in…"), and the regions of Spain.