French Numbers - very strange crazy logic

French learner   Sun May 04, 2008 9:55 pm GMT
please read carefully - as is very strange !

French Numbers are very strange, they dont follow the Normal logic as found in other Latin Languages.

0-zéro
10-dix
11-onze
12-douze
20-vingt

60-soixante - sixteen

ok - that was fine ! but watch this !!!

70-soixante-dix (sixteen and ten -translated in english- instead of seventeen)

71-soixante et onze (sixteen and eleven !!!)

80-quatre-vingts (4-twenties !!!)

91-quatre-vingt-onze (4-twenties and eleven!!!!)

hello- what the hack is going on with french numbers ? are you really trying to make-it as illogical and difficult as possible ?


how on earth can you name the number 91 ( ninety one ) -4-twenties and eleven ?

why not name it 3 twenties and thirty one? or 2 twenties and fifty one?

why is this madness in the french language?

please explain!
Guest   Sun May 04, 2008 9:59 pm GMT
It's an ancient gaulish counting system which is base-20. Too bad that the land that created the metric system didn't adapt the French language to it.
Guest   Sun May 04, 2008 10:26 pm GMT
why dont you say 91 in french as:

2 twenties 2 elevens 1 fifty minus 1

lol

French numbers have to be modernised !

they are crazy indeed
Colette   Sun May 04, 2008 10:29 pm GMT
The English spelling too.
Guest   Sun May 04, 2008 10:43 pm GMT
its kinda like 'four score and ten'.
Skippy   Sun May 04, 2008 11:04 pm GMT
The base-20 counting system actually has its roots in Basque which was adopted by the Gauls and, later, the French.

And in the Swiss and Belgian dialects of French, I don't think they use the vigesimal system... Correct me if I'm wrong on that.
Guest   Sun May 04, 2008 11:35 pm GMT
That's so because the Basques count with their fingers and toes. I have a Basque grandmother and know it.
French learner   Mon May 05, 2008 12:23 am GMT
"That's so because the Basques count with their fingers and toes. I have a Basque grandmother and know it."

Thats so interesting !!!
Guest   Mon May 05, 2008 12:52 am GMT
In my ideal language odd numbers don't exist. For example, three is four minus 1. 5: six minus 1 and so on.
Guest   Mon May 05, 2008 1:07 am GMT
with exception of 1.
Colette (the real one)   Mon May 05, 2008 1:12 am GMT
<<And in the Swiss and Belgian dialects of French, I don't think they use the vigesimal system... Correct me if I'm wrong on that.>>

Hi Skippy, thanks for sticking up for us Yankees as of late :)

When I was in Belgium my friend told me that they use "nonante" for 90, etc.
Skippy   Mon May 05, 2008 2:05 am GMT
lol I'm from Texas... def not a yankee... but it's my pleasure!
Colette   Mon May 05, 2008 2:18 am GMT
<<lol I'm from Texas... def not a yankee... but it's my pleasure!>>

Haha, not as in "damn Yankees," just Yankees as opposed to Brits ;)
Guest   Mon May 05, 2008 3:22 am GMT
In my language we count in products of prime numbers.

4 is 2x2
6 is 3x2
15 is 3x5
50 is 5x5x2
70 is 5x7x2
100 is 5x2x2x2
Guest   Mon May 05, 2008 4:04 am GMT
<<In my language we count in products of prime numbers.

4 is 2x2
6 is 3x2
15 is 3x5
50 is 5x5x2
70 is 5x7x2
100 is 5x2x2x2>>

That's fucked up.