1 – 999,999,999

You already know how to count to 100. Now we’ll do numbers into the millions.

cientodoscientostrescientoscuatrocientosquinientosseiscientossetecientosochocientosnovecientosmil

unodostrescuatrocincoseissieteochonuevediez

veintetreintacuarentacincuentasesentasetentaochentanoventa

Note that most of the 100’s are formed by taking the number (dos, for example) andputting “cientos” on it.

Watch out for 500, 700, and 900. 500 is quite differentdifferent from the others, and700 and 900 have spellingchanges.

You need to be especially careful of 6/7, 60/70, 600/700.Note that seis and siete haveei and ie; neither sesenta norsetenta has an i; and seiscientos has an i, whilesetecientos doesn’t.

Now let’s put them together.643

hundreds’ place tens’ placeones’ place

There’s only one place you can put y in a Spanish number; between the tens’ placeand the ones’ place:

643 = seiscientos cuarenta y tres

You can’t put y between the hundreds’ place and the tens’ place. Also, you can’t put y between the tens’ place and the ones’ place UNLESS THERE IS A WORD IN

BOTH POSITIONS.

640 = seiscientos cuarenta603 = seiscientos tres

You can’t put y in those numbers because, in 640, there’s nothing in the ones’ place, and in 603, there’s nothing in the tens’ place.

Careful! Remember that 11, 12, 13,14, and 15 are one word. If you use them, you don’t have a word for both the tens’ place and the ones’ place and therefore can’t use y:

814 = ochocientos catorce

Click here to go to a brief practice exercise.

Thousands and millions are easy, once you know the words mil, millón, and millones.

234 = doscientos treinta y cuatro234,000 = doscientos treinta y cuatro mil234,000,000 = doscientos treinta y cuatro millones

You need to think in terms of 100s and then add the word mil or millones if necessary.

You only use the word millón if you have one million rather than two million, three million, 550 million, etc.:

1,500,000 = un millón quinientos mil

DON’T PUT Y BETWEEN MILLIONS, THOUSANDS, AND HUNDREDS!!!!!!!

234,234,234 =

doscientos treinta y cuatro millones doscientos treinta y cuatro mil doscientos treinta y cuatro

Stacking them up may help you see better:

doscientos treinta y cuatro millones

doscientos treinta y cuatro mil

doscientos treinta y cuatro

987,654,321novecientos ochenta y siete millones seiscientos cincuenta y cuatro mil trescientos veinte y uno

Take note that you’re looking at numbers between commas. You look at 987, say it exactly like you’d say 987 all by itself, and then add the word millones.

REMEMBER NOT TO PUT Y BETWEEN MILLIONS, THOUSANDS, AND HUNDREDS!!!!!!! ONLY BETWEEN TENS and ONES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Click here to go to your homework assignment.