Part I: The numbers.

One of the first things you need to know how to do is count. Numbers are very important. How else are you going to be able to know how much you're getting ripped off by when you go to Mexico (which is closely related to the custom of the day as well)? You won't if you don't know how to count. So here we go.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English	Spanish	English
uno	one	dos	two	tres	three
cuatro	four	cinco	five	seis	six
siete	seven	ocho	eight	nueve	nine
diez	ten	once	eleven	doce	twelve
trece	thirteen	catorce	fourteen	quince	fifteen
dieciseis	sixteen	diecisiete	seventeen	dieciocho	eighteen
diecinueve	nineteen	veinte	twenty	veintiuno	twenty-one
veintidos	twenty-two	veintitres	twenty-three	veinticuatro	twenty-four
veinticinco	twenty-five	veintiseis	twenty-six	veintisiete	twenty-seven
veintiocho	twenty-eight	veintinueve	twenty-nine	treinta	thirty

Part II: The Sets of Ten.

Now you're probably thinking, hey, wait, Mr. Web Site guy (actually, I'm female so get that Mr. crap right outta your head, look up above; it says Sarah's) that's only up to 30. What about the rest, Ms. Web Site woman?

Well, having been asked so nicely, I'll explain. The next sets are pretty much the same as the 20s (sort of how our English version is set on sets of 10). Also, if you look closely at the 20s and some of the 10s in Spanish you'll notice the i in between veint and the number (such as ocho) or diec and the number. This i is like the Spanish word for and (y with the pronunciation ee). It's like saying 20 and 1 or whatever. Kind of like you're adding. This holds true for the rest of the numbers only they actually put in the y. Here I'll show only the first couple for each set.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
treinta y uno	thirty-one	treinta y dos	thirty-two
cuarenta	forty	cuarenta y uno	forty-one
cincuenta	fifty	cincuenta y uno	fifty-one
sesenta	sixty	sesenta y uno	sixty-one
setenta	seventy	setenta y uno	seventy-one
ochenta	eighty	ochenta y uno	eighty-one
noventa	ninety	noventa y uno	ninety-one
cien	one hundred	ciento	one hundred...

This is a good place to explain some things. Whenever one says just 100 in Spanish, one uses the word cien. However, when one says 102 or 134 or whatever you use ciento plus the other part. For example, 102 would be ciento dos. The number 134 would be ciento treinta y cuatro. �Comprende Ud? (Do you understand?)

Part III: Higher Numbers.

Spanish	English	Spanish	English
doscientos	two hundred	trescientos	three hundred
cuatrocientos	four hundred	quinientos	five hundred
seiscientos	six hundred	setecientos	seven hundred
ochocientos	eight hundred	novecientos	nine hundred
un mil	one thousand	un millon	one million

The thousands and millions are easily said by just adding the number of thousands and millions you want. For example: 15,000 would be quince mil. You don't need to add an s (or es as you would in Spanish). It's quite all right without such fripperies. Millions are made the same way; 4,000,000 would be cuatro millones (this one you do add the es.

Okay, enough with counting. That's about as high as you need to go for now. If you really need to know the millions and billions because you actually have that much money, go get yourself a personal tutor. You appear to have the money for it. Stop hogging valuable server time and energy.

Part IV: Shall We Add?

In order to practice these numbers correctly, let's do some wonderful exercises. If you think you're too good for exercises--and I understand completely, I thought I was too good for them too when I was in high school (Class o' '98, baby!)--don't do them. I don't think I made them too hard. Just make sure you read them out loud because one's pronunciation always needs practice. If you have no idea what y and son mean, look at the example. And, yes, you may use a calculator.

Example: 1+2
Uno y dos son tres. (one plus two equals three.

1. 1+1 (this one's easy)
2. 4+9
3. 8+7
4. 29+19
5. 22+30
6. 69+4
7. 56+31
8. 122+302
9. 665+15
10. 1+799
11. 232+323
12. 464+155
13. 99+801
14. 10,000+60,000
15. 1,000,000+5

See how easy that was? You're doing great. Keep trying to practice these numbers, though. It took my first trip to Mexico to get rather fluent with them (shopping expeditions do that to you). Just try to practice in little ways. Whenever you read a book, magazine, newspaper, etc., try to say the page number in Spanish. Perhaps you're looking at your 51st birthday and could try out the numbers. Just try to fit Spanish into your daily life.

This works for all Spanish, not just the numbers. The more you practice the more it sticks in your head. Ever notice that if you hear a commercial a lot, you can say the words or lyrics by heart without even thinking? Or when you have a friend that says a certain phrase all the time? It's the same with Spanish. But don't worry (no te preocupes). There's plenty of time to practice.

Part IV: Customs.

In Hispanic cultures, it is customary to barter or bargain (regatear) for goods. This isn't to say all Hispanic commercial centers do this. Some places, such as Mexico City, don't bargain, and many major shopping malls don't. However at most of the street vendors (of which there is a plethora, let me tell you), it is a dog-eat-dog world. Business is made by bargaining for products. Many tourists lose money this way. It's a fact of life. A good reason why many American tourists happen to pay so much more than a native would and still not care or notice is because of the difference in value of, for example, pesos and American dollars. It happens. Just make sure you know, when you travel, whether the commerce is settled by bartering or just paying what it says on the price tag.