Here are the basic numbers you must know first:

For numbers 21 to 69, we use the pattern: ten + unit. In French, we join them with a hyphen.

• 21 = vingt et un (twenty-one)
• 22 = vingt-deux (twenty-two)
• 23 = vingt-trois (twenty-three)
• 30 = trente (thirty)
• 40 = quarante (forty)
• 50 = cinquante (fifty)
• 60 = soixante (sixty)

Example:
J'ai vingt-cinq ans. — I am twenty-five years old.
Le livre coûte trente-sept francs. — The book costs thirty-seven francs.

In French, numbers 70 and above are different. For 70–79, we use soixante + ten (60 + number):

• 70 = soixante-dix (sixty-ten)
• 71 = soixante et onze (sixty-eleven)
• 72 = soixante-douze (sixty-twelve)

Example:
J'achète soixante-quinze oranges. — I buy seventy-five oranges.

For 80–99, we use quatre-vingts (four twenties) as the base:

• 80 = quatre-vingts (four twenties)
• 81 = quatre-vingt-un (four twenties one)
• 90 = quatre-vingt-dix (four twenties ten)
• 91 = quatre-vingt-onze (four twenties eleven)

• 100 = cent (hundred)
• 200 = deux cents (two hundred)
• 250 = deux cent cinquante (two hundred fifty)
• 1,000 = mille (thousand)

When there is a number after hundred, do NOT add an "s" to cent: deux cent cinquante (not "deux cents cinquante")

A Tanzanian student is buying items at a local market in French. Here is a role-play:

Seller: Bonjour ! Vous voulez acheter quoi ?
(Hello! What do you want to buy?)
Student: Bonjour ! Je voudrais trois cent cinquante grammes de riz.
(Hello! I would like three hundred fifty grams of rice.)
Seller: C'est deux mille francs.
(It is two thousand francs.)
Student: J'ai mille cinq cents francs. C'est combien le reste ?
(I have one thousand five hundred francs. How much is the rest?)
Seller: Cinq cents francs.
(Five hundred francs.)

• Role-play with a friend: Take turns being the seller and the buyer.
• Count aloud: Practice counting from 1 to 1,000 every day.
• Write numbers: Write French numbers on paper and then say them out loud.
• Use real objects: Count books, pencils, or fruits in French.

• Numbers 1–16 have unique names; 17–19 start with "dix-" (ten).
• For 21–69, join the tens and units with a hyphen.
• For 70–79, use "soixante-dix" to "soixante-dix-neuf."
• For 80–99, use "quatre-vingts" to "quatre-vingt-dix-neuf."
• For 100–1,000, remember: cent = 100, mille = 1,000.
• Do not add an "s" to "cent" when other numbers follow it.

In Tanzania, you can use French numbers when shopping at a supermarket, bargaining at a local market like Mwanga Tiger, or counting money for transport fares. For example, if a bus ticket to DSM costs trois mille francs (3,000 francs), you can count your money and say: J'ai exactement trois mille francs (I have exactly three thousand francs). This skill helps you when you travel to French-speaking countries in Africa like Rwanda, Burundi, or the Democratic Republic of Congo for business or tourism.