Grammar Lesson 69:

Ordinals

Ordinals are the numerals that indicate the rank of position of a noun in an ordered sequence.
 
You use letters and Roman numerals to indicate ordinals:

I

primo

first

II

secondo

second

III

terzo

third

IV

quarto

fourth

V

quinto

fifth

VI

sesto

sixth

VII

settimo

seventh

VIII

ottavo

eighth

IX

nono

ninth

X

decimo

tenth

XI

undicesimo

(decimoprimo, rare)

eleventh

XII

dodicesimo

twelfth

XIII

tredicesimo

thirteenth

XIV

quattordicesimo

fourteenth

XV

quindicesimo

fifteenth

XVI

sedicesimo

sixteenth

XVII

diciassettesimo

seventeenth

XVIII

diciottesimo

eighteenth

XIX

diciannovesimo

nineteenth

XX

ventesimo

twentieth

XXI

ventunesimo

twenty-first

XXIII

ventitreesimo

twenty-third

XXVIII

ventottottesimo

twenty-eighth

XXX

trentesimo

thirtieth

XL

quarantesimo

fourtieth

L

cinquantesimo

fiftieth

LX

sessantesimo

sixtieth

LXX

settantesimo

seventieth

LXXX

ottantesimo

eightieth

XC

novantesimo

ninetieth

C

centesimo

hundredth

D

cinquecentesimo

five-hundredth

M

millesimo

thousandth

milionesimo

milionesimo

millionth

un miliardo

un miliardo

a milliard


Ordinals are generally adjectives, agreeing in gender and number with the noun they refer to, which they normally precede.
 
For example:

È la terza volta che me lo chiedi / It's the third time you're asking me this
 
They come after the noun in specific contexts:
 
- When expressing the position / location of something (especially book page, chapter, act - they can be used in alternative to cardinals)
- In relation to the name of a monarch / pope / prince
 
Examples:

- Atto primo, scena seconda / Act I, Scene II
- Vai al capitolo primo / Go to chapter one
- L'imperatore Carlo V (pronounced: quinto) diceva che il sole non tramontava mai sul suo impero / Emperor Charles V stated that the sun never set on his empire 
 
With the word secolo (century) ordinals can both precede or follow the noun.
 
Examples:

- Dante nacque nel tredicesimo secolo e morì nel quattordicesimo / Dante was born in the  thirteenth century and died in the fourteenth
-  Dante nacque nel secolo tredicesimo / Dante was born in the thirteenth century



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