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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