NUMBER PATTERNS · LESSON 1 OF 4
Count to 99
Build tens and ones from the numbers you already know.
One short session · about 5–10 minutes. See the four-lesson path
How the pattern works
- 11–19: 十 + ones. 十一 is ten + one = 11; 十九 is ten + nine = 19.
- 20–99: tens digit + 十 + ones digit. 二十三 is two tens + three = 23.
- For exact tens, stop at 十: 二十 = 20, 九十 = 90. Use 二 in 二十 and 二十二, not 两.
Listen to the building blocks
Read the examples
| Number | Chinese | Pinyin | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 十一 | shí yī | |
| 19 | 十九 | shí jiǔ | |
| 20 | 二十 | èr shí | |
| 22 | 二十二 | èr shí èr | |
| 35 | 三十五 | sān shí wǔ | |
| 68 | 六十八 | liù shí bā | |
| 90 | 九十 | jiǔ shí | |
| 99 | 九十九 | jiǔ shí jiǔ |
Pinyin here shows the dictionary tone yī for 一. In natural speech, 一 usually becomes yì before a first, second or third tone, and yí before a fourth tone: 一百 yì bǎi; 一千 yì qiān; 一万 yí wàn. At the end of a number it stays yī, as in 十一 shí yī.
Say it and use it
Count from 10 to 30 aloud. Then read these numbers without looking at the examples: 46, 57, 82, 99.
Check your number patterns
Try all six questions. Each learner has separate progress.