Numbers are everywhere — prices, phone numbers, ages, addresses. In this lesson you'll learn 0-20 and practice them in the context of exchanging phone numbers, a skill you'll use on day one in Brazil.
Learning tips
- Pay attention to 'um/uma' and 'dois/duas' — these two numbers change based on the gender of what you're counting.
- Brazilians often say numbers individually when reading phone numbers ('nove, oito, sete...') rather than as grouped pairs.
- 'Cinco' (/ˈsĩ.ku/) and 'quinze' (/ˈkĩ.zi/) both have nasal vowels — key to sounding natural.
- Practice numbers out loud while walking down the street, reading prices, or looking at bus numbers — repetition cements them fast.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| trabalhar | to work |
| estudar | to study |
| o professor | the teacher (masc.) |
| a professora | the teacher (fem.) |
| o estudante | the student |
| o médico | the doctor (masc.) |
| a médica | the doctor (fem.) |
| o que | what |
| onde | where |
| em casa | at home |
Dialog
Thiago exchanges phone numbers with a new colleague at the office. Listen for how the numbers are read out individually, and how Thiago politely asks his colleague to slow down. 'Devagar, por favor' is a phrase you'll use often as a learner.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| zero | /ˈzɛ.ɾu/ | zero | Same as English |
| um | /ˈũ/ | one (masc. 'um' / fem. 'uma') | Changes with gender: um carro, uma casa |
| dois | /ˈdojs/ | two (masc. 'dois' / fem. 'duas') | Changes with gender: dois carros, duas casas |
| três | /ˈtɾes/ | three | Doesn't change with gender |
| quatro | /ˈkwa.tɾu/ | four | Doesn't change with gender |
| cinco | /ˈsĩ.ku/ | five | Nasal vowel /sĩ.ku/ |
| o número | /u ˈnu.me.ɾu/ | the number | Masculine noun |
| o telefone | /u te.leˈfo.ni/ | the telephone | Usually means the phone number in conversation |
| o celular | /u se.luˈlaʁ/ | the cell phone | Default 'phone' in Brazil — landlines are rare |
| por favor | /poʁ faˈvoʁ/ | please | Essential polite word |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| seis | /ˈsejs/ | six | /sejs/ |
| sete | /ˈsɛ.tʃi/ | seven | /sɛtʃi/ — the final 'e' becomes 'i' |
| oito | /ˈoj.tu/ | eight | /ojtu/ |
| nove | /ˈnɔ.vi/ | nine | /nɔvi/ |
| dez | /ˈdɛs/ | ten | /dɛs/ |
| onze | /ˈõ.zi/ | eleven | /õzi/ |
| doze | /ˈdo.zi/ | twelve | /dozi/ |
| treze | /ˈtɾe.zi/ | thirteen | /tɾezi/ |
| quatorze | /kaˈtoʁ.zi/ | fourteen | 'quatorze' or 'catorze' — both accepted |
| quinze | /ˈkĩ.zi/ | fifteen | /kĩzi/ |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| qual é o seu telefone? | what's your phone number? |
| devagar, por favor | slowly, please |
Grammar: Numbers 0-20; masculine/feminine agreement of 'um/uma' and 'dois/duas'
| Número | Masculino | Feminino |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | zero | zero |
| 1 | um (um livro) | uma (uma casa) |
| 2 | dois (dois livros) | duas (duas casas) |
| 3–15 | três, quatro, cinco, seis, sete, oito, nove, dez, onze, doze, treze, quatorze (catorze), quinze | (iguais) |
| 16 | dezesseis | dezesseis |
| 17 | dezessete | dezessete |
| 18 | dezoito | dezoito |
| 19 | dezenove | dezenove |
| 20 | vinte | vinte |
Telefones no Brasil: O celular brasileiro tem 11 dígitos — (código de área) 9 XXXX-XXXX. No Rio, o código é 21: (21) 9 1234-5678. Geralmente lemos cada dígito individualmente.
Numbers 0-15 in Brazilian Portuguese:
| Numbers | Written |
|---|---|
| 0 | zero |
| 1 | um (masc.) / uma (fem.) |
| 2 | dois (masc.) / duas (fem.) |
| 3 | três |
| 4 | quatro |
| 5 | cinco |
| 6 | seis |
| 7 | sete |
| 8 | oito |
| 9 | nove |
| 10 | dez |
| 11 | onze |
| 12 | doze |
| 13 | treze |
| 14 | quatorze / catorze |
| 15 | quinze |
| 16 | dezesseis |
| 17 | dezessete |
| 18 | dezoito |
| 19 | dezenove |
| 20 | vinte |
Gender agreement for 1 and 2:
- um carro / uma casa (one car / one house)
- dois livros / duas mesas (two books / two tables)
All other numbers (3-20) don't change based on gender.
Brazilian cell numbers have 11 digits: (area code) 9 XXXX-XXXX. Rio's area code is 21, São Paulo's is 11. A complete Rio number: (21) 9 8765-4321.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks — Numbers
Write each number in words.
- 4 = (4 in Portuguese)
- 7 = (7)
- 10 = (10)
- 15 = (15)
- 20 = (20)
Grammar Application — Gender
Use 'um/uma' or 'dois/duas' correctly.
- casa (1, feminino)(1, feminine)
- livros (2, masculino)(2, masculine)
- mesas (2, feminino)(2, feminine)
- carro (1, masculino)(1, masculine)
- professoras (3)(3, doesn't change)
Translation (English → Portuguese)
Translate, paying attention to 1/2 gender.
- What's your phone number?
- My number is 2 1 9 8.
- Slowly, please.
- Two books and three pens.
- I have one sister and two brothers.
Creative Construction
Write a short exchange involving numbers — either asking someone's phone number or describing how many things you have.
Takeaway
Numbers 0-20 in Portuguese have gender agreement only for 1 (um/uma) and 2 (dois/duas). Brazilian cell numbers have 11 digits with a leading 9. Use 'devagar, por favor' to ask someone to slow down.