Lesson from Newsletter 51...Ordinal Numbers en Español

Thanks for the kind comments lately - and I definitely plan to keep writing in the blog as often as possible, ¡no se preocupen! Here is the lesson for the week, from the latest newsletter found on your left.

Click to hear an mp3

Notice that the words for 1st (primer, primero, primera) and 3rd (tercer, tercero, tercera) both drop the final "O" if they come before a masculine singular noun - for example:

Es el primer libro que ha escrito

Ellos están en el tercer coche

When used before a feminine or plural noun, either the "A" or "O" endings are used.

La fiesta es el primero de Agosto

Vamos en los primeros días de Agosto

Es la sexta casa allí a la derecha

El boleto es para segunda clase

Note that fractions like 1/4 or one fourth are referred to as "un cuarto" in Spanish. Also, ordinal numbers are not usually used after 10. So instead of 15th street, you would say "la calle quince" or literally "the street fifteen."

Sentences - Oraciones

Carlos V (quinto) es un rey famoso en la historia de España.

Carlos the Fifth is famous king from Spanish history.

Nuestra habitación está en el tercer piso

Our room is on the third floor.

El niño va a nadar hoy por primera vez.

The boy is going to swim today for the first time.

Según la dieta, no podemos comer pan hasta el día noveno.

According to the diet, we can't eat bread until the ninth day.

Worksheet: Spanish Ordinal Numbers

Quiz: Ordinal Numbers

Hangman: Ordinals