Brazilian Portuguese numbers
Numbers in Brazilian Portuguese: how do you count, pay and give a phone number?
Brazilian Portuguese numbers are mostly regular, but three things catch English speakers: the masculine and feminine forms um/uma and dois/duas, the price word reais, and the word meia for six when you give a phone number. Learn those and you can count, shop, and answer the phone in Brazil without freezing.
By Renata · October 7, 2026 · 5 min
Counting from zero to twenty in Brazilian Portuguese
Start with zero to ten, because everything else builds on them: zero, um, dois, três, quatro, cinco, seis, sete, oito, nove, dez. Notice that um and dois change with the gender of the noun: um livro, uma mesa, dois livros, duas mesas. The numbers three to ten do not change.
From eleven to nineteen the pattern is simple: onze, doze, treze, catorze, quinze, dezesseis, dezessete, dezoito, dezenove. In Brazil you will hear catorze and quatorze, and both are correct. Then twenty is vinte, and the tens follow: trinta, quarenta, cinquenta, sessenta, setenta, oitenta, noventa, cem.
- um / uma = one (agrees with gender)
- dois / duas = two (agrees with gender)
- três to dez = no gender change
- catorze or quatorze = fourteen, both used in Brazil
Numbers above one hundred and the tricky hundreds
One hundred is cem, but one hundred and one is cento e um. The word changes because cem is used alone, and cento appears when you add more. So you say cem reais but cento e vinte reais. This is one of the most common small mistakes English speakers make.
The hundreds are duzentos, trezentos, quatrocentos, quinhentos, seiscentos, setecentos, oitocentos, novecentos. They also have feminine forms: duzentas, trezentas, and so on, when the noun is feminine. For example, duzentas pessoas, but duzentos reais.
| Number | Brazilian Portuguese | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | cem | used alone |
| 101 | cento e um | cento when adding |
| 200 | duzentos / duzentas | agrees with gender |
| 500 | quinhentos / quinhentas | agrees with gender |
| 1.000 | mil | no plural |
| 1.000.000 | um milhão | million |
Prices: how to say and understand reais
Brazilian money is the real, and the plural is reais. When you say a price, you use the number plus reais: cinco reais, dez reais, cinquenta reais. For cents, use centavos: cinco reais e cinquenta centavos. In fast speech, people often drop the e and say cinco reais cinquenta.
Be careful with commas and dots. In Brazil, the comma is the decimal separator and the dot separates thousands: R$ 1.234,56 means one thousand two hundred thirty-four reais and fifty-six centavos. If you read it the English way, you will misread prices by a factor of a thousand.
- R$ 5,00 = cinco reais
- R$ 5,50 = cinco reais e cinquenta centavos
- R$ 1.200,00 = mil e duzentos reais
- R$ 0,50 = cinquenta centavos
Phone numbers and the meia for six
Brazilian phone numbers are usually given digit by digit, and the digit six is often said as meia instead of seis. This is not slang for half here; it is a way to avoid confusion with other numbers on a noisy line. So a number ending in 6 might be said as meia, and learners often think they heard the word for half.
The same happens with the number three, sometimes said as três but clearly, and with zero, often said as zero or ou. The safest approach is to learn the standard digits first, then get used to meia for six in real conversation. When in doubt, repeat the number back digit by digit.
| Digit | Standard | Common on the phone |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | zero | zero |
| 1 | um | um |
| 2 | dois | dois |
| 3 | três | três |
| 4 | quatro | quatro |
| 5 | cinco | cinco |
| 6 | seis | meia |
| 7 | sete | sete |
| 8 | oito | oito |
| 9 | nove | nove |
Ordinal numbers and everyday uses
Ordinals are used for floors, chapters, and rankings: primeiro, segundo, terceiro, quarto, quinto, sexto, sétimo, oitavo, nono, décimo. After tenth, they become more formal and less common in speech; Brazilians often say andar três instead of terceiro andar.
For dates, use the cardinal number for the day: hoje é dia cinco, not quinto. For years, use the cardinal too: em dois mil e vinte e quatro. This is different from English, where we often use ordinals for dates.
- primeiro andar = first floor (but often andar um)
- dia cinco = the fifth day of the month
- dois mil e vinte e quatro = 2024
- capítulo três = chapter three
European Portuguese vs Brazilian Portuguese numbers
If you search online, many number guides are for European Portuguese, and some details are different. In Brazil, you say dezesseis, dezessete, dezenove, and catorze is common. In Portugal, you will hear dezasseis, dezassete, dezanove, and catorze is less used. The phone meia for six is very Brazilian.
This matters if you are learning Brazilian Portuguese and your teacher or app uses European forms. I teach Brazilian Portuguese only, and I do not prepare students for the CIPLE exam, because that exam tests European Portuguese and marks Brazilian usage as wrong. If your goal is Brazil, learn the Brazilian forms from the start.
Common questions
How do you say six in Brazilian Portuguese on the phone?
The standard word is seis, but on the phone many Brazilians say meia to avoid confusion with other numbers. So a phone number ending in 6 might be said as meia. It does not mean half in this context; it is just a clearer way to say the digit.
Do numbers change for gender in Brazilian Portuguese?
Only um and dois change to uma and duas, and the hundreds like duzentos change to duzentas. The numbers three to ten do not change. So you say um livro, uma mesa, dois livros, duas mesas.
How do you say prices in Brazilian Portuguese?
Use the number plus reais: cinco reais, dez reais. For cents, add e cinquenta centavos, for example. Remember that in Brazil the comma is the decimal separator, so R$ 1.234,56 is read as mil duzentos e trinta e quatro reais e cinquenta e seis centavos.
Is catorze or quatorze correct in Brazil?
Both are correct and used in Brazil. Catorze is more common in writing and formal speech, while quatorze is also widely heard. You can use either without being misunderstood.
How do you say phone numbers in Brazilian Portuguese?
You usually say each digit separately. For example, 9 8 7 6 5 would be nove, oito, sete, meia, cinco. Sometimes people group the digits in pairs, but digit by digit is the safest for clarity.
Do I need to learn European Portuguese numbers if I am learning Brazilian Portuguese?
No, and you should not mix them. Brazilian Portuguese uses dezesseis, dezessete, dezenove, and meia for six on the phone. European Portuguese uses different forms like dezasseis. If you are learning Brazilian Portuguese, stick to Brazilian forms from the beginning.
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