Quarante through quarante-neuf, then cinquante. Same et-un and hyphen pattern. The neuf-to-neuv shift before vowels still applies in compounds.
Updated June 2026
Quick answer
45 IN FRENCH =
quarante-cinq
IPA
/ka.ʁɑ̃t sɛ̃k/
The whole decile is regular: 40 is quarante, 42 is quarante-deux, 43 is quarante-trois, 44 is quarante-quatre, 45 is quarante-cinq, and 48 is quarante-huit. Only 41 takes the et connector: quarante et un. Every other unit is hyphenated, straight through to quarante-neuf, then cinquante at 50.
Quarante. Pronounced /kaʁɑ̃t/. The qua- gives a /k/ sound and the rest carries the same nasal-vowel-t pattern as trente, cinquante, soixante.
How do you say 45 in French?
Quarante-cinq. Hyphenated, no et connector because the unit is 5 (et is only used on the unit 1).
How do you say 42 in French?
Quarante-deux. Pronounced /ka.ʁɑ̃t.dø/. Hyphenated, no et connector; deux keeps its usual sound inside the compound.
How do you say 44 in French?
Quarante-quatre. Pronounced /ka.ʁɑ̃t.katʁ/. The word repeats the quatre root you already know: quarante (40) plus quatre (4), hyphenated with no et connector.
Is quarante or quatre the word for 40?
Quarante is 40. Quatre is 4. They share the same Latin root (quattuor) but quatre is the unit and quarante is the multiple of ten.
Does quarante-neuf have any sound shifts?
Within the compound, no. /kaʁɑ̃t.noef/. Before ans or heures, neuf shifts to /noev/: quarante-neuf ans = /kaʁɑ̃t.noev‿ɑ̃/.