Ordinal Numbers 1 to 10 in French

French ordinals follow a clean pattern from second onwards: take the cardinal, strip any silent final e, add -ième. The exceptions are first (premier / première) and the small sound-shift rules in cinquième and neuvième.

Updated June 2026

Quick answer: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in French

1st in French

premier (1er)

feminine: première (1re)

2nd in French

deuxième (2e)

3rd in French

troisième (3e)

First is the only irregular ordinal, with a distinct feminine form (premier / première). From second onward the rule is regular: take the cardinal, drop any silent final e, and add -ième (deux → deuxième, trois → troisième). Abbreviations use a bare -e (2e, 3e), not -eme or -ième.

NMasculineFeminineAbbrev (M)Abbrev (F)Audio
1premierpremière1er1re
2deuxièmedeuxième2e2e
3troisièmetroisième3e3e
4quatrièmequatrième4e4e
5cinquièmecinquième5e5e
6sixièmesixième6e6e
7septièmeseptième7e7e
8huitièmehuitième8e8e
9neuvièmeneuvième9e9e
10dixièmedixième10e10e

Per-row notes

  • 1. Only ordinal with a distinct feminine form built on a different root.
  • 2. Also second / seconde in formal usage; deuxième is the default.
  • 3. Built from trois with -ième suffix.
  • 4. The final e of quatre drops before -ième.
  • 5. A u is inserted to keep the /k/ sound: cinquième not cincième.
  • 6. X kept and voiced /z/ before -ième: /si.zjɛm/.
  • 7. P silent, t voiced: /sɛ.tjɛm/.
  • 8. H stays silent. T voiced into -ième: /ɥi.tjɛm/.
  • 9. The f of neuf shifts to v before -ième: neuvième not neufième.
  • 10. X voiced /z/ before -ième: /di.zjɛm/.

Related

Frequently asked

How do you say first in French?

Premier (masculine) or première (feminine). Premier is the only French ordinal with a fully distinct feminine form. Premier livre / première page. Abbreviated 1er for masculine, 1re for feminine. The old abbreviation 1ere is no longer recommended by the Académie française.

What is the abbreviation for second in French?

2e is now standard. Older texts used 2eme or 2ieme but the Académie française rectifications of 1990 recommend 2e. The same applies to all ordinals from 2 onwards: 3e, 4e, 5e, etc.

Why is fifth cinquième and not cincième?

To preserve the /k/ sound. Without the u, the c before -ième would become /s/ following standard French orthography. The inserted u keeps cinq pronounced /sɛ̃k/ across both the cardinal and ordinal forms.

Why is ninth neuvième not neufième?

The f of neuf shifts to v before the -ième suffix. This is a standard French sandhi rule: vif becomes vivement, neuf becomes neuvième. The Larousse and Le Robert both treat neuvième as the only acceptable form.

How do you abbreviate first, second, third in French?

First: 1er (masculine), 1re (feminine). Second: 2e (gender invariable, since deuxième is the same). Third: 3e. The pattern continues: 4e, 5e, 6e, 7e, 8e, 9e, 10e. Imprimerie nationale style and the Académie française both recommend the bare -e (no -eme or -ième suffix in the abbreviation).

Sources: Académie française (questions de langue), Larousse, Imprimerie nationale style guide.

Updated 2026-06-11