Numbers in Faroese



Learn numbers in Faroese

Knowing numbers in Faroese is probably one of the most useful things you can learn to say, write and understand in Faroese. Learning to count in Faroese may appeal to you just as a simple curiosity or be something you really need. Perhaps you have planned a trip to a country where Faroese is the most widely spoken language, and you want to be able to shop and even bargain with a good knowledge of numbers in Faroese.

It's also useful for guiding you through street numbers. You'll be able to better understand the directions to places and everything expressed in numbers, such as the times when public transportation leaves. Can you think of more reasons to learn numbers in Faroese?

Faroese (føroyskt) is an Indo-European language that belongs to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Official language of the Faroe Islands, it counts about 50,000 speakers.

List of numbers in Faroese

Here is a list of numbers in Faroese. We have made for you a list with all the numbers in Faroese from 1 to 20. We have also included the tens up to the number 100, so that you know how to count up to 100 in Faroese. We also close the list by showing you what the number 1000 looks like in Faroese.

  • 1) ein
  • 2) tveir
  • 3) tríggir
  • 4) fýra
  • 5) fimm
  • 6) seks
  • 7) sjey
  • 8) átta
  • 9) níggju
  • 10) tíggju
  • 11) ellivu
  • 12) tólv
  • 13) trettan
  • 14) fjúrtan
  • 15) fimtan
  • 16) sekstan
  • 17) seytjan
  • 18) átjan
  • 19) nítjan
  • 20) tjúgu
  • 30) tríati
  • 40) fýrati
  • 50) fimmti
  • 60) seksti
  • 70) sjeyti
  • 80) áttati
  • 90) níti
  • 100) hundrað
  • 1,000) túsund
  • one million) ein millión
  • one billion) ein milliard

Numbers in Faroese: Faroese numbering rules

Each culture has specific peculiarities that are expressed in its language and its way of counting. The Faroese is no exception. If you want to learn numbers in Faroese you will have to learn a series of rules that we will explain below. If you apply these rules you will soon find that you will be able to count in Faroese with ease.

The way numbers are formed in Faroese is easy to understand if you follow the rules explained here. Surprise everyone by counting in Faroese. Also, learning how to number in Faroese yourself from these simple rules is very beneficial for your brain, as it forces it to work and stay in shape. Working with numbers and a foreign language like Faroese at the same time is one of the best ways to train our little gray cells, so let's see what rules you need to apply to number in Faroese

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  • In Faroese, the digits one to three have different gender forms depending on whether they refer to a masculine, a feminine, or a neutral noun, and they are declined too. They also have a plural form used to count items that come in pairs, such as shoes or socks, as well as plural nouns, like a married couple (eini hjún). These plural forms are einir (feminine: einar, neutral: eini), tvinnir and trinnir. While counting, however, they remain in the masculine form. The other numbers only have one form.
  • Digits and numbers from zero to twelve are specific words: null [0], ein [1] (feminine: ein, neutral: eitt), tveir [2] (feminine: tvær, neutral: tvey), tríggir [3] (feminine: tríggjar, neutral: trý), fýra [4], fimm [5], seks [6], sjey [7], átta [8], níggju [9], tíggju [10], ellivuefu [11], and tólv [12].
  • From thirteen to nineteen, the numbers are formed from the matching digits, adding a form of the word for ten (tan or tjan) at the end: trettan [13], fjúrtan [14], fimtan [15], sekstan [16], seytjan [17], átjan [18], and nítjan [19].
  • The tens are formed by adding the beginning of the word for ten (tíggju) at the end of the multiplier digit, with the exception of ten and twenty: tíggju [10], tjúgu [20], tríati [30], fýrati [40], fimmti [50], seksti [60], sjeyti [70], áttati [80], and níti [90]. A formal form of the tens from thirty to ninety is also in use where we can find a trace of a vigesimal system: tretivu [30], fjøruti [40], hálvtrýss [50] (short for hálvtrýsinstjúgu [3*20 - 20/2]), trýss [60] (short for trýsinstjúgu [3*20]), hálvfjerðs [70] (short for hálvfjerðsinstjúgu [4*20 - 20/2], where fjerðs replaces fýrs), fýrs [80] (short for fýrsinstjúgu [4*20]), and hálvfems [90] (short for hálvfemsinstjúgu [5*20 - 20/2]).
  • From twenty-one to ninety-nine, the tens and units are joined with the word og (and) but the unit being is put before the ten (e.g.: ein og tríati [31], fimm og fimmti [55]).
  • Scale numbers are nouns with a particular gender, and they have a plural form distinct from the singular one above one thousand: hundrað [100] and túsund [1,000] are neutral and invariable, millión [million] is feminine (plural form: milliónir). Being gendered, they use the matching gender form of their multiplier if it is one to three (e.g.: (eitt) hundrað [100], tvey túsund [2,000], tríggir milliónir [3 million]).
  • The word og is used to separate the numbers in groups of three digits (e.g.: ein og tjúgu [21], hundrað og ein og tjúgu [121]).
  • Numbers in different languages