1 to 10 in Spanish: how to use numbers to talk about family

Learning a new language can be exciting and fun, especially when it comes to something as practical as family members and numbers. In this blog post, we will explore how to count from 1 to 10 in Spanish. 

Why? Well, because in order to talk about your family, you need to be able to say some numbers – and they are also very helpful in other contexts. Check it out! .

Numbers 1 to 10 in Spanish

Counting from 1 to 10 in Spanish is an essential skill for beginners. Here are the numbers:

  • cero zero
  • uno one
  • dos two
  • tres three
  • cuatro four
  • cinco five
  • seis six
  • siete seven
  • ocho eight
  • nueve nine
  • diez – ten

These numbers are the building blocks for learning higher numbers and can be useful in various situations, such as telling the time, counting money, or even ordering food.

Before moving one, please, don’t forget to listen to the podcast so you get to know the pronunciation of the numbers in Spanish and you feel confident in the next stage where we use the numbers and combine them with family members in Spanish. ¡Ánimo!

Introducing family in Spanish

When introducing your family, the phrases are quite straightforward. Before jumping into it, you may want to revise the basic family members in Spanish that we learnt in our previous episode. 

  • Tengo un hermano y una hermana. I have a brother and a sister.
  • Tengo un primo. I have one cousin.

But how do we say “I have three sons”? For this, we’ll need to know how to make the plural form and also how to say the numbers from 1 to 10 in Spanish.

In order to make the plural form of the nouns, we add -s when the word ends in a vowel and -es when it ends in a consonant.

  • el hombre < los hombres the man < the men
  • la mujer < las mujeres the woman < the women

Combining family members and numbers

Now, let’s combine what we’ve learned about family members and counting from 1 to 10. For instance, you can say:

  • Tengo un hijo y dos hijas. I have one son and two daughters.
  • Tengo tres hermanos y seis primos. I have three brothers and six cousins.

By combining these phrases, you can effectively communicate about your family and numbers in everyday conversations. 

Learning numbers from 1 to 10 in Spanish is a great starting point for beginners. It helps build a foundation for more advanced topics and makes learning the language more practical and relatable. Keep practising, and soon you’ll be able to talk about your family and count in Spanish with ease.

If you found this guide helpful, stay tuned for more tips and lessons on learning Spanish. And if you’d like to continue practising your Spanish and learn about professions in Spanish, don’t miss the next episode and blog article.

Hasta la próxima and happy Coffee Breaking!

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32 thoughts on “1 to 10 in Spanish: how to use numbers to talk about family”

  1. I love your podcasts to bits. I have been learning for about two days and know so much about Spanish! Thanks for your easy lessons! Muchas gracias!

    Reply
  2. Yes, please draw comparisons with other languages and if possible also on routes, e.g. Latin/Greek.

    Having been born and brought up in India, I speak 4 Indian languages and English and find so many more similarities between words in languages like Hindi with words in Spanish than with English. The Indo-European root and Arab/Persian influences on Spanish vocabulary and pronuniciation is remarkable.

    Reply
  3. Other language comparisons are very useful! Remember, while for some people, this may be their first attempt at learning a second language, for others (puts up hand) it may be an additional language.

    I am Canadian, and my original second-language experience was grade school French. When I first took a Spanish course in first year university, our prof had to beat the French pronunciation of “un” out of us. Very nearly literally, too!

    Those who don’t get the direct comparison with the other language can ignore it, although it may help them whether they realize it or not. But by all means, using other languages as a touch-stone is a valuable learning tool in language instruction.

    Reply
  4. Hi Mark
    Can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying your Spanish lessons!
    Your whole approach is quite unique. I’ve listened to other language-learning sites online and there is something quite impersonal about them and I never really stick with them.
    You really do offer something special with your very personal and individual style of presentation. You’re so ‘real’!! and so is Kara!
    I’m originally from Glasgow (via Australia) and now live in Perpignan, so am learning French at the same time…..but want to learn Spanish as there is a strong Spanish influence here, being so close to the border.
    I learned both languages at high school, many years ago but although I have a good idea how the grammar works in them, I could never really speak! Too much grammar and not enough oral work.
    So Coffebreakspanish/french is going to give me much more confidence when I’m speaking.
    Thankyou so much! I’m enjoying hearing your accents too, and it was so lovely to hear little Matthew!
    Your site was recommended to me by my Scottish relatives in Ayrshire, who raved about you.
    Best regards and don’t stop referring to other languages, please.

    Reply
  5. Other language comparisons are very useful! Remember, while for some people, this may be their first attempt at learning a second language, for others (puts up hand) it may be an additional language.

    I am Canadian, and my original second-language experience was grade school French. When I first took a Spanish course in first year university, our prof had to beat the French pronunciation of “un” out of us. Very nearly literally, too!

    Those who don’t get the direct comparison with the other language can ignore it, although it may help them whether they realize it or not. But by all means, using other languages as a touch-stone is a valuable learning tool in language instruction

    Reply
  6. please tell me – in your intro jingle what ???? is the man singing:

    “no hag???? is here” no what?? is here?
    I have been listening to lots of your podcasts (love them) but i’m stumped by this jingle

    Reply
  7. Hi, really enjoying learning spanish with Coffee Break Spanish.. mi esposa es colombiana, ella dice que “mujer” significa “woman” y “wife”, pero “esposa” significa “wife” solamente.. es verdad?

    Reply
  8. Hola Mark / Kara, my husband and I just started listening to your Spanish lessons and after trying various other outlets this is by far the best. Friendly and very helpful, and at a pace just right for us. Instead of dreading Spainish lessons we love it and look forward every time to turning on the lessons. We have been going to Spain in the winter for 10 years and we have picked up lots of (need to know) words but never too confident to put them in to a long conversation with anyone. These lesson will help a lot, we have already started to go out and use them. My husband needs help with rolling his r’s he finds it very difficult so please as much advice as you can give. Keep up the good work you are making such a big difference to our confidence. XX

    Reply
  9. Hola! Me llamo Marina, soy de Rusia, pero ahora vivo en Israel.

    Dear Mark and Kara, thank you so much for these lessons! I have started learning Spanish just a couple of days ago, but I already can actually tell something about myself, this is incredible! Your explanations are very clear, I think I don’t need to attend any other Spanish lessons until I finish listening to all your programs.

    Moreover, because English is not my native language, listening to your programs not only teaches me Spanish, but improves my knowledge in English as well.

    I love Coffee Break Spanish!

    Reply
  10. Hola Mark & Kara!
    Estupendo clases por aprender español. Gracias!

    One question about the bonus material: por que “SOY soltero” y “ESTOY casado”? I find it hard to remember why there is a different verb used for the same type of qualification (single vs married). You can provide some insight for better remembering this? Muchas gracias!

    Haste luego.

    Reply

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