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Counting to Twenty

Build on ten to reach двадцать (dvádtsat' — twenty) and count like a pro.

  • Define and explain Counting to Twenty in your own words
  • Use key terms such as десять (désyat') — ten accurately
  • Apply what you have learned to new examples and questions
  • Avoid the common mistakes learners make with this topic

This lesson focuses on Counting to Twenty: build on ten to reach двадцать (dvádtsat' — twenty) and count like a pro.

Definition: Counting to Twenty

Build on ten to reach двадцать (dvádtsat' — twenty) and count like a pro.

Key ideas

Counting to twenty

The teens are simple: add -надцать (meaning 'on ten') to the small numbers — одиннадцать (odínnadtsat' — 11), двенадцать (dvenádtsat' — 12), all the way to девятнадцать (devyatnádtsat' — 19), then двадцать (dvádtsat' — 20). Once you know one to ten, the teens almost build themselves.

Numbers one to ten

один (odín — 1), два (dva — 2), три (tri — 3), четыре (chetýre — 4), пять (pyat' — 5), шесть (shest' — 6), семь (sem' — 7), восемь (vósem' — 8), девять (dévya' — 9), десять (désyat' — 10). Notice that два (dva) becomes две (dve) with feminine nouns: две книги (dve knígi — two books).

Key term — десять (désyat') — ten: The number ten, and the building block for the teens: одиннадцать (odínnadtsat' — eleven) literally means 'one-on-ten'.

Worked example: Counting to Twenty

Count from one to five in Russian.

один (odín), два (dva), три (tri), четыре (chetýre), пять (pyat').

Answer: один (odín), два (dva), три (tri), четыре (chetýre), пять (pyat').

Common mistakes
  • Saying красный машина Машина (mashína — car) is feminine, so the colour must be красная (krásnaya), not красный (krásnyy).
  • Mixing up синий and голубой Russian has two blues: синий (síniy — dark blue) and голубой (golubóy — light blue). The sky is голубой (golubóy), not синий (síniy).

Practice

What number is десять?
It is two hands' worth of fingers.

Ten (désyat').

How do you say 'eleven' in Russian?
It is один + надцать joined together.

Одиннадцать (odínnadtsat' — eleven).

Translate 'green frog' into Russian (frog = лягушка, feminine).
Зелёный needs a feminine ending.

Зелёная лягушка (zelyónaya lyagúshka — green frog).

Is the sky синий or голубой?
Think of a light, sunny blue.

Голубой (golubóy — light blue).

Quick check

Counting to Twenty — quick check

Which of these best defines "десять (désyat') — ten"?

The number ten, and the building block for the teens: одиннадцать (odínnadtsat' — eleven) literally means 'one-on-ten'.

Say 'two books' in Russian (book = книга, feminine).

Две книги (dve knígi — two books).
Key takeaways
  • Counting to Twenty: build on ten to reach двадцать (dvádtsat' — twenty) and count like a pro.
  • Counting to twenty: The teens are simple: add -надцать (meaning 'on ten') to the small numbers — одиннадцать (odínnadtsat' — 11), двенадцать (dvenádtsat' — 12), all the way to девятнадцать (devyatnádtsat' — 19), then двадцать (dvádtsat' — 20).
  • один (odín) — one: The first number.
  • Watch out for: saying красный машина
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