Numbers

vingt, dix, quatre-vingt, quatre-vingt dix / twenty, ten, eighty, ninety

I must admit that numbers are not my strongest point in any language. That is, while being perfectly happy operating with figures, I have certain difficulty in writing numbers down as words. That applies to both cardinal and ordinal numbers, and my troubles start already in Russian. I am happy to write 1916 but ask me to write it as words and that will definitely give me a pause (is it “тысяча” or “одна тысяча”, “девятсот” or “девятьсот”?). I will figure it out eventually, of course, but the pause will be there.

English and Spanish numbers both come with their own sets of pauses to bestow on me.

Now, we only just started with numbers, but I must say it already looks like French takes the macaron biscuit. I mean, eighty is “quatre-vingts”, which is “four (by) twenty” and ninety — “quatre vingt dix”, i.e. “four (by) twenty (plus) ten”.

I mean, wha’?

In other news, our French class keeps growing, so much so that I found “my” corner place in the second (and last) row occupied when I entered the class today. So I had to sit in the first row. That, in turn, made further sketching of my classmates’ ears impossible. Maybe I should come earlier tomorrow, sit in my usual spot and glare at anybody who dares to approach.