Really Big Numbers – Sto, Tysiąc and above
Posted by: Anna Ikeda
So, this time, let’s take a look at the really big numbers, like “sto” (100) and “tysiąc” (1000). And even bigger ones, like 1 followed by nine zeros.
From 100 to 999, it’s pretty much straightforward. You already know the numbers from 1 to 99. And if you’ve ever sang “Sto lat” at a Polish birthday party, you also know how to say 100, even if you don’t realize it.
Yes, “sto” is 100. And “Sto lat” means “Hundred years.” After “sto” it gets a little more difficult:
- 100 – sto
- 200 – dwieście (which is actually a version of “dwa” and “sto” put together, but I know it can be hard to see it that way)
- 300 – trzysta (again, trzy + a version of sto)
- 400 – czterysta (cztery + a version of sto)
- 500 – pięćset (pięć + a version of sto)
- 600 – sześćset (sześć + a version of sto)
- 700 – siedemset (siedem + a version of sto)
- 800 – osiemset (osiem + a version of sto)
- 900 – dziewięćset (dziewięć + a version of sto)
OK, so far so good.
Now we get to thousands:
- 1000 – tysiąc
- 2000 – dwa tysiące (which is “dwa” + plural of “tysiąc”)
- 3000 – trzy tysiące
- 4000 – cztery tysiące
- 5000 – pięć tysięcy (pięć + a “declined” plural of “tysiąc”)
- 6000 – sześć tysięcy
- 7000 – siedem tysięcy
- 8000 – osiem tysięcy
- 9000 – dziewięć tysięcy
That’s easy, right? Well, kind of easy, considering all the other stuff we have to put up with in Polish.
Where it gets really nasty with all those thousands and hundreds is how we read years in Polish. No easy 19-71 here. We do it the hard way:
- Tysiąc dziewięćset siedemdziesiąt jeden.
Or, if I want to say that I was born in 1971 (and no jokes about my age here, please! OK?):
- W tysiąc dziewięćset siedemdziesiątym pierwszym roku.
Ouch! Yes, I know, I know… But that’s not all.
There’s a million for you:
- 1 000 000 – milion (yes, with only one “L” in Polish)
Let’s assume you’ll need to deal with really big numbers, as in “1 followed by 9 zeros”.
In English – that’s a billion – 1 000 000 000.
But in Polish, it’s a miliard (tysiąc milionów).
And what about a Polish bilion? That’s “1 followed by 12 zeros” – 1 000 000 000 000.
Didn’t I tell you it was going to get all goofy? Luckily, I (and I assume most people) don’t normally deal with those kinds of numbers in my (their) daily life…
Post from: Polish Blog
Related posts:
- Numbers from 11 to 99
- Polish Numbers: 1 – 100
- Readers Ask – I Answer: Counting Things in Polish
- A New Decade Is Here
- Przeczytajcie to – It’s Imperative!
Posted by: Anna Ikeda
Tags: billion, hundred, million, numbers, Polish Language, thousand, Vocabulary
