Section 6.4 · Ordinals are adjectives — they agree with the noun in gender and number — primero and tercero drop their -o before a masculine singular noun
Ordinal numbers in Spanish function as adjectives. This means they must match the gender and number of the noun they describe: el primer piso (the first floor — masculine), la primera calle (the first street — feminine). Unlike cardinal numbers (uno, dos, tres…), ordinals carry endings that change depending on what they describe.
There are two key exceptions to memorize: primero and tercero drop their final -o and become primer and tercer when placed directly before a masculine singular noun. Ordinal numbers almost always come before the noun — exactly like other adjectives of position or order in Spanish.
| Position | Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | primero / primer | primera | First |
| 2nd | segundo | segunda | Second |
| 3rd | tercero / tercer | tercera | Third |
| 4th | cuarto | cuarta | Fourth |
| 5th | quinto | quinta | Fifth |
| 6th | sexto | sexta | Sixth |
| 7th | séptimo | séptima | Seventh |
| 8th | octavo | octava | Eighth |
| 9th | noveno | novena | Ninth |
| 10th | décimo | décima | Tenth |
These are the most common ordinal numbers in everyday Spanish. Primero and segunda follow the standard adjective agreement pattern — masculine singular ends in -o, feminine singular ends in -a, plurals add -s. The critical rule for primero: it drops its final -o and becomes primer when placed directly before a masculine singular noun. This is called apocopation. But before a feminine noun or in plural, keep the full form: la primera persona, los primeros invitados. Segundo never shortens — it stays segundo in all positions.
Like primero, tercero undergoes apocopation and becomes tercer before a masculine singular noun: el tercer aviso (the third notice), el tercer grupo (the third group). Before a feminine noun or in the plural, keep the full form: la tercera oficina, los terceros clientes. Cuarto follows the simple -o/-a pattern and never shortens: el cuarto mes, la cuarta casa. Note that cuarto also means "room" or "quarter" in other contexts — in the ordinal sense it always means "fourth."
From fifth through tenth, ordinals follow the regular adjective pattern — add -a for feminine, -s for plural. None of these shorten before a noun. Note that séptimo (seventh) carries a written accent on the é — the only ordinal from 5th–10th that requires one. Décimo (tenth) also carries an accent on the first é. These two are the ones most frequently misspelled, so pay extra attention when writing them. All six ordinals in this group (quinto, sexto, séptimo, octavo, noveno, décimo) work identically — just match -o/-a to the noun's gender.
Ordinal numbers almost always come before the noun they describe. This pre-noun position is standard for ordinals — it immediately signals to the listener the order or rank of what follows. The full structure is: article + ordinal + noun: el primer paso, la segunda salida, el tercer nivel. This is unlike many descriptive adjectives in Spanish (which often follow the noun), but follows the pattern of other ordering and quantifying adjectives. When used without a noun (standalone), ordinals keep their full form: Usted es el primero. (You are first.)
Ordinal numbers appear in two important real-world contexts. First, dates: only the first of the month uses an ordinal — el primero de mayo, el primero de enero. All other dates use cardinals. Second, titles: kings, popes, and important figures use ordinals in Spanish. In professional life, ordinals also appear in titles and rankings: el primer representante, el primer paso, el primer aniversario. Notice that in these professional contexts, primer (apocopated form) appears before masculine nouns, while primera appears before feminine nouns.
Listen to each sentence in Spanish, then repeat aloud during the countdown pause.
Sentences 1–5 practice primero/primera and segundo/segunda with both masculine and feminine nouns. Sentences 6–10 drill tercero/tercer/tercera and cuarto/cuarta. Sentences 11–15 cover fifth through tenth, including the accented séptimo and décimo. Sentences 16–20 practice ordinals in the before-the-noun position. Sentences 21–25 use ordinals in real-world titles and dates.
Step 1 — Listen: Identify the ordinal and the noun it modifies. Ask: is the noun masculine or feminine? Does that match the ordinal's ending?
Step 2 — Repeat: During the 4-second countdown, say the full sentence aloud — feel the ordinal-noun pair as a natural unit.
Step 3 — Adjust: Use the Speed and Volume sliders for your ideal pace.
Drill the apocopation rule in sentences 1–10: Every time you hear primer or tercer, consciously notice that the following noun is masculine singular. Every time you hear primera or tercera, notice the feminine noun. Build this as an automatic check.
Check gender before producing ordinals: In sentences 11–20, before repeating, mentally identify the gender of the noun — then choose -o or -a. Make this a habit: noun gender → ordinal ending.
Accent marks in sentences 13 and 15: séptima and décimo both need accents. Practice writing them out — say the word, visualize the accent, and write it correctly.
Choose the correct answer. 20 questions drawn randomly from a pool of 25.