As with English fractions, the top /numerator uses cardinal/counting numbers.
as in : 1 un, 2 deux, 3 trois
For the bottom/denominator number :
- ½ demi(e) , une moitié - see demi(e) or une moitié ?
- ⅓ un tiers
- ¼ un quart
From a fifth ⅕ onwards fractions use Ordinal Numbers for the bottom/denominator.
(English fractions also do this, though from ⅓ on.)
- ⅕ un cinquième *³
- ⅙ un sixième
- ⅐ un septième
*³ For ⅕ , note spelling correction : cinq + u + ième
And as with English, you add an s for plural
- two forths ²⁄₄ deux quarts
- thee fourths ¾ trois quarts
- two fifths ⅖ deux cinquièmes
Fractions are grammatically masculine, except for ½ that can be either - see here
- Ordinal Numbers
An ordinal number, such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, shows the position or order of something in a list
For an ordinal number add -ième to the end of the cardinal counting number.
And when the cardinal number ends in -e, you drop it.
| cardinal | + add -ième | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 : dix | un dixième | ⅒ |
| 11 : onze | un onzième | ¹⁄₁₁ |
| 12 : douze | un douzième | ¹⁄₁₂ |
| 40 : quarante | un quarantième | ¹⁄₄₀ |
| 50 : cinquante | un cinquantième | ¹⁄₅₀ |
Spelling corrections for ⅕ and ⅑
| cardinal | fraction | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 : cinq | un cinquième | ⅕ |
| 9 : neuf | un neuvième | ⅑ |
Also for ¹⁄₁₉ un dix-neuvième , ¹⁄₂₅ un vingt-cinquième, etc
To come: Rational and Irrational numbers ...