The first ten
| 1º primeiro | first | 6º sexto | sixth |
| 2º segundo | second | 7º sétimo | seventh |
| 3º terceiro | third | 8º oitavo | eighth |
| 4º quarto | fourth | 9º nono | ninth |
| 5º quinto | fifth | 10º décimo | tenth |
They are adjectives, so they AGREE: o primeiro dia, a primeira rua, as primeiras semanas.
Where you'll need them
| Pega a segunda rua à direita. | directions |
| Moro no quinto andar. | buildings — and o térreo = ground floor |
| É minha primeira vez no Brasil. | experiences |
| primeira classe · segundo prato | travel & food |
Exceptions — how Brazil avoids big ordinals
1 · Dates use CARDINAL numbers (dia dois, dia vinte) — EXCEPT the first of the month: primeiro de maio .
2 · Above 10th, spoken Brazil switches to cardinals: the 15th floor becomes o andar quinze, chapter 12 is capítulo doze. You almost never need décimo quinto in conversation.
3 · Kings and popes read as ordinals up to 10: Pedro Segundo (Pedro II), then cardinals: Luís Quinze? No — Luís Quinze stays quinze… relax: you will rarely discuss French kings at the beach.
Practise this chapter
10 pool questions plus generated ones — 20 fresh practice questions, reshuffled every visit, inside the grammar library.
Practise Ordinal numbers — 20 questions →This chapter is taught in Lição 13 of the course (level A2). Rumo is a complete Brazilian Portuguese course, A1 to B2; level A1 is free.
All 60 grammar chapters
Level A1Level A2Level B1Level B2Level A1Level A2
Ordinal numbers — primeiro, segundo, terceiro
Level B1Level B2