01
dreißig
thirty
The cardinal number 30; the number that follows twenty-nine.
example
Der Februar hat in einem Schaltjahr nicht dreißig Tage.
February does not have thirty days in a leap year.
dreißig
thirty
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Meanings
Usage tips
Common mistake: ß instead of z
'Dreißig' (thirty) is the only multiple of ten that is written with 'ßig'. All the others ('zwanzig' (twenty), 'vierzig' (forty), 'fünfzig' (fifty), etc.) end in 'zig'. Be careful not to write 'dreizig'.
EXAMPLE
Der Monat hat dreißig oder einunddreißig Tage.
The month has thirty or thirty-one days.
Word structure
The number is made up of the base word 'drei' (three) and the ending '-ßig'. The ending '-zig' (or here '-ßig') is used in German to form the tens from 20 onward.
EXAMPLE
In der Kiste sind genau dreißig Äpfel.
There are exactly thirty apples in the box.
Use in dates
For dates, the ordinal number 'der dreißigste' (the thirtieth) is used. In a sentence, it often appears with the preposition 'am' (on the).
EXAMPLE
Mein Geburtstag ist am dreißigsten März.
My birthday is on the thirtieth of March.
Compare with
dreißig vs drei
three
'drei' and 'dreißig' are both number words, but they mean very different quantities. 'drei' is the number 3. 'dreißig' is the number 30, so ten times as much. They can be confused because 'dreißig' begins with 'drei' and can sound similar when heard quickly. In writing, the ending '-ßig' helps. In speech, 'dreißig' is longer. The difference is especially important with prices, times, or quantities.
dreißig
Meine Mutter hat vor dem Wochenende dreißig Euro für den Einkauf bezahlt.
Before the weekend, my mother paid thirty euros for the groceries.
drei
Frau Wolf bringt nach der Arbeit drei Bücher zurück.
After work, Ms. Wolf returns three books.
In real life
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