French Numbers 100 and Beyond: Cent, Mille, Million
French numbers from 100 to a million: the cent pluralization rule, why mille never takes an s, and how million and milliard work as nouns.
100 is cent, 1,000 is mille, and 1,000,000 is un million. Cent takes an S when multiplied (deux cents) but drops it before another numeral (deux cent un, deux cent mille). It keeps the S before the nouns million and milliard: deux cents millions, deux cents milliards. Mille never takes an S. Million and milliard act as nouns, requiring de: deux millions d’euros.
Quick answer
100 is cent, 1,000 is mille, and 1,000,000 is un million. Multiplied cent takes s (deux cents), loses it before another numeral (deux cent un, deux cent mille), but keeps it before the nouns million and milliard (deux cents millions, deux cents milliards). Mille never takes an s. Million and milliard act as nouns, requiring de: deux millions d’euros.
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For the foundational 1–100 system, see French numbers 1 to 100.
Cent: 100 to 999
Cent is 100, with no article (cent euros, not “un cent euros”). Deux cents (200) adds an S when multiplied - but the S drops before another numeral: deux cent un (201), deux cent cinquante (250), deux cent mille. Before the nouns million and milliard it remains: deux cents millions, deux cents milliards.
Mille: 1000 and up
Mille is always invariable, never taking an S: deux mille, trois mille. In dates, you’ll occasionally see the older spelling mil (l’an mil neuf cent), though deux mille is standard for the current era.
Million and milliard: the noun exception
Million and milliard are genuinely nouns, not number-words in the usual sense, and they require de before the following noun: deux millions d’euros, un milliard d’habitants.
Reading big numbers aloud
Prices: cent cinquante euros. Years: deux mille vingt-six (2026) - read as one full number. Populations: trois millions d’habitants.
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Questions about this note
Does cent take an s?
When multiplied and not followed by another numeral: deux cents, but deux cent un and deux cent mille. The nouns million and milliard do not remove the s: deux cents millions, deux cents milliards.
Does mille ever take an s?
No - always invariable: deux mille, trois mille.
How do you say a million in French?
un million, and it needs de before a noun: un million d'habitants.
How do you read the year 2026 in French?
deux mille vingt-six.
What's the difference between million and milliard?
million = 1,000,000; milliard = 1,000,000,000 (a billion).