Numbers 0-10
Mongolian numbers 0-10: тэг, нэг, хоёр, гурав, дөрөв, тав, зургаа, долоо, найм, ес, арав
Can count from 0 to 10 in Mongolian and use numbers correctly before nouns
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Надад хоёр ах байна.
I have two older brothers.
Тав дахь давхар.
The fifth floor.
Гурван цаг болж байна.
It is three o'clock.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Mongolian numbers 0-10:
| Number | Mongolian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | тэг | [teg] |
| 1 | нэг | [neg] |
| 2 | хоёр | [khoyor] |
| 3 | гурав | [gurav] |
| 4 | дөрөв | [döröv] |
| 5 | тав | [tav] |
| 6 | зургаа | [zurgaa] |
| 7 | долоо | [doloo] |
| 8 | найм | [naim] |
| 9 | ес | [yes] |
| 10 | арав | [arav] |
Numbers go BEFORE the noun. Nouns do NOT change form: гурав хүн (three people — not *хүнс).
Common Error Patterns
Adds plural suffix to noun after a number
Mongolian nouns NEVER pluralize after numbers. гурав хүн (NOT гурван хүмүүс).
Forgets the -н/-ан/-эн linking suffix when number precedes a noun directly
Before nouns, numbers often take -н: хоёр→хоёрон, гурав→гурван, дөрөв→дөрвөн.
Надад хоёр ах байна.
I have two older brothers.
хоёр (2) goes before the noun. ах (older brother) stays singular — no plural form needed.
Тав дахь давхар.
The fifth floor.
тав (5) + дахь = ordinal 'fifth'. Ordinals formed with suffix -дугаар/-дүгээр or -дахь.
Гурван цаг болж байна.
It is three o'clock.
гурав + -н = гурван (linking form before noun). цаг = hour/time. болж байна = is becoming (colloquial for telling time).
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises