79 in French
soixante-dix-neuf
Spellings verified June 2026 · page updated 2 October 2026
The boundary at the top of soixante-dix range
“Seventy-nine in French” is soixante-dix-neuf, the number 79. Hear it spoken below.
NUMERAL
79
FRENCH
soixante-dix-neuf
IPA
/swa.sɑ̃t.diz.nœf/
Breakdown
Regional variants
FR France
soixante-dix-neuf
BE Belgium
septante-neuf
CH Switzerland
septante-neuf
Ordinal form
Ranking things rather than counting them: 79 becomes soixante-dix-neuvième, written 79e in figures.
MASCULINE
soixante-dix-neuvième
79e
FEMININE
soixante-dix-neuvième
79e (same word as the masculine)
BELGIUM
septante-neuvième
SWITZERLAND
septante-neuvième
French writes the abbreviation with a plain e, never ème: 79e. The Académie française allows two irregular pairs: premier and première abbreviate 1er and 1re, and second and seconde abbreviate 2d and 2de. Full rules on the ordinal numbers reference.
Counting around 79
Real sentence examples
“Il a fêté ses soixante-dix-neuf ans hier.”
“La page soixante-dix-neuf du livre.”
Pronunciation and morphology notes
Soixante-dix-neuf is the highest number in the soixante-dix range; the next number 80 switches to quatre-vingts. The Belgian and Swiss form septante-neuf is much simpler.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say seventy-nine (79) in French?
Seventy-nine in French is "soixante-dix-neuf" (the number 79). It is built as 60 + 19 = 79.
How is soixante-dix-neuf (79) pronounced in French?
In the International Phonetic Alphabet, "soixante-dix-neuf" is transcribed /swa.sɑ̃t.diz.nœf/. Use the audio button on this page to hear the standard French pronunciation.
Is 79 said differently in Belgian or Swiss French?
Yes. In Metropolitan France 79 is "soixante-dix-neuf", but in Belgian French it is "septante-neuf", and in Swiss French it is "septante-neuf".
What is the ordinal form of 79 in French?
The ordinal for 79 is "soixante-dix-neuvième", abbreviated 79e. The form is the same in the masculine and the feminine. In Belgium it is "septante-neuvième", and in Switzerland it is "septante-neuvième".
How is 79 used in a French sentence?
A natural example is: "Il a fêté ses soixante-dix-neuf ans hier."
Related numbers
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