Hey guys! 我是英文庫的 Cecilia,中文裡要說「我是家裡的第二個小孩」,或是「他住在那裡的第二條街」,只要在阿拉伯數字前加上「第」就可以完整表達序數的概念,但英文完全是另外一套系統,尤其你可能很常聽到 first, second, …,不太曉得這些是什麼意思,也不知道後面又該如何接下去,對吧?
別擔心!今天就讓我們來了解英文中序數的概念是什麼,以及序數要怎麼說吧!😀
什麼是序數?
英文裡的數字,可以分為兩種,一種是「基數」(cardinal number),另一種是「序數」(ordinal number)。基數就是我們熟悉的 one, two, three …,而序數就是指「排順序」的數,例如第一、第二為 first, second … 等依此類推。
看完以下的序數對照表,你就會更清楚是怎麼一回事,如果想深入了解序數的規則和用法,記得再繼續往下看喔!
序數對照表
序數縮寫 | 序數 |
1st | first |
2nd | second |
3rd | third |
4th | fourth |
5th | fifth |
6th | sixth |
7th | seventh |
8th | eighth |
9th | ninth |
10th | tenth |
11th | eleventh |
12th | twelfth |
13th | thirteenth |
14th | fourteenth |
15th | fifteenth |
16th | sixteenth |
17th | seventeenth |
18th | eighteenth |
19th | nineteenth |
20th | twentieth |
21st | twenty-first |
22nd | twenty-second |
23rd | twenty-third |
24th | twenty-fourth |
25th | twenty-fifth |
26th | twenty-sixth |
27th | twenty-seventh |
28th | twenty-eighth |
29th | twenty-ninth |
30th | thirtieth |
31st | thirty-first |
32nd | thirty-second |
33rd | thirty-third |
34th | thirty-fourth |
35th | thirty-fifth |
36th | thirty-sixth |
37th | thirty-seventh |
38th | thirty-eighth |
39th | thirty-ninth |
40th | fortieth |
41st | forty-first |
42nd | forty-second |
43rd | forty-third |
44th | forty-fourth |
45th | forty-fifth |
46th | forty-sixth |
47th | forty-seventh |
48th | forty-eighth |
49th | forty-ninth |
50th | fiftieth |
51st | fifty-first |
52nd | fifty-second |
53rd | fifty-third |
54th | fifty-fourth |
55th | fifty-fifth |
56th | fifty-sixth |
57th | fifty-seventh |
58th | fifty-eighth |
59th | fifty-ninth |
60th | sixtieth |
61st | sixty-first |
62nd | sixty-second |
63rd | sixty-third |
64th | sixty-fourth |
65th | sixty-fifth |
66th | sixty-sixth |
67th | sixty-seventh |
68th | sixty-eighth |
69th | sixty-ninth |
70th | seventieth |
71st | seventy-first |
72nd | seventy-second |
73rd | seventy-third |
74th | seventy-fourth |
75th | seventy-fifth |
76th | seventy-sixth |
77th | seventy-seventh |
78th | seventy-eighth |
79th | seventy-ninth |
80th | eightieth |
81st | eighty-first |
82nd | eighty-second |
83rd | eighty-third |
84th | eighty-fourth |
85th | eighty-fifth |
86th | eighty-sixth |
87th | eighty-seventh |
88th | eighty-eighth |
89th | eighty-ninth |
90th | ninetieth |
91st | ninety-first |
92nd | ninety-second |
93rd | ninety-third |
94th | ninety-fourth |
95th | ninety-fifth |
96th | ninety-sixth |
97th | ninety-seventh |
98th | ninety-eighth |
99th | ninety-ninth |
100th | hundredth |
如果你想看 1 ~ 100 的數字對照表,可以參考下面的文章:
👉【英文數字】1-100 英文數字對照表
補充一下,超過一百以後的三位數或四位數等,其序數表達的邏輯就和你原本就會的數字(基數)一樣,看以下的例子,你就會更了解囉!
- 101st = one hundred (and) first
- 311th = three hundred (and) eleventh
- 1000th = thousandth
- 5289th = five thousand, two hundred (and) eighty-ninth
(*以上的 and 通常會省略)
序數的規則
序數可以分成規則和不規則兩種,但還好絕大部分都屬規則的字,所以不用太緊張。
最不規則的序數,其實一開始就已經出現了,分別是:
- first(第一)
- second(第二)
- third(第三)
英文的序數還有縮寫的寫法,只要在阿拉伯數字後面加上序數的最後兩個字即可。 例如:first = 1st , second = 2nd, third = 3rd。
再來是規則的序數,好消息是從從第四開始,一直到第十九,基本上就是在基數字尾加上 th,例如:fourth / 4th、sixth / 6th 等等。
不過,還是有一些值得注意的變化,這時候就得慢慢練習,將它們記在腦海裡面啦!
- 直接加 th。
例:seventh / 7th、tenth / 10th、eleventh / 11th - 字尾 t,直接加上 h。
例:eighth / 8th - 字尾 ve,要去 ve 再加上 f,再加上 th。
例:fifth / 5th、twelfth / 12th - 字尾 ty,要去 y 再加上 ieth。
例:twentieth / 20th、thirtieth / 30th
到了 20 以後,包含 30、40、50… 依此類推,一直到 99,都是用基數加上連字號 (-),再加上 1 ~ 9 的序數。例如:第 21 會是 twenty-first / 21st、第 22 是 twenty-second / 22nd、…、第 29 是 twenty-ninth / 29th。
動動腦的時間到了,我們再練習一次,不要偷看上面的對照表,想想以下幾個數字的序數會是什麼呢?
- 第 33 = ?
- 第 49 = ?
- 第 88 = ?
公佈答案:
- 第 33 = 30 + 3 的序數 = thirty-third / 33rd
- 第 49 = 40 + 9 的序數 = forty-ninth / 49th
- 第 88 = 80 + 8 的序數 = eighty-eighth / 88th
你答對了嗎?沒答對的話也沒關係,再接再厲喔!😃
third wheel 不是第三個輪子,是約會裡「電燈泡」的意思啦!
序數的用法
我們來看看有哪些時機會用到序數,記得在使用序數的時候,一般要加上定冠詞 the,或是所有格。
-
一般情況
I live in the second house on the right.
我住在右側的第二間房子裡。I’m always the first person to arrive at the office.
我總是第一個到辦公室的人。It’s my third job this year.
這是我今年的第三個工作。
-
名次 / 排名
英文裡常會碰到贏得獎項的情況,像是某某人獲得第二名,還是贏得第一名獎牌等等,注意這個用法比較特別,不能在序數前面加定冠詞 the 喔!
She won first prize in the contest.
她在這個競賽中獲得第一名。
-
日期
I was born on September 2nd.
我在九月二日出生。
關於日期的唸法和寫法,都需要多留心,例如:
英式和歐洲的日期寫法是先寫日期才寫月份,因此 2020 年 10 月 10 日會寫成 10th October, 2020,但唸法會是 the tenth of October, twenty-twenty。
而美式的日期寫法則是先寫月份才寫日期,因此 2020 年 10 月 10 日會寫成 October 10th, 2020,唸成 October the tenth, twenty-twenty。
在寫法上,無論是哪一種,代表日期的序數詞詞尾 (-st, -nd, -rd 或 -th ) 都可以省略。
-
第…個週年/ 第…個生日
I spent my 18th birthday at a hotel this year.
我今年在飯店度過我的十八歲生日。
-
樓層
She lives on the 3rd floor.
她住在三樓。
-
分數
這裡的分數不是指獲得幾分的分數,而是指幾分之幾的分數,此時分子需用基數,分母需用序數表示,且分子若大於一,分母需加上 s。
One-third of the students in this class were tested positive for COVID-19.
這個班級全班三分之一的學生被檢測出新冠肺炎陽性。Columbus was so hungry that he ate two-thirds of the pizza.
哥倫布餓到吃了三分之二個披薩。
That’s All for Today
英文中的序數本身有不少規則可循,其實沒有想像中困難,只是仍有一些細節需要多加留意,相信多加練習,你一定可以練就一身好功夫!
下次有英文疑問時,也不要忘了回來英文庫坐坐啦!😉
想看更多和序數和數字有關用法,可以參考以下文章:
👉 日期/月份/星期/時間 正確英文格式、寫法!一次搞懂!
👉【英文數字】1-100 英文數字對照表
👉【次數/倍數英文】once, twice, 然後呢?