Welcome to today’s English lesson! We’re going to explore large numbers in English. Knowing how to use big numbers is important for many everyday situations, like talking about prices, populations, distances, and more. This lesson is perfect for A2 level English learners who want to improve their vocabulary and speaking skills.

Why Learn Large Numbers?

You might be thinking, “Why do I need to learn such big numbers?” Well, imagine you are:

• Shopping online and see a price like $1,500,000 for a house.
• Reading news about world populations, like “India has over 1.4 billion people.”
• Talking about distances, for example, “The distance to the next galaxy is trillions of kilometers.”

Understanding large numbers in English helps you understand more of the world around you and communicate more effectively. It’s a key part of building your English vocabulary and improving your spoken English.

Building Blocks: Reviewing Smaller Numbers (Hundreds, Thousands)

Before we jump into really big numbers, let’s quickly review the numbers you probably already know:

Hundreds

We use “hundred” for numbers like:

• 100 – one hundred
• 200 – two hundred
• 300 – three hundred
• …
• 900 – nine hundred

And we combine hundreds with tens and ones:

• 125 – one hundred and twenty-five
• 350 – three hundred and fifty
• 789 – seven hundred and eighty-nine

Thousands

“Thousand” is used for numbers like:

• 1,000 – one thousand
• 2,000 – two thousand
• 10,000 – ten thousand
• 50,000 – fifty thousand
• 100,000 – one hundred thousand

Again, we combine thousands with hundreds, tens, and ones:

• 1,500 – one thousand five hundred (or fifteen hundred – this is common for prices and years)
• 12,345 – twelve thousand three hundred and forty-five
• 150,678 – one hundred and fifty thousand six hundred and seventy-eight

Understanding Bigger Numbers (Millions, Billions, Trillions)

Now, let’s get to the really big numbers! In English, after thousands, we have:

Millions

One million is 1,000,000. That’s one thousand thousands!

• 1,000,000 – one million
• 2,000,000 – two million
• 10,000,000 – ten million
• 100,000,000 – one hundred million

Examples in sentences:

• “The city has a population of five million people.”
• “That car costs two million dollars!”

Billions

One billion is 1,000,000,000. That’s one thousand millions!

• 1,000,000,000 – one billion
• 5,000,000,000 – five billion
• 20,000,000,000 – twenty billion

Examples:

• “The company made one billion dollars in profit.”
• “There are about eight billion people in the world.”

Trillions

One trillion is 1,000,000,000,000. That’s one thousand billions!

• 1,000,000,000,000 – one trillion
• 3,000,000,000,000 – three trillion

Examples:

• “The national debt is several trillion dollars.”
• “The universe is estimated to be trillions of kilometers wide.”

How to Say Large Numbers Correctly

Here are some important tips for saying large numbers in English correctly:

Using “and”

In British English, it’s common to use “and” before the last two digits when saying numbers with hundreds. In American English, “and” is often omitted. For A2 level, it’s good to know both, but using “and” after “hundred” is generally understood everywhere.

• British English: 125 – one hundred and twenty-five
• American English: 125 – one hundred twenty-five

However, we do not use “and” when moving between thousands, millions, billions, etc. For example, we say:

• 1,250,000 – one million, two hundred and fifty thousand (not one million and two hundred and fifty thousand)

Commas and Periods

In English, we use commas to separate groups of three digits from the right when writing large numbers. This helps us read them more easily.

• 1,000 (thousand)
• 1,000,000 (million)
• 1,000,000,000 (billion)
• 1,000,000,000,000 (trillion)

Important Note: In some countries, periods and commas are used the opposite way around! Be careful when reading numbers from different sources. In English, we use commas as separators and periods for decimal points (e.g., 1.5 – one point five).

Pronunciation

Pay attention to the stress when pronouncing numbers like “thirteen” and “thirty” or “fourteen” and “forty”. The stress is different and can change the meaning!

• thirteen (stress on the second syllable – teen) – 13
• thirty (stress on the first syllable – thir) – 30
• fourteen (stress on the second syllable – teen) – 14
• forty (stress on the first syllable – for) – 40

Practice listening to native English speakers say large numbers to improve your pronunciation.

Common Mistakes with Large Numbers

Here are some common mistakes learners make with large numbers:

• Confusing “billion” and “trillion”: Make sure you remember that a billion is 1,000 millions, and a trillion is 1,000 billions.
• Mispronouncing “teen” and “ty” numbers: Practice the stress to avoid confusion between numbers like 13 and 30.
• Incorrectly using “and”: Remember to use “and” after “hundred” (especially in British English) but not between thousands, millions, etc.

Let’s Practice!

Now it’s time to practice! Fill in the blanks below with the correct numbers in words.

1. 1,000,000 is ________ million.
2. 500,000 is five hundred ________.
3. 1,000,000,000 is ________ billion.
4. 2,500,000 is two ________ five hundred thousand.
5. 10,000,000,000 is ten ________.

Write the following numbers in digits:

6. One hundred thousand: ________
7. Five million: ________
8. Two billion: ________
9. Seven hundred and fifty thousand: ________
10. Three trillion: ________

Answers to Practice

1. 1,000,000 is one million.
2. 500,000 is five hundred thousand.
3. 1,000,000,000 is one billion.
4. 2,500,000 is two million five hundred thousand.
5. 10,000,000,000 is ten billion.

6. One hundred thousand: 100,000
7. Five million: 5,000,000
8. Two billion: 2,000,000,000
9. Seven hundred and fifty thousand: 750,000
10. Three trillion: 3,000,000,000,000

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