Swiss French Numbers: The Complete Guide to Septante, Huitante, and Nonante

Swiss French Numbers: Understanding Septante, Huitante, and Nonante

If you have ever learned standard French, you have likely encountered the infamous mathematical hurdle of higher numerals. Counting past 69 suddenly turns into a series of arithmetic operations: 70 becomes soixante-dix (60 + 10), 80 becomes quatre-vingts (4 × 20), and 99 peaks at quatre-vingt-dix-neuf (4 × 20 + 10 + 9).

However, cross the border into Switzerland's French-speaking territory (la Suisse romande), and counting becomes refreshingly simple and logical. Here, native speakers regularly use septante (70), huitante (80), and nonante (90).

In this comprehensive guide, our linguistic team at my-french.com explores how Swiss French numbers work, where they originate, and whether you can use them in formal French tests.

1. The Origins: Why Do the Swiss Count Differently?

A frequent misconception among learners is that the Swiss simplified their numerals to avoid standard French complexity. In reality, the reverse is true: septante, huitante, and nonante are the original, direct descendants of Latin numerals (septuaginta, octoginta, and nonaginta).

• The Decimal System (base 10): Inherited directly from Roman civilization.
• The Vigesimal System (base 20): Used by Celtic and Viking populations, who counted using both fingers and toes (e.g., measuring years or units in groups of twenty).

Historically, two numerical systems coexisted in medieval France:

During the 17th century, prestigious French grammarians and the Académie Française standardized the language around the Parisian dialect, opting for a hybrid structure: base 10 up to 60, followed by base 20 for 70, 80, and 90. Border regions such as Romandy (Switzerland) and Wallonia (Belgium) resisted this stylistic shift and preserved the ancient, coherent decimal progression.

2. The Curious Case of 80: Huitante, Quatre-vingts, or Octante?

While septante (70) and nonante (90) are universally spoken across the entire French-speaking part of Switzerland, number 80 has an interesting regional divide.

Huitante

This is the quintessential Swiss French numeral for 80. It is predominantly used in the cantons of Vaud (capital: Lausanne), Fribourg, and Valais. In these cantons, the numbering follows clean decimal logic: septante, huitante, nonante.

Quatre-vingts

In the cantons of Geneva, Neuchâtel, and Jura, locals predominantly say quatre-vingts, echoing France and Belgium. This pattern is primarily due to intensive cross-border commerce and proximity to France. However, every resident in Geneva understands huitante instantly.

Is "Octante" Real?

Many textbooks and online lists mention octante as an alternative for 80. In contemporary spoken French, octante is practically obsolete. You will not hear it in daily conversations in Lausanne, Geneva, or Brussels. It survives only in specialized historical contexts.

3. Comparison Chart: France vs. Switzerland vs. Belgium

Key rule difference: When using huitante, speakers in Vaud and Valais add the conjunction et before un (« huitante et un »), whereas standard French omits it in « quatre-vingt-un ».

4. Counting 70 to 99 in Swiss French

If you want to practice counting like a local in Switzerland, follow this sequence:

• 70–79: septante, septante et un, septante-deux, septante-trois, septante-quatre, septante-cinq, septante-six, septante-sept, septante-huit, septante-neuf.
• 80–89: huitante, huitante et un, huitante-deux, huitante-trois, huitante-quatre, huitante-cinq, huitante-six, huitante-sept, huitante-huit, huitante-neuf.
• 90–99: nonante, nonante et un, nonante-deux, nonante-trois, nonante-quatre, nonante-cinq, nonante-six, nonante-sept, nonante-huit, nonante-neuf.

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5. Can You Use Swiss Numbers in Official Exams (DELF/DALF)?

Yes. Official testing institutions, including France Éducation International, explicitly accept regional varieties of the French language. You will not lose marks on your DELF or DALF exam for writing septante or nonante, provided your grammar and spelling remain coherent throughout the test.

In business contexts, international professionals often prefer the Swiss decimal structure because it eliminates misunderstandings during phone calls, financial reports, and dictated figures.

Conclusion

Swiss French numbers are clear, intuitive, and rich in linguistic history. Embracing septante, huitante, and nonante will not only relieve your brain of unnecessary calculations, but it will also help you connect effortlessly with native speakers across the Francophone world.