Ordinal numbers

• Ordinals show position/order: first, second, third

• All ordinals have gender: primeiro/primeira

• Must agree with noun: terceiro andar, terceira rua

• Abbreviations: 1º/1ª, 2º/2ª, 3º/3ª

• Only use ordinals 1st-10th in speech

• After 10th, use cardinal numbers (andar 11, not 11º andar)

• Dates only use ordinal for 1st (primeiro de maio)

• Kings/Popes: ordinal up to 10, cardinal after

Ordinal numbers navigate Brazilian life – from finding your apartment on the "quinto andar" (fifth floor) to ordering "minha primeira cerveja" (my first beer) to understanding addresses like "Segunda Avenida" (Second Avenue). Get them wrong and you'll be on the wrong floor, in the wrong line, or worse – calling someone's "primeira esposa" (first wife) when she's the current one! Plus, Brazilians have a secret code: they only use ordinals up to tenth, then switch to cardinals, so the "fifteenth floor" is "andar quinze" not "décimo quinto andar" – knowing this instantly separates tourists from locals!