This is one of those quirky grammar rules that can be confounding because the rule for speaking differs from the rule for writing. Ordinal numbers show order, or a position in a series: first (1st), ...

Numbers are everywhere in Italian life — from ordering at a café to reading historic dates. Learning both cardinal and ordinal numbers unlocks smoother conversations and deeper cultural connections.

There are two kinds of numbers; ordinal and cardinal. Ordinal numbers denote rank or position in a system, while cardinal numbers tally how many units of something there are. You can think of ordinals ...