Un (and its feminine form une) is the first word most learners of French ever meet — it means both “a/an” and the number one. The baguette is its perfect partner: the traditional French loaf earned UNESCO cultural-heritage status in 2022. One word, one loaf, one number.

Deux is where French plurals begin. Its landmark is Notre-Dame de Paris, whose west façade rises on two square bell towers — deux tours framing the great rose window. Begun in 1163, the cathedral is being carefully restored after the 2019 fire.

The French flag, le drapeau tricolore, carries three vertical bands — bleu, blanc, rouge. Born from the Revolution of 1789, it paired the blue and red of Paris with royal white. Three colours, trois.

France’s temperate climate gives four clear seasons — le printemps, l’été, l’automne, l’hiver. Learning les quatre saisons is a rite of passage in any French classroom, and it anchors the value four.

Modern France is on its fifth republic — la Cinquième République — established in 1958 under a constitution drafted for Charles de Gaulle. Each republic reset the nation’s government; the current one has lasted longest of all. Five, cinq.

Mainland France is nicknamed l’Hexagone for its roughly six-sided shape. The French say “partout dans l’Hexagone” to mean “all across France.” Six sides, six.

Sept jours make a week — lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi, dimanche. The French names trace back to Roman planetary gods, a pattern echoed across Europe. Seven days, sept.

The octopus — la pieuvre — waves eight arms, each lined with suckers and remarkable intelligence. In French it lends its name to anything with a far reach. Eight arms, huit.

Here’s a French pun built into the language: neuf means both “nine” and “new.” The Pont Neuf (“New Bridge”) is, ironically, the oldest standing bridge across the Seine in Paris, completed in 1607. Nine, neuf.