Blame Astérix 
The Gauls used to count in base 20 (fingers and toes) instead of base 10 (just fingers).
It’s archaic, but there is ‘four-score’ for ‘eighty’ in English, most famously used in Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.
Or roman numerals:
Emir wrote:
We would all struggle with French numbers
Capitaine wrote:
Blame Astérix. The Gauls used to count in base 20 (fingers and toes) instead of base 10 (just fingers).
It’s the same in Danish. Actually, it is worse.
93 in French: quatre-vingt-treize, 4×20+13
93 in Danish: treoghalvfems, 3+(5-0.5)×20
Somebody once tried to convince me that the French numbering system was better than the English system because a persons short term memory has a capability for 7 things at a time so ATC give you a transponder code, altitude or heading and QNH , you.have already passed your 7 memory items and you have to say “say again heading” or whatever, whereas in French numbering you have half the number of items to remember. Eg 2 in the transponder code instead of 4 etc.
Nonsense, but I gave him A for effort.😃
gallois wrote:
Nonsense, but I gave him A for effort.
From my personal experience of short-term memory, I actually think he has a point…
Airborne_Again wrote:
93 in Danish: treoghalvfems, 3+(5-0.5)×20
Airborne_Again wrote:
93 in French: quatre-vingt-treize, 4×20+13
The Swiss and Belgians neighbors have solved this, but the French will never admit to it, let alone adopt a simpler system. We have this saying “why do something simple when you can do it complicated?” and some make it a point to live by it.
I’m just impressed at the Noggies having a sense of humour at all… 
This is sometimes so true…
That explains why there are a lot more female doctors than female pilots.
Croatian METAR
