Chinese vs English numbers

Chinese win hands down. Firstly observe they are much shorter in length, making them quick to say. Secondly, they reinforce the place value system. For example, our eleven is shi yi (ten one). This makes so much more sense. Have you ever wondered why we say 'four teen' when the tens part should come first as in 'twenty four'. There is no consistency in the English system: 'Eleven' instead of 'ten one' or even 'one teen'. To cut a long story short, the Chinese system lends itself to quick mental calculations and that is one of the main reasons why Chinese students do so much better in maths.