4 x 20 = 80

The universe of numbers is huge. Accordingly, the vocabulary in many languages is just as large, because each number must also be assigned a specific term. Some languages, however, have made use of the numbers themselves and especially maths to minimise this problem. Why develop countless numerical expressions when you can represent a number perfectly in the form of a small calculation? In French, for example, one uses the calculation "4 times 20" instead of the term "80". For language learners, these sometimes highly complicated calculations may seem a bit cumbersome at first, but mental arithmetic is known to train the brain. In fact, the language we learn seems to have an influence on our mathematical understanding and approaches to solving problems. Can you think of any other languages that involve a lot of maths?

You can find out more about this topic here: 

EN: Why you might be counting in the wrong language - BBC Future

DE: Deutsche Zahlen, die verwirren (zeit.de)