diff --git a/platform/util-rt/src/com/intellij/BundleBase.java b/platform/util-rt/src/com/intellij/BundleBase.java
index c91595cca818..be81b10123fd 100644
--- a/platform/util-rt/src/com/intellij/BundleBase.java
+++ b/platform/util-rt/src/com/intellij/BundleBase.java
@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@
 package com.intellij;
 
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.SystemInfoRt;
+import com.intellij.util.text.OrdinalFormat;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
 
 import java.text.MessageFormat;
+import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.MissingResourceException;
 import java.util.ResourceBundle;
 
@@ -18,9 +20,9 @@ public abstract class BundleBase {
 
   public static boolean assertKeyIsFound = false;
 
-  public static String messageOrDefault(@Nullable final ResourceBundle bundle,
+  public static String messageOrDefault(@Nullable ResourceBundle bundle,
                                         @NotNull String key,
-                                        @Nullable final String defaultValue,
+                                        @Nullable String defaultValue,
                                         @NotNull Object... params) {
     if (bundle == null) return defaultValue;
 
@@ -42,7 +44,14 @@ public abstract class BundleBase {
 
     value = replaceMnemonicAmpersand(value);
 
-    return format(value, params);
+    if (params.length > 0 && value.indexOf('{') >= 0) {
+      Locale locale = bundle.getLocale();
+      MessageFormat format = locale != null ? new MessageFormat(value, locale) : new MessageFormat(value);
+      OrdinalFormat.apply(format);
+      value = format.format(params);
+    }
+
+    return value;
   }
 
   @NotNull
diff --git a/platform/util-rt/src/com/intellij/util/text/OrdinalFormat.java b/platform/util-rt/src/com/intellij/util/text/OrdinalFormat.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..331205018555
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platform/util-rt/src/com/intellij/util/text/OrdinalFormat.java
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+// Copyright 2000-2018 JetBrains s.r.o. Use of this source code is governed by the Apache 2.0 license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+package com.intellij.util.text;
+
+import java.text.*;
+import java.util.Locale;
+
+public class OrdinalFormat {
+  /**
+   * Replaces all instances of {@code "{?,number,ordinal}"} format elements with the ordinal format for the locale.
+   */
+  public static void apply(MessageFormat format) {
+    Format[] formats = format.getFormats();
+    NumberFormat ordinal = null;
+    for (int i = 0; i < formats.length; i++) {
+      Format element = formats[i];
+      if (element instanceof DecimalFormat && "ordinal".equals(((DecimalFormat)element).getPositivePrefix())) {
+        if (ordinal == null) ordinal = getOrdinalFormat(format.getLocale());
+        format.setFormat(i, ordinal);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static NumberFormat getOrdinalFormat(Locale locale) {
+    if (locale != null) {
+      String language = locale.getLanguage();
+      if ("en".equals(language) ||
+          language != null && language.length() == 0 /*bundle fallback locale*/) {
+        return new EnglishOrdinalFormat();
+      }
+    }
+
+    return new DecimalFormat();
+  }
+
+  private static class EnglishOrdinalFormat extends NumberFormat {
+    @Override
+    public StringBuffer format(long number, StringBuffer toAppendTo, FieldPosition pos) {
+      return new MessageFormat("{0}").format(new Object[]{formatEnglish(number)}, toAppendTo, pos);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public StringBuffer format(double number, StringBuffer toAppendTo, FieldPosition pos) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot format non-integer number");
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Number parse(String source, ParsePosition parsePosition) {
+      throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
+    }
+  }
+
+  public static String formatEnglish(long num) {
+    long mod = Math.abs(num) % 100;
+    if (mod < 11 || mod > 13) {
+      mod = mod % 10;
+      if (mod == 1) return num + "st";
+      if (mod == 2) return num + "nd";
+      if (mod == 3) return num + "rd";
+    }
+    return num + "th";
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/openapi/util/text/StringUtil.java b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/openapi/util/text/StringUtil.java
index 03ce289f9ee5..aa4fefd46ed2 100644
--- a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/openapi/util/text/StringUtil.java
+++ b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/openapi/util/text/StringUtil.java
@@ -8,10 +8,7 @@ import com.intellij.openapi.util.Pair;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.TextRange;
 import com.intellij.util.*;
 import com.intellij.util.containers.ContainerUtil;
-import com.intellij.util.text.CharArrayUtil;
-import com.intellij.util.text.CharSequenceSubSequence;
-import com.intellij.util.text.MergingCharSequence;
-import com.intellij.util.text.StringFactory;
+import com.intellij.util.text.*;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Contract;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
@@ -25,6 +22,7 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.Reader;
 import java.io.StringReader;
 import java.util.*;
+import java.util.StringTokenizer;
 import java.util.regex.Matcher;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
@@ -1634,23 +1632,11 @@ public class StringUtil extends StringUtilRt {
     return sb.toString();
   }
 
-  public static String formatOrdinal(int i) {
-    int mod = i % 100;
-    if (mod == 11 || mod == 12 || mod == 13) {
-      return i + "th";
-    }
-
-    mod = mod % 10;
-    if (mod == 1) {
-      return i + "st";
-    }
-    else if (mod == 2) {
-      return i + "nd";
-    }
-    else if (mod == 3) {
-      return i + "rd";
-    }
-    return i + "th";
+  /**
+   * Appends English ordinal suffix to the given number.
+   */
+  public static String formatOrdinal(long num) {
+    return OrdinalFormat.formatEnglish(num);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/platform/util/testSrc/com/intellij/util/text/OrdinalFormatTest.java b/platform/util/testSrc/com/intellij/util/text/OrdinalFormatTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..185d57b1ccc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platform/util/testSrc/com/intellij/util/text/OrdinalFormatTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+// Copyright 2000-2018 JetBrains s.r.o. Use of this source code is governed by the Apache 2.0 license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+package com.intellij.util.text;
+
+import com.intellij.BundleBase;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import java.util.ListResourceBundle;
+import java.util.Locale;
+import java.util.ResourceBundle;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+
+public class OrdinalFormatTest {
+  @Test
+  public void locales() {
+    // the language bundle is present, but the language is not supported by the formatter - should fall back to plain decimal
+    ResourceBundle fr = ResourceBundle.getBundle("com.intellij.util.text.OrdinalFormatTest$TestBundle", Locale.FRENCH);
+    assertEquals("Blah blah 1 blah blah 'whatever' blah blah 33 [fr]", BundleBase.message(fr, "ordinals", 1, "whatever", 33));
+
+    // the language bundle isn't present - should fall back to the default (i.e. English)
+    ResourceBundle de = ResourceBundle.getBundle("com.intellij.util.text.OrdinalFormatTest$TestBundle", Locale.GERMAN);
+    assertEquals("Blah blah 1st blah blah 'whatever' blah blah 33rd [en]", BundleBase.message(de, "ordinals", 1, "whatever", 33));
+  }
+
+  @SuppressWarnings("unused")
+  public static class TestBundle extends ListResourceBundle {
+    @Override
+    protected Object[][] getContents() {
+      return new Object[][]{{"ordinals", "Blah blah {0,number,ordinal} blah blah ''{1}'' blah blah {2,number,ordinal} [en]"}};
+    }
+  }
+
+  @SuppressWarnings("unused")
+  public static class TestBundle_fr extends ListResourceBundle {
+    @Override
+    protected Object[][] getContents() {
+      return new Object[][]{{"ordinals", "Blah blah {0,number,ordinal} blah blah ''{1}'' blah blah {2,number,ordinal} [fr]"}};
+    }
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/platform/util/testSrc/com/intellij/util/text/StringUtilTest.java b/platform/util/testSrc/com/intellij/util/text/StringUtilTest.java
index ed1c03b58789..5e2a2af1619b 100644
--- a/platform/util/testSrc/com/intellij/util/text/StringUtilTest.java
+++ b/platform/util/testSrc/com/intellij/util/text/StringUtilTest.java
@@ -768,4 +768,15 @@ public class StringUtilTest {
     assertTrue(String.valueOf(last.getClass()), last instanceof CharSequenceSubSequence);
     assertEquals("t", last.toString());
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testEnglishOrdinals() {
+    assertEquals("100th", StringUtil.formatOrdinal(100));
+    assertEquals("101st", StringUtil.formatOrdinal(101));
+    assertEquals("111th", StringUtil.formatOrdinal(111));
+    assertEquals("122nd", StringUtil.formatOrdinal(122));
+
+    assertEquals("-3rd", StringUtil.formatOrdinal(-3));
+    assertEquals("-9223372036854775808th", StringUtil.formatOrdinal(Long.MIN_VALUE));
+  }
 }
\ No newline at end of file