Arabic: An Essential Grammar

269

Chapter 35

Ordinal numbers, fractions,

expressions of time and

calendars

35.1 The ordinal numbers, يُّ تـ ْر ِتـيـ ِبََّأْلـ َعـ َد ُد لـ, 2nd–10th are based

on the corresponding cardinal numbers. They are formed on the pattern

for active participles: َفا ِع ٌل fa ̄



ilun. The ordinal number ‘first’ is formed

from an independent root

• w-l on the pattern َأ ْف َع ُل

af



alu. The ordinal

numbers agree with the gender and case of the head noun, i.e. the

masculine forms are used with reference to masculine nouns, and the

feminine forms are used with reference to feminine nouns. They take

the definite article َ ألـ... and are inflected for all three cases. Like any

other adjective, the ordinal number usually follows the noun it qualifies.

Note: The double /tt/ (ta ̄

with sˇaddah) in the cardinal number تـ ٌةَِّسـ sittatun

‘six’ is resolved as /d/ + /s/ in the ordinal number َسا ِد ٌس sa ̄disun ‘sixth’.

Used with masculine Used with feminine

1st و ُلََّأْ َلأ

al-

awwalu لأوَلـىَُأْ

al-

u ̄la ̄

2nd ثـا ِنـيََّألـ

at

̄

-t

̄

a ̄nı

• ثـا ِنـ َيـ ُةََّألـ^

at

̄

-t

̄

a ̄niyatu

3rd ثـاِلـ ُثََّألـ

at

̄

-t

̄

a ̄lit

̄

u ثـاِلـ َثـ ُةََّألـ

at

̄

-t

̄

a ̄lit

̄

atu

4th را ِب ُعََّألـ

ar-ra ̄bi



u را ِبـ َعـ ُةََّألـ

ar-ra ̄bi



atu

5th َأْلـ َخا ِمـ ُس

al-h

̆

a ̄misu َأْلـ َخا ِمـ َسـ ُة

al-h

̆

a ̄misatu

6th سـا ِد ُسَّ َألـ

as-sa ̄disu سـا ِد َسـ ُةَّ َألـ

as-sa ̄disatu

7th سا ِبـ ُعَّ َألـ

as-sa ̄bi



u سا ِب َعـ ُةَّ َألـ

as-sa ̄bi



atu

8th ثـا ِمـ ُنََّألـ

at

̄

-t

̄

a ̄minu ثـا ِمـ َنـ ُةََّألـ

at

̄

-t

̄

a ̄minatu

9th تا ِسـ ُعََّألـ

at-ta ̄si



u تـا ِسـ َعـ ُةََّألـ

at-ta ̄si



atu

10th َأْل َعا ِشـ ُر

al-



a ̄sˇiru َأْلـ َعـا ِشـ َر ُة

al-



a ̄sˇiratu