Arabic: An Essential Grammar

256

Chapter 34

Cardinal numbers

34.1 The Arabic cardinal numbers, ي ُةََّأْ َلأ ْع َدا ُد ْ َلأ ْصِل, are rather com-

plicated and even native speakers make errors in using them. It is

important to remember that the numbers 3–10 take the feminine form

with ta ̄

marbu ̄t

̇

ah (ة...) when they qualify a masculine noun, but the

masculine form when they qualify a feminine noun.

34.2 With the exception of the feminine form ِإ ْح َدى

ih

̇

da ̄, ‘one’, the

cardinal numbers 1–10 are inflected for all three cases in the same way

as nouns and adjectives.

The nominative forms of the cardinal numbers 1–10 are:

Used with a masculine noun Used with a feminine noun

0.ِص ْف ٌر s

̇

ifrun ِص ْف ٌر s

̇

ifrun

(^1) َأ َح ٌد١


ah
̇
adun (noun) ِإ ْح َدى


ih
̇
da ̄ (indecl.)
(^1) َوا ِح ٌد١ wa ̄h
̇
idun (adj.) َوا ِح َد ٌة wa ̄h
̇
idatun
(^2) ِإ ْث َنا ِن٢


it
̄
na ̄ni ِإ ْث َن َتا ِن


it
̄
nata ̄ni
(^3) َث َلا َث ٌة٣ t
̄
ala ̄t
̄
atun َث َلا ٌث t
̄
ala ̄t
̄
un
(^4) َأ ْر َب َع ٌة٤


arba

atun َأ ْر َب ٌع


arba

un
(^5) َخ ْم َس ٌة٥ h
̆
amsatun َخ ْم ٌس h
̆
amsun
(^6) ت ٌة٦َِّس sittatun تٌّ ِس sittun
(^7) َس ْب َع ٌة٧ sab

atun َس ْب ٌع sab

un
(^8) َث َما ِن َي ٌة٨ t
̄
ama ̄niyatun َث َما ٍن t
̄
ama ̄nin