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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