Arabic: An Essential Grammar

َألْـ َحا ِد َي^

al-h

̇

a ̄diya (m.) is used instead of و ُلََّأْ َلأ

al-

awwalu ‘first’ (m.),

and

َألْـ َحا ِد َيـ َة^

al-h

̇

a ̄diyata (f.) is used instead of لأوَلىَُأْ

al-

u ̄la ̄ ‘first’ (f.).

35.5 Telling the time

The ordinal numbers are used in telling the time, but ‘one o’clock’ can

also be expressed by a cardinal number:

لأوَلىُسا َع ُة ْل َوا ِح َد ُ ة / َّْ َأل^

as-sa ̄



atu l-wa ̄h

̇

idatu OR l-

u ̄la ̄, one o’clock

ثـا ِنـ َيـ ُةَّسا َع ُة لـَّ َأل^

as-sa ̄



atu t

̄

-t

̄

a ̄niyatu, two o’clock

ثـاِلـ َثـ ُةَّسا َع ُة لـَّ َأل^

as-sa ̄



atu t

̄

-t

̄

a ̄lit

̄

atu, three o’clock

را ِبـ َعـ ُةَّسا َع ُة لـَّ َأل^

as-sa ̄



atu r-ra ̄bi



atu, four o’clock

etc.

Note: The classical meaning of the word َسا َع ٌة sa ̄



atun is ‘(short) time, hour’,

but nowadays it also has the meaning ‘clock, timepiece, watch’.

35.6 The ordinal numbers for the even tens, َأْل ِعـ ْش ُرو َن

al-



isˇru ̄na

‘20th’, ث َلا ُثو َنََّألـ

at

̄

-t

̄

ala ̄t

̄

u ̄na ‘30th’, َأْ َلأ ْر َبـ ُعـو َن

al-

arba



u ̄na ‘40th’, etc.,

Used with masculine Used with feminine

َأْل َوَل ُد ْلـ َحـا ِد َي َعـ َشـ َر َعـ ْشـ َر َةَأْل ِب ْن ُت ْلـ َحـا ِد َيـ َة

11th

al-waladu l-h

̇

a ̄diya



asˇara

al-bintu l-h

̇

a ̄diyata



asˇrata

the eleventh boy the eleventh girl

ثـا ِنـ َي َعـ َشـ َرََّأْل َوَل ُد ل َعـ ْشـ َر َة ثـا ِنـ َيـ َة ََّأْل ِب ْن ُت ل

12th

al-waladu

t

̄

-t

̄

a ̄niya



asˇara

al-bintu t

̄

-t

̄

a ̄niyata



asˇrata

ثـاِلـ َث َعـ َشـ َرََّأْل َوَل ُد ل َعـ ْشـ َر َة ثـاِلــ َثــ َة ََّأْل ِب ْن ُت ل

13th

al-waladu t

̄

-t

̄

a ̄lit

̄

a



asˇara

al-bintu t

̄

-t

̄

a ̄lit

̄

ata



asˇrata

را ِبـ َع َعـ َشـ َرََّأْل َوَل ُد ل َعـ ْشـ َرة را ِبـ َعـ َة ََّأْل ِب ْن ُت ل

14th

al-waladu r-ra ̄bi



a



asˇara

al-bintu r-ra ̄bi



ata



asˇrata

َو ْق ٌت waqtun, time (plural:َأ ْو َقا ٌت^

awqa ̄tun)

272

Ordinal

numbers,

fractions,

expres-

sions of

time,

calendars