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Numbers

Arabic numbers have complex gender agreement, but the basics are manageable.

Cardinal numbers 1–10

Numbers 3–10 have opposite gender agreement (feminine numbers with masculine nouns):

NumberWith masculineWith feminine
1🔊 واحد (wāḥid)🔊 واحدة (wāḥida)
2🔊 اثنان (ithnān)🔊 اثنتان (ithnatān)
3🔊 ثلاثة (thalātha)🔊 ثلاث (thalāth)
4🔊 أربعة (arbaʿa)🔊 أربع (arbaʿ)
5🔊 خمسة (khamsa)🔊 خمس (khams)
6🔊 ستة (sitta)🔊 ست (sitt)
7🔊 سبعة (sabʿa)🔊 سبع (sabʿ)
8🔊 ثمانية (thamāniya)🔊 ثماني (thamānī)
9🔊 تسعة (tisʿa)🔊 تسع (tisʿ)
10🔊 عشرة (ʿashara)🔊 عشر (ʿashr)

11–19

NumberArabicTransliteration
11🔊 أحد عشرaḥada ʿashar
12🔊 اثنا عشرithnā ʿashar
13🔊 ثلاثة عشرthalāthat ʿashar
20🔊 عشرونʿishrūn
21🔊 واحد وعشرونwāḥid wa-ʿishrūn
100🔊 مائةmiʾa
1000🔊 ألفalf

Eastern Arabic numerals

Arabic also uses Eastern numerals (used in the Middle East):

WesternEastern
0٠
1١
2٢
3٣
4٤
5٥
6٦
7٧
8٨
9٩

Telling time

  • 🔊 كم الساعة؟ (kam as-sāʿa?) — What time is it?
  • 🔊 الساعة الثالثة (as-sāʿa ath-thālitha) — It's 3 o'clock
  • 🔊 الساعة الخامسة والنصف — It's 5:30

Days of the week

ArabicEnglish
🔊 الأحد (al-aḥad)Sunday
🔊 الاثنين (al-ithnayn)Monday
🔊 الثلاثاء (ath-thulāthāʾ)Tuesday
🔊 الأربعاء (al-arbiʿāʾ)Wednesday
🔊 الخميس (al-khamīs)Thursday
🔊 الجمعة (al-jumʿa)Friday
🔊 السبت (as-sabt)Saturday

Months

MSA uses different systems:

  • Syrian calendar (شهر كانون الثاني, etc.)
  • Egyptian calendar (يناير, فبراير, etc.)

Dates

Day comes before month:

  • ١٥ مارس ٢٠٢٤ — March 15, 2024

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