Numerals
The ordinals show a pattern that is very similar to adjectives.
Takea look at the following examples:
a’ darsu al awalu الدرسُ الأول which means the first lesson
In the noun, dars ‘lesson’ is modified by the ordinal first “awal”
and As in the case of the adjective, we see full agreement in gender, number, case, and definiteness.
How the cardinal numbers work
Numbers (1,2) are similar to adjectives we see full agreement in gender, number, case, and definiteness.
one house = بيت واحد
one girl = فتاة واحدة
Number (3 to 9) agrees with the noun only in definiteness and disagree in gender, take a look at the following examples
three chairs = ثلاثة كراسي
nine students = تسع طالبات
Number (ten) is singular, it contradicts with the noun in gender, take a look at the following examples
عشر طالبات
ten students
Talaebaat طالبات means feminine students so here we use the masculine singular ten which is عشر
عشرة ابواب
ten doors
Abwaab أبواب means doors and it’s a masculine plural noun, so here we use the feminine singular ten which is عشرة
But with the compound cardinal numbers (11-12), we see full agreement in gender, number, case, and definiteness.
Take a look at the following examples
I bought eleven houses,
اشتريت أحد عشر بيتاً،
Number 11أحد عشر agrees in gender, number, case, and definiteness with the noun house بيتاً.
فتحت اثنتي عشرة نافذة،
see the example here of the holy Qur’ān “‘ Surah of Joseph”
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
“Behold, Joseph said to his father:
`Oh, my father! I saw eleven stars, and the sun and the moon, I saw them bowing down before me!'” (= Qur’ān 12:4)
إِذْ قَالَ يُوسُفُ لِأَبِيهِ يَٰٓأَبَتِ إِنِّى رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ لِى سَٰجِدِينَ
Take a look at
إِنِّى رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا
I saw eleven stars
Number 11 أَحَدَ عَشَرَ agrees in gender, number, case, and definiteness with the noun stars كَوْكَبًا.
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