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- Numbers with nouns: agreement rules
Numbers with nouns: agreement rules
Arabic numbers follow some famous rules. Learn three patterns and you can count anything accurately.
1 and 2
1 and 2 come after the noun, or you simply use the singular or dual: كِتابٌ واحِد = one book; كِتابان = two books; سَيّارَتان = two cars.
3 to 10: reverse gender
11 to 99 and 100
From 11 to 99 the noun is singular with the accusative ending ـًا: أَحَدَ عَشَرَ طالِبًا (11 students), عِشْرونَ كِتابًا (20 books), خَمْسونَ سَنةً (50 years).
With 13 to 19 the unit takes the opposite gender and عشر matches the noun: ثَلاثَةَ عَشَرَ وَلَدًا, ثَلاثَ عَشْرَةَ بِنْتًا.
100 and 1000 take a singular noun in the genitive, as in an idafa: مِئَةُ كِتابٍ, أَلْفُ دِرْهَمٍ.
With 13 to 19 the unit takes the opposite gender and عشر matches the noun: ثَلاثَةَ عَشَرَ وَلَدًا, ثَلاثَ عَشْرَةَ بِنْتًا.
100 and 1000 take a singular noun in the genitive, as in an idafa: مِئَةُ كِتابٍ, أَلْفُ دِرْهَمٍ.
Translate: There are five girls in my class.
- In my class: في صفّي (put first).
- بنت is feminine, so the number has no ة: خمس.
- 3 to 10 take a plural noun: بنات.
Answer: في صفّي خمس بنات.
1 and 2: noun + واحد / dual. 3 to 10: opposite gender, plural noun (ثلاثة كتب, ثلاث سيارات). 11 to 99: singular noun with ـًا (عشرون كتابًا). 100: singular noun (مئة كتاب).
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
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