Language/Standard-arabic/Vocabulary/Count-to-10

Standard Arabic Vocabulary - Count to 10

Hi Standard Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to count to 10 in Standard Arabic. Knowing numbers is essential not only for day-to-day communication but also for telling time and expressing quantities.

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Geography, Fish and Seafood, Buildings & Parts of the Body.

Cardinal numbers

In Standard Arabic, counting from 1 to 10 is quite straightforward. The numbers are:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
واحد	wāhid	one
اثنان	ithnān	two
ثلاثة	thalātha	three
أربعة	arbaʿa	four
خمسة	khamsa	five
ستة	sitta	six
سبعة	sabʿa	seven
ثمانية	thamāniya	eight
تسعة	tisʿa	nine
عشرة	ʿashara	ten

Here are some examples of how to use these numbers:

• Person 1: أنا عندي (anā ʿindi) (I have) ثلاث (thalātha) قطط. (three cats)
• Person 2: واو، كثير! (waw, kathīr!) (Wow, that's a lot!)

Ordinal numbers

Ordinal numbers are used to indicate the order or sequence of something. In Standard Arabic, ordinal numbers are formed by adding the suffix ـَمْ (am) to the cardinal number, except for the numbers 1, 3 and 8, which have irregular forms.

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
الأوّل	al-awwal	first
الثاني	al-thānī	second
الثالث	al-thālith	third
الرابع	al-rābiʿ	fourth
الخامس	al-khāmis	fifth
السادس	al-sādis	sixth
السابع	al-sābiʿ	seventh
الثامن	al-thāmin	eighth
التاسع	al-tāsiʿ	ninth
العاشر	al-ʿāshir	tenth

An example dialogue using ordinal numbers:

• Person 1: هل عندك حفلة هذا الأسبوع؟ (hal ʿindak ḥafla hādhā al-usbūʿ?) (Do you have a party this week?)
• Person 2: نعم، يوم الجمعة. (naʿam, yawm al-jumuʿa) (Yes, on Friday.)
• Person 1: أنا سأحضر. ما هي المرتبة التي ستجلس فيها؟ (anā sa-ḥaḍir. mā hī al-murtabaẗu allatī satujlis fīhā?) (I will attend. What is the seat number you will sit in?)
• Person 2: الخامسة. (al-khāmisa) (Fifth.)

Interesting facts

- In many Arab countries, particularly in the Gulf and the Levant, people use their fingers to count up to 10. For example, the thumb represents 1, the index finger represents 2, and so on. - The word "zero" in Arabic is صفر (sifr), which literally means "empty". This word was later borrowed by European languages, and it evolved into the English word "cipher", which was used to refer to numerical zero. - Standard Arabic has a rich system of numerals, including both Hindu-Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) and Eastern Arabic numerals, which are used in newspapers, books, and official documents. Eastern Arabic numerals have different forms depending on their position in the number (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.)

Practice Exercise

Now, let's test your knowledge of the Standard Arabic numbers from 1 to 10. Write the correct Standard Arabic number for each English description. Answers are provided below.

English	Standard Arabic
two	?
six	?
ten	?
five	?
nine	?

Answers: اثنان (ithnān), ستة (sitta), عشرة (ʿashara), خمسة (khamsa), تسعة (tisʿa)

More Practice

To improve your Standard Arabic Vocabulary, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Arabic numerals
• (Ordinal number)
• Eastern Arabic numerals

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