Language/Standard-arabic/Vocabulary/Cardinal-numbers-1-100
As a Standard Arabic language teacher, I have found numbers to be one of the most interesting and important elements of learning the language. In this lesson, we will be focusing on the cardinal numbers 1-100 in Arabic, which are essential for everyday life and conversation in Arabic-speaking cultures.
Cardinal numbers 1-10
Let's begin with the basic cardinal numbers from 1-10 in Standard Arabic. Below is a table that displays the numbers in Arabic, their pronunciation using Latin script, and their English translations:
Standard Arabic | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
واحد | waaHid | one |
اثنان | ithnaan | two |
ثلاثة | thalaatha | three |
أربعة | arbaʿa | four |
خمسة | khamsa | five |
ستة | sitta | six |
سبعة | sabʿa | seven |
ثمانية | thamaaniya | eight |
تسعة | tisʿa | nine |
عشرة | ʿashara | ten |
Cardinal numbers 11-100
To form the numbers 11-19 in Arabic, you simply add the number from 1-9 to the word "عشرة" (ʿashara), which means "ten". So, for example, 11 in Arabic is "أحد عشر" (aHad ʿashar), which means "one ten". Here are the numbers 11-19 in Arabic:
- أحد عشر (aHad ʿashar) – eleven
- اثنا عشر (ithnaa ʿashar) – twelve
- ثلاثة عشر (thalaatha ʿashar) – thirteen
- أربعة عشر (arbaʿa ʿashar) – fourteen
- خمسة عشر (khamsa ʿashar) – fifteen
- ستة عشر (sitta ʿashar) – sixteen
- سبعة عشر (sabʿa ʿashar) – seventeen
- ثمانية عشر (thamaaniya ʿashar) – eighteen
- تسعة عشر (tisʿa ʿashar) – nineteen
To form the numbers 20-100 in Arabic, you need to follow a similar pattern to English. For example, the number 23 in Arabic is "ثلاثة و عشرون" (thalaatha wa ʿishruun), which means "three and twenty". Here are the numbers 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 in Arabic:
- عشرون (ʿishruun) – twenty
- ثلاثون (thalathiin) – thirty
- أربعون (arbaʿiin) – forty
- خمسون (khamsiin) – fifty
- ستون (sittiin) – sixty
- سبعون (sabʿiin) – seventy
- ثمانون (thamaaniin) – eighty
- تسعون (tisʿiin) – ninety
- مائة (mi'ah) – one hundred
Important cultural information about using numbers in Arabic
In addition to the standard use of numbers, there are some important cultural aspects to be aware of when using numbers in Arabic. For example, the number 7 is considered lucky in Arabic culture, and is sometimes used in people's names or on items for sale. The number 13, on the other hand, is considered unlucky in Arabic culture.
Another important cultural aspect of using numbers in Arabic is the difference between the decimal separator and the thousands separator. Unlike in English, where a comma is used as the thousands separator and a period is used as the decimal separator, Arabic uses the opposite convention. A comma is used as the decimal separator in Arabic, and a period is used as the thousands separator. For example, the Arabic equivalent of 1,000.50 would be written as "1.000,50".
Practice exercises
To help you practice the numbers we have covered in this lesson, here are some exercises you can try:
- Translate the following numbers from Arabic to English:
- خمسة و عشرون
- ثلاثة و ستون
- خمسون و خمسة
- Translate the following numbers from English to Arabic:
- Seventy-four
- Forty-two
- Ninety-nine
Sources
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Sources
- Language/Standard-arabic/Vocabulary/Cardinal-numbers-1-100
- Standard-arabic Vocabulary - Days of the week