Introduction
Would life go on without numbers which are like the basic alphabet of mathematics and physics? Would human language survive as a communicative tool without these digits and numbers. The human mind invented and developed numbers since time immemorial. Numbers are indispensable for human communication. We almost use numbers and figures for everything in our lives. Not only in science but also in mythology and religions, have numbers been given peculiar importance and spiritual significance.
In this series of lessons, you will learn numbers in Modern Standard Arabic [MSA] and the grammar and vocabulary that are necessary to understand and learn how to communicate information about counting, arithmetic, time, pricing, and orders. Learning numbers in classical Arabic can be challenging to many students of Arabic.
In these lessons, I will try to make this study simple but detailed. Those who seek simplicity can find it and also those who like to know more about the grammar of Arabic will find answers. Numbers fall into two categories: Cardinals and Ordinals.
1- Cardinal Numbers
Numbers can fall into four main categories; basic, compound, decade and added.
- simple numbers: 1-9,
- simple compound numbers: 11-19 (two simple numbers without conjunction)
- decade numbers: 20, 30, 40, 50, …, 90
- added compound numbers: 21, 33, 45, 99, 101, etc. (a decade number with a simple one with a conjunction)
The first step is to know that you do not need many words to start saying numbers. With the basic twelve words you are good to go. These twelve numbers are the main words you need to learn to say all numbers in Arabic. These words represent the one-word number. Other forms of numbers are made by using two of these twelve words.
It is also good to learn some words related to numbers.
Things to remember about numbers:
- Only after numbers from 3-10 the counted word is plural.
- Only 1 and 2 precede the counted word they count.
- In Arabic, number words include two types of information: (1) gender of the counted word and (2) the number of the counted word. Therefore, we have to consider of the counted word to decide what gender the number word is.
- Number words are subject to grammatical case. This will be explained later in this series of lessons.
