Rules of numbers and counted objects / أَحْكام العَدَد والمَعْدُود

(Before studying this part check => Elementary section: Cardinal numbers & Intermediate section: Ordinal numbers)

Cardinal numbers

Understanding Arabic number rules is essential for navigating the elaborate system of cardinal number agreement, which is dictated by three key factors: the gender of the counted nouns, the quantity being expressed, and the specific grammatical declension involved.

• The number may or may not agree with the gender of the counted object depending on its value. 

• In contrast to English cardinal numbers, Arabic numerals are nouns (apart from 2 being an adjective and 1 with both forms of a noun and adjective). Following this, the preceding object will not be in the nominative case but take on different ending cases according to its numerical value. Moreover, the object that is quantity beyond two may or may not be plural depending on what number it follows in succession.

The gender agreement of the number / العدد

المَعْدُود Counted object	جِنْس العَدَد Gender of the number
			1 – 2	same
3 to 10	Opposite to the gender of the counted object in its singular form
11 – 12	same
13 to 19	1st part (unit): opposite 2nd part (ten): same
tens 20 to 90	Never change according to gender
compound number 21 to 99	1st part (unit) same 2nd part: never change no matter the gender
hundred	Never change according to gender
thousand

Unit from 1 to 10, 100 & 1000

• 1 – 2: the gender of the number corresponds to the counted object 

1 woman	أِمْرَأَةٌ واحِدةٌ
2 men	رَجُلانِ اِثْنانِ

• 3 to 10: the number has the opposite gender of the counted object in the singular form

4 men	أَرْبَعةُ رَجُلٍ
6 women	سِتُّ اِمْرَأَةٍ

• 100 to 1000: doesn’t change according to gender

100 men	مِئَةُ رَجُلٍ
100 women	مِئَةُ اِمْرَأَةٍ
1000 men	أَلْفُ رَجُلٍ
1000 women	أَلْفُ اِمْرَأَةٍ

The compound number from 11 to 19

• 11 – 12: Both parts of the number agree with the gender of the counted object

11 men	أَحَدَ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً
12 women	اِثْنَتَا عَشَرَةَ اِمْرَأَةً

Note: the feminine of اِثْنان is اِثْنَتان

• 13 to 19: the 1st part of the number is of the opposite gender to the counted object while the 2nd part agrees with the gender of the counted object

14 men	أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً
17 women	سَبْعَ عَشَرَةَ اِمْرأَةً

Tens (20 to 90)

• Never change according to gender

20 women	عِشْرونَ اِمْرَأةً
50 men	خَمْسُونَ رَجُلاً

Compound number constructed with the conjunction wāw 21 to 99

• The unit agrees with the object while the ten doesn’t change according to the genre

21 men	واحِدٌ وَعِشْرونَ رَجُلاً
35 women	خَمْسٌ وَثَلاثُونَ اِمْرَأَةً
68 men	ثَمانِيةٌ وَسِتُّونَ رَجُلاً
92 women	اِثْنَتانِ وَتِسْعُونَ اِمْرَأَةً

Agreement in number and noun case of the counted object / المَعْدود

العَدَد Number	المَعْدود The counted object
	المَحَلّ الإِعْرابيّ Noun case	العَدَد Number
3 to 10	(مَجْرور (مُضاف إِلَيْهِ genitive (2nd term of annexation)	جَمْع (plural)
11 to 99	(مَنْصُوب (تَمْيِيز accusative (tamyīz)	مُفْرَد (singular)
hundred	(مَجْرور (مُضاف إِلَيْهِ genitive (2nd term of annexation)
thousand

1 – 2 

Mentioning the counted object alone (without the number) is sufficient. We can add the number to put emphasis. In this case, the number will agree with the gender of the counted object.

المُؤَنَّث Feminine	المُذَكّر Masculine
امْرَأَة A woman	رَجُل A man
امْرَأَة واحِدة One woman	رَجُلان اِثْنان Two men
امْرَأَتان اِثْنتان Two women	رَجُلان  Two men

Note: the feminine of اِثْنان is اِثْنَتان

3 to 10 

The counted object is considered to be the 2nd term of annexation (while the number is the 1st term) it is then in the indefinite genitive case and takes the plural form.

3 men	ثَلاثَةُ رَجُلٍ
7 women	سَبْعُ اِمْرَأَةٍ

11 to 99

The counted object is considered to be tamyīz (تَمْيِيز) it is then in the indefinite accusative case and takes the singular form.

16 men	سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً
19 women	تِسْعَ عَشَرَةَ اِمْرأَةً
47 men	سَبْعَةٌ وَأَرْبَعُونَ رَجُلاً
58 women	ثَمانٍ وَخَمْسُونَ اِمْرَأَةً

100 and above 

After hundreds and thousands, the counted object is considered to be the 2nd term of annexation (while the number is the 1st term) it is then in the indefinite genitive case and takes the plural form.

100 men	مِئَةُ رَجُلٍ
1000 women	أَلْفُ اِمْرَأَةٍ

Rule for a complex number

• In a complex number, the counted object will follow the rules specific to the digit immediately preceding it:

2026 women	أَلْفان وَسِتٌّ وَعِشْرونَ اِمْرأَةً
1817 men	أَلْفٌ وَثَمانُمِئَةٍ وَسَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً
5700 women	خَمْسَةُ آلافٍ وَسَبْعُمِئَةِ اِمْرَأَهٍ
9504 men	تِسْعَةُ آلافٍ وَخَمْسُمِئِةٍ وَأَرْبَعَةُ رِجالٍ

Note: For any number greater than 100 and whose last two digits are 01 or 02 (101, 102, 1001, 2002 etc) we will use circumlocutions such as:

1001 Nights (name of a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled, widely known as the Arabian Nights)	أَلْف لَيْلة وَلَيْلة
102 days	مِئِة يَوم وَيَوْمان

With a definite counted object

When the counted object is definite, its number becomes an adjective, except for compound numbers (11 to 19). Consequently, the number agrees in case, definiteness, and gender (if possible) with the noun. This construction is mandatory if the noun is defined by annexation (إِضافة):

The 30 women	النِساءُ الثَلاثونَ
The 8 men	الرِجالُ الثمانيةُ
His 3 cats	القِطَطَهُ الثَلاثةُ
The director’s 7 cars	سَيّاراتُ المُدِيرِ السَبْعُ

For compound numbers between 11 and 19 (indeclinable), we will follow the same construction as for indefinite nouns (tamyīz):

The 14 men	الأَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلاً
The 19 women	التِسْعَ عَشَرَةَ اِمْرَأَةً

Note: If the counted object has several adjectives, the number will be placed first, before the other qualifiers:

The 3 big women	النساءُ الثَلاثُ الكَبِيرات
The 5 small men	الرِجال الخَمْسةُ الصِغارُ

Ordinal numbers

Ordinals are usually formed as adjectives, inflecting to match the gender and case of the counted object; however, for numbers 11-19 the ordinal remains in the accusative case.

1st

First (أَوّل) is an elative (اِسْم تَفْضِيل) which is constructed as an adjective and then agrees in every aspect with the counted object.

The 1st man	الرَجُلِ الأَوَّلُ
The 1st woman	المْرأةٍ الأُولى

It can also be constructed as the 1st term of an annexation completed by a noun; it will then have the same meaning.

The 1st man	أَوَّلُ رَجُلٍ
The 1st woman	أَوَّلُ اِمْرأةٍ

Note: آخِر meaning ‘last’ is an active participle (اِسم الفاعِل) constructed in the same way

The last year

آخِرُ سَنّةٍ = السَنة الآخرةُ

2nd to 10th 

The ordinals on the pattern فاعِل are adjectives then agree in every aspect with the counted object

2nd man	الرَجُلُ الثاني
8th woman	المَرْأَةُ الثامِنةُ

11th to 19th 

Both parts of the number agree with the object being counted.

18th man	الرَجُلُ الثامِنَ عَشَرَ
13th woman	المَرْأَةُ الثالِثةَ عَشَرَةَ

20th and above 

The unit agrees with the object counted while the ten has only one writing regardless of gender.

21st man	الَرَجُل الحادي وَالعِشْرُونَ
66th woman	المَرْأَةُ السادِسةُ وَالسِتُّونَ
75th man	الرَجُلُ الخامِسُ وَالسَبْعُونَ
33rd woman	المَرْأَةُ الثالِثةُ وَالثَلاثُونَ