If you've seen "I want 30 apple" in an example and wondered whether it was a mistake: it isn't. In Arabic, the form of the noun depends on the number in front of it, and from 11 upwards the noun is singular.
The rule
| Number | Noun form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | singular (+ waa7id for emphasis) | كتاب kitaab |
| 2 | dual (-een) | كتابين kitabeen |
| 3 to 10 | plural | تلات كتب talat kutub |
| 11 and up | singular | حداشر كتاب 7idaashar kitaab |
So 3 to 10 is the only range that uses the plural. From 11 on, including 20, 100 and 1,000, the noun stays singular.
- عايزة تلاتين تفاحة3ayza talatiin tuffaa7aI (f) want thirty apples.
- معاه مية جنيهma3aah miit gineehHe has a hundred pounds.
- عشرين سنة3ishriin sanatwenty years
11 to 19
| Number | Egyptian | Number | Egyptian |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | حداشر 7idaashar | 16 | ستاشر sittaashar |
| 12 | اتناشر itnaashar | 17 | سبعتاشر saba3taashar |
| 13 | تلتاشر talattaashar | 18 | تمنتاشر tamantaashar |
| 14 | أربعتاشر arba3taashar | 19 | تسعتاشر tisa3taashar |
| 15 | خمستاشر khamastaashar |
Tens, hundreds, thousands
| Number | Egyptian | Number | Egyptian |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | عشرين 3ishriin | 60 | ستين sittiin |
| 30 | تلاتين talatiin | 70 | سبعين sab3iin |
| 40 | أربعين arbi3iin | 80 | تمانين tamaniin |
| 50 | خمسين khamsiin | 90 | تسعين tis3iin |
| 100 | مية miyya (مِيت miit before a noun) | 1,000 | ألف alf |
Numbers like 25: units first
Say the units first, then w ("and"), then the tens, as in the old English "five-and-twenty".
- خمسة وعشرينkhamsa w 3ishriintwenty-five
- تلاتة وأربعين جنيهtalaata w arbi3iin gineehforty-three pounds