A1Unit 4 · Numbers, time and the market · Lesson 32 of 100
Three books, ten people: counting things
kam shakhṣ? · kīsēn · talat ʿilab · ʿishrīn rghīf
Goal: Count things and people with the right form of the noun, and ask how many.
Dialogue
Fifteen hungry people are coming to lunch, and Imm Khalil and Lina plan the shopping. You will learn how a noun changes with the number: one, two, three to ten, and eleven or more.
Thursday evening in the kitchen. Imm Khalil and Lina plan a big family lunch for the next day.
- Imm KhalilLīna, bukra ʿinna ghada kbīr.Lina, tomorrow we're having a big lunch.
- Linakam shakhṣ, ya khālto?How many people, auntie?
- Imm Khalilkhamstaʿshar shakhṣ, w kullhom jūʿānīn!Fifteen people, and all of them hungry!
- Linaṭayyib. shu bidna min is-sūʾ?OK. What do we need from the market?
- Imm Khaliltnēn kīlo laḥme, jājtēn, w talāte kīlo ruzz.Two kilos of meat, two chickens and three kilos of rice.
- Linaw khubz? kam rghīf?And bread? How many loaves?
- Imm Khalilʿishrīn rghīf. w talat ʿilab ḥummuṣ.Twenty loaves. And three cans of chickpeas.
- Linaw samak?And fish?
- Imm Khalillaʾ, Rana ma bitḥibbish is-samak.No, Rana doesn't like fish.
- Linayaʿni ʿashr kyās!That means ten bags!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| ḥabbe | piece, one (of fruit or vegetables); pillpl. ḥabbāt; ḥabbe waḥde just one piece |
| kīs | bag (plastic)pl. kyās; two bags: kīsēn |
| shakhṣ | personpl. ashkhāṣ; kam shakhṣ? how many people? |
| ruzz | rice |
| laḥme | meat |
| jāj | chicken (collective)one chicken: jāje; two chickens: jājtēn |
| samak | fish (collective)one fish: samake |
| kīlo | kilonever changes after a number: talāte kīlo; nuṣṣ kīlo half a kilo |
| rghīf | loaf (of flat bread)pl. irghife: khamst irghife five loaves |
| ʿilbe | box, canpl. ʿilab; two cans: ʿilbtēn |
| ghada | lunch |
| jūʿān | hungryf. jūʿāne, pl. jūʿānīn |
Grammar
1. One and two
For one thing, the noun alone is enough: kīs "a bag". Add wāḥad or waḥde after it to stress "just one": rghīf wāḥad, ḥabbe waḥde. For two, Arabic has a special ending, the dual: -ēn. A feminine noun in -e or -a shows its t again: -tēn.
| One | Two | English |
|---|---|---|
| kīs | kīsēn | two bags |
| rghīf | rghīfēn | two loaves |
| yōm | yōmēn | two days |
| ʿilbe | ʿilbtēn | two cans |
| jāje | jājtēn | two chickens |
2. Three to ten: plural. Eleven and up: singular
From 3 to 10, use the short form of the number (talat, khams, ʿashr …) and the plural. From 11 on, the noun goes back to the singular.
3. How many? and kilos
kam "how many" takes the singular: kam shakhṣ?, kam rghīf? kīlo never changes, and the number before it keeps its full form: tnēn kīlo, talāte kīlo ruzz.
Sound: khams and ʿashr are said [khamas] and [ʿashar].
Practice
1Choose the right words
Two bags
Three cans
From 3 to 10, the noun is plural.
Fifteen people
From 11 on, the noun is singular.
You ask how many loaves.
kam takes the singular.
2Complete the sentence
bukra ʿinna ___ kbīr. = Tomorrow we're having a big lunch.
___ kīlo ruzz = three kilos of rice
Before kīlo, the number keeps its full form.
Rana ma ___ is-samak. = Rana doesn't like fish.
3Match the Arabic and the English
laḥme
ruzz
jāj
samak
jūʿān
4Put the words in order
How many people are we having tomorrow?
Twenty loaves and three cans of chickpeas.
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
two days
yōmēn
ten bags
ʿashr kyās
6True or false?
Fifteen people are coming to lunch.
Imm Khalil wants fish for the lunch.
She says laʾ, Rana ma bitḥibbish is-samak.
Summary
- You can say "two" with the dual: kīsēn, yōmēn, ʿilbtēn.
- You can count from 3 to 10 with a plural: talat ʿilab, ʿashr kyās.
- You can count from 11 on with a singular: khamstaʿshar shakhṣ, ʿishrīn rghīf.
- You can ask kam …? and buy by the kilo: talāte kīlo ruzz.