The tens are made from the unit word: ثَلَاثَة becomes ثَلَاثُون, and the ending is -ūn. Twenty, ʿishrūn, you know already. Eighty is ثَمَانُون (thamānūn). One hundred is مِئَة (miʾa). On signs you may also see the ending -īn, as in عِشْرِين: it is the same number. For a number such as 21, say the unit first, then وَ (wa, “and”), then the ten: وَاحِد وَعِشْرُون is “one and twenty”. The و is joined to the next word.
Digit
Eastern
Say
Word
20
٢٠
ʿishrūn
عِشْرُون
30
٣٠
thalāthūn
ثَلَاثُون
40
٤٠
ʾarbaʿūn
أَرْبَعُون
50
٥٠
khamsūn
خَمْسُون
60
٦٠
sittūn
سِتُّون
70
٧٠
sabʿūn
سَبْعُون
80
٨٠
thamānūn
ثَمَانُون
90
٩٠
tisʿūn
تِسْعُون
100
١٠٠
miʾa
مِئَة
Worked examples
وَاحِد1+وَand+عِشْرُون20
Twenty-one is “one and twenty”.
Three numbers with the unit first. Press each card.
The last numbers before and at one hundred.
Class activity
Number cards. Write the numbers 21 to 99 that you like on small cards, with the digits on one side and the Arabic words on the other. Say a number, turn the card and check. Then read two-digit numbers you find around you, such as page numbers or house numbers, in Arabic. Remember: the unit comes first, then وَ, then the ten.
Practice
1
Press Listen. Which number do you hear: ٨٤ or ٤٨?
…
٨٤. The words are أَرْبَعَة وَثَمَانُون (ʾarbaʿa wa thamānūn): four and eighty.
2
Write 25 in Arabic words.
خَمْسَة وَعِشْرُون (khamsa wa ʿishrūn).
3
Read the number and write the digits.
سِتَّة وَسَبْعُون
76 (٧٦).
4
A month can have thirty days. Write 30 in Arabic words.
