Compound Ordinals

Level 5

Compound ordinals are used for ranks 11th through 19th. They follow the noun, agree with its gender, and only the first part takes the definite article 'al-'.

How It Works

Compound ordinals (11th–19th) are essential for discussing dates, centuries, and chapters. They follow these specific rules:

  • Word Order: Unlike cardinal numbers, the noun must precede the ordinal number because the ordinal acts as an adjective. For example, you say 'the chapter the eleventh' rather than 'eleven chapter'.
  • Gender Agreement: Both the unit part (1–9) and the ten part ('ashar/'ashrata) must match the gender of the noun. Note that while cardinal numbers 11 and 12 also agree, cardinal numbers 13–19 use gender polarity; ordinals, however, agree across the entire 11–19 range.
  • Definiteness: When the noun is definite, only the first part of the ordinal takes the definite article. Example: al-fasl al-hadiya 'ashara (the 11th chapter).
  • Fixed Case: These numbers are mabni 'ala fath al-juz'ayn, meaning both parts are fixed with a fatha vowel, even if the noun is in the nominative or genitive case.
  • Special Forms: For '11th', use الحاديَ (masc.) or الحاديةَ (fem.). For '12th', use الثانيَ (masc.) or الثانيةَ (fem.). Note the mandatory fatha on the final ya (e.g., al-hadiya) because the form is fixed with this vowel regardless of its position in the sentence.

Examples (4)

  1. نحن الآن في القرنِ الحاديَ عشرَ.

    We are now in the eleventh century.

    Word by Word: We now in the-century the-eleventh ten.

    Note that 'century' is masculine, so both 'Hadi' and 'ashar' are masculine. Even though 'century' is genitive after a preposition, the ordinal remains fixed with fatha.

  2. قرأتُ الصفحةَ الرابعةَ عشرةَ من الكتاب.

    I read the fourteenth page of the book.

    Word by Word: I-read the-page the-fourth ten from the-book.

    Since 'page' is feminine, both parts of the ordinal (al-rabi'ah and 'ashrata) take the feminine ending.

  3. وصلَ المتسابقُ التاسعَ عشرَ إلى خطِّ النهاية.

    The nineteenth contestant reached the finish line.

    Word by Word: Reached the-contestant the-ninth ten to line the-finish.

    The ordinal 'al-tasi'a 'ashara' matches the masculine noun 'contestant' and remains fixed with fatha despite the noun being the subject (nominative).

  4. الساعةُ الآن هي الثانيةَ عشرةَ ظهراً.

    The time now is twelve o'clock noon.

    Word by Word: The-hour now she the-second ten noon.

    In telling time, 'hour' (al-sa'ah) is feminine, so the ordinal '12th' must be feminine (al-thaniyah 'ashrata).

Common Mistakes

  • Applying gender polarity to ordinals 13-19 because of cardinal number rules.

    الحلقة الثالثة عشر
    الحلقة الثالثة عشرة

    While cardinal numbers 13-19 use gender polarity (reverse agreement), compound ordinals 11-19 always require both parts to match the noun's gender. Since 'al-halqa' (the episode) is feminine, both parts must be feminine.

  • Adding the definite article 'al-' to both parts of the compound.

    الطابق الحادي العشَر
    الطابق الحادي عشر

    Only the first part of a compound ordinal (11-19) takes the definite article 'al-'.

  • Changing the case endings to match the noun.

    في القرنِ الحادي عشرِ
    في القرنِ الحادي عشرَ

    Compound ordinals are indeclinable (mabni); they must keep the fatha (-a) ending on both parts regardless of the noun's case.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Compound OrdinalsLevel 5

Learn This First

To understand compound ordinals (11th-19th), a learner must first be familiar with basic ordinal numbers (1st-10th) and the structure of compound cardinal numbers (11-19). Additionally, since ordinals function as adjectives, knowledge of how adjectives follow and match their nouns is essential.