Tens From Twenty to Ninety

Level 2

The Arabic 'Decades' (20, 30, 40, etc.) are invariable for gender but change their endings based on their grammatical case (nominative vs. accusative/genitive). They are always followed by a singular, indefinite noun in the accusative case.

How It Works

The numbers 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 are known as ألفاظ العقود (alfāẓ al-ʿuqūd).

1. Gender Neutrality:
One of the simplest aspects of these numbers is that they do not care about the gender of the noun. Whether you are counting 'books' (masculine) or 'pages' (feminine), the number remains the same.

2. Case Endings (Declension):
These numbers are 'appended' to the sound masculine plural pattern. This means their endings change according to the case system:

  • Nominative (Marfūʿ): Ends in ـون (e.g., عِشرون). Used when the number is the subject or the predicate.
  • Accusative/Genitive (Manṣūb/Majrūr): Ends in ـين (e.g., عِشرين). Used when the number is an object or follows a preposition.

3. The Counted Noun (Tamyīz):
The noun that follows these numbers must follow three strict rules:

  • It must be singular (not plural).
  • It must be indefinite (no الـ).
  • It must be in the accusative case (usually ending in tanwīn fatḥa).

Examples (4)

  1. في الصَفِّ عِشْرونَ طالِباً.

    In the classroom are twenty students.

    Word by Word: In the classroom twenty student.

    Here, 'twenty' is in the nominative case (ending in -ūna) because it is the subject of the sentence. The noun 'student' is singular and accusative.

  2. قَرَأْتُ خَمْسينَ صَفْحَةً.

    I read fifty pages.

    Word by Word: I read fifty page.

    Fifty is in the accusative case (ending in -īna) because it is the object of the verb. Note that 'page' is feminine, but the number does not change its form for gender.

  3. عِشْتُ في هَذِهِ المَدينَةِ لِثَلاثينَ عاماً.

    I lived in this city for thirty years.

    Word by Word: I lived in this the city for thirty year.

    Thirty is in the genitive case (ending in -īna) because it follows the preposition 'li' (for). The noun 'year' remains singular.

  4. سَبْعونَ امْرَأَةً حَضَرْنَ الحَفْلَ.

    Seventy women attended the party.

    Word by Word: Seventy woman attended the party.

    Even with a feminine noun like 'woman', the number 'seventy' uses the standard masculine plural-style ending.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a plural noun after the number.

    عِشْرونَ طُلاباً
    عِشْرونَ طالِباً

    In English, we say 'twenty students' (plural), but in Arabic, all numbers from 11 to 99 must be followed by a singular noun in the accusative case.

  • Using the wrong case ending after a preposition.

    سافَرْتُ لِأَرْبَعونَ يَوْماً
    سافَرْتُ لِأَرْبَعينَ يَوْماً

    After a preposition like 'li', the number must be in the genitive case, which requires the -īna ending, not -ūna.

  • Attempting to make the number feminine.

    ثَلاثونَة بِنْتاً
    ثَلاثونَ بِنْتاً

    Learners sometimes try to add a 'ta marbuta' to the number when counting feminine nouns. However, the decades (20-90) are gender-neutral and never change for the gender of the noun.

How It Connects

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Tens From Twenty to NinetyLevel 2

Learn This First

To understand the 'tens' (20-90), you need to be familiar with the sound masculine plural ending because these numbers are declined similarly. You also need to understand tanwīn, as the counted noun (tamyīz) always appears in the singular indefinite accusative form. Finally, knowledge of the basic 1-10 number roots is essential for identifying the numerical stems.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

عشرونثلاثونأربعونخمسونستونسبعونثمانونتسعون