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Unit 3 · Numbers, phones and the time

Counting to ten

Capitals mark the emphatic letters, 3 is ع and 7 is ح, and ' is the glottal stop that Cairo uses for q.

waa7ed, etneen, talaata, 'arba3a, khamsa, setta, sab3a, tamanya, tes3a, 3ashara. Phone numbers are read digit by digit. With a counted plural, 3 to 10 drop their final -a: talat kutub (three books), khamas sa3aat (five hours). Prices break that rule, and you'll hear them all day: khamsa gineeh, 3ashara gineeh, with the full number and gineeh staying singular.

Hear it in sentences

كِتَاب وَاحِد.

One book.

تِسْعَة وِعَشَرَة.

Nine and ten.

أَرْبَعَة وِخَمْسَة.

Four and five.

عَشَرَة؟ لَأ، تِسْعَة.

Ten? No, nine.

سِتَّة، سَبْعَة، تَمَانْيَة.

Six, seven, eight.

وَاحِد، اِتْنِين، تَلَاتَة.

One, two, three.

قَلَم وَاحِد وِكُرْسِي وَاحِد.

One pen and one chair.

تَلَاتَة وِسِتَّة يِبْقُوا تِسْعَة.

Three and six make nine.

Words in these sentences

onewaa7edninetes3aten3asharafour'arba3afivekhamsasixsettasevensab3aeighttamanyatwoetneenthreetalaatabookkitaabandwe