Arabic edit

Root
ث ن ي (ṯ-n-y)
Arabic numbers (edit)
20
 ←  1 ٢
2
3  → 
    Cardinal: اِثْنَان (iṯnān)
    Ordinal: ثَانٍ (ṯānin)
    Multiplier: ثُنَائِيّ (ṯunāʔiyy), مُثَنًّى (muṯannan)
    Distributive: ثُنَاءَ (ṯunāʔa), مَثْنَى (maṯnā)
    Fractional: نِصْف (niṣf)

Etymology edit

From Proto-Semitic *ṯin-.

Pronunciation edit

Numeral edit

اِثْنَان (iṯnānm du (oblique اِثْنَيْن (iṯnayn), feminine اِثْنَتَان (iṯnatān) or ثِنْتَان (ṯintān), feminine oblique اِثْنَتَيْن (iṯnatayn) or ثِنْتَيْن (ṯintayn))

  1. two
    رَأَيْتُ رَجُلَيْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ وَٱمْرَأَتَيْنِ ٱثْنَتَيْنِraʔaytu rajulayni ṯnayni wamraʔatayni ṯnatayniI saw [only] two men and two women.

Usage notes edit

  • The cardinal numbers "one" and "two" succeed the modified noun or substantive and agree with its grammatical gender.
  • Adding the cardinal numbers "one" and "two" is optional, since nouns have morphologically singular and dual forms. Thus, when mentioned, it usually implies some emphasis comparable to the addition of only or merely in English.

Declension edit

Descendants edit

  • Egyptian Arabic: اتنين (itnēn)
  • Maltese: tnejn
  • Moroccan Arabic: تنين (tnīn, tnayn)
  • North Levantine Arabic: تنان (tnān)
  • South Levantine Arabic: تنين (tnēn)