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Reading historical years and exact populations aloud in formal Arabic is a pinnacle of grammatical mastery. It requires chaining together rules for case endings, reverse gender agreement, and compound structures. 

### Historical Years: CE and AH

When reciting a year, you generally use the preposition **في** (in) followed by either the masculine **عام** or the feminine **سنة**. Because of the preposition, the entire chain of numbers that follows must drop into the genitive case (مجرور).

- **Thousands and Hundreds:** Take a *kasra* (e.g., ألفِ, مئةِ).
- **Tens (20-90):** Use the genitive/accusative suffix **ـين**.
- **Units (3-9):** Take a *kasra* and must apply **reverse gender agreement** with the word for "year". 

Because **عام** is masculine, the unit digit in a compound year must take the feminine marker (ة).

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There is a strict exception for compound numbers from 11 to 19. These numbers are **indeclinable**—both parts are permanently locked with a *fatha* ending (ـَ), even when they sit in a genitive position like reading a year.

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When using the Islamic calendar, years are cited using the feminine noun **سنة**. Because **سنة** is feminine, reverse agreement dictates that the unit digits (3-9) must drop the feminine marker and appear in their masculine form.

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### Large Populations and Budgets

When citing statistics, large numbers frequently act as the direct object of a verb like **بلغ** (to reach), forcing the number chain into the accusative case (منصوب). The units take a *fatha* (ـَ) or *fathatayn* (ـً), and the tens use the **ـين** suffix.

{{item:1162168}}

However, if the large number is preceded by a preposition, such as **لـ** (for/to), the entire sequence shifts back into the genitive case.

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When compound numbers include the digit 2 (such as 12), the units behave like a dual noun. In the accusative or genitive case, 12 becomes **اثني عشر** (for masculine nouns like ألف).

{{item:1162170}}

The same accusative rules apply when stating large financial figures acting as direct objects. The hundreds (تِسْعَمِئَةٍ: the case goes on تسع, and مئة stays genitive), units (أربعةً), and tens (خمسينَ) must all agree in case.

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### Seeing the endings

This course writes Arabic the way books and newspapers print it, without the short-vowel marks, so the ending this lesson is about is usually something you hear in the audio but cannot see in the drills. Here are some of them with every vowel written out:

| as written | fully vocalized | case of the number |
|---|---|---|
| توفيت العالمة العظيمة في سنة ألف وثلاثمئة وتسع وتسعين الهجرية. | تُوُفِّيَتِ العَالِمَةُ العَظِيمَةُ فِي سَنَةِ أَلْفٍ وَثَلَاثِمِئَةٍ وَتِسْعٍ وَتِسْعِينَ الهِجْرِيَّةِ. | genitive (after سنة) |
| بدأت الحرب العالمية الأولى في عام ألف وتسعمئة وأربعة عشر الميلادي. | بَدَأَتِ الحَرْبُ العَالَمِيَّةُ الأُولَى فِي عَامِ أَلْفٍ وَتِسْعِمِئَةٍ وَأَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ المِيلَادِيِّ. | genitive, but 14 never changes |
| في تلك الحقبة، لم يبلغ عدد السكان سبعة وستين مليون نسمة. | فِي تِلْكَ الحِقْبَةِ، لَمْ يَبْلُغْ عَدَدُ السُّكَّانِ سَبْعَةً وَسِتِّينَ مِلْيُونَ نَسَمَةٍ. | accusative (object) |

After سنة or عام the year is the second half of an idafa, so every part of it takes a kasra: **أَلْفٍ وَثَلَاثِمِئَةٍ وَتِسْعٍ**, and the tens use ـين: **وَتِسْعِينَ**. Fourteen keeps a fatha on both halves, even here: **أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ**. As the object of يبلغ the units take fathatayn, **سَبْعَةً**, and the tens again use ـين: **وَسِتِّينَ**.

Declining large numbers

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

interrogative

noun

numeral

particle

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The definite article and locatives (الـ)

Basic noun gender (ة)

Sun and moon letters

Singular subject pronouns (أنا، أنت، هو، هي)

Indefinite nouns and nominal sentences (ـٌ)

Demonstrative pronouns for 'this' (هذا / هذه)

Separate prepositions (في، من، إلى، على)

Attributive adjectives

Predicative adjectives

Yes/No questions (هل، أ)

Basic questions (من، ما، أين)

Singular possessive pronouns (ـي، ـك، ـه، ـها)

Plural subject pronouns (نحن، أنتم، هم)

Plural possessive pronouns (ـنا، ـكم، ـهم)

Noun possession

Attached prepositions (بـ، لـ، كـ)

Pronouns with prepositions

Having and possessing (عند، لـ، مع)

Regular plural nouns (ـون، ـين، ـات)

Broken plurals

Dual nouns (ـان / ـين)

Plural and distant demonstratives (هؤلاء، ذلك، تلك)

Non-human plural agreement

Present tense singular verbs

Verbal sentences (VSO)

Present tense plural verbs

Topicalized sentences (SVO)

The indefinite accusative case (ـاً)

Verb object pronouns (-ني، -ك، -ه)

Present tense negation (لا)

Question words with verbs (متى، كيف...)

Adverbs of time and place

The future tense (سـ / سوف)

Intentions and desires (أن)

Negating states and possession (ليس)

Past tense singular suffixes

Past tense plural suffixes

Negating past events (ما)

Singular commands

Numbers 1 to 10

Number agreement for 1 and 2 (واحد، اثنان)

Asking how many (كم)

Numbers 3 to 10 (ثلاثة إلى عشرة)

Ordinal numbers 1 to 10 (الأول، الثاني)

Basic conjunctions (فـ، أو، لكن)

Ordering at a café (واحد، اثنان)

Food and drink with conjunctions (و، ف، أو، لكن)

There is and there are (هناك / ليس هناك)

Direct address (يا)

Giving reasons (لأنّ)

Relative pronouns (الذي / التي)

Quantifiers (كل / بعض)

The past tense of 'to be' (كان)

Past possession

Numbers 11 to 19 and tens to 80

Telling time (الساعة)

This book vs this is a book (هذا الكتاب، هذا كتاب)

Greetings (مرحبا، السلام عليكم)

How are you? and goodbye (كيف حالك، مع السلامة)

Nationalities (مصري، مصرية)

Roots and patterns (كتب، كتاب، مكتب)

Politeness (من فضلك، آسف)

Complex possession chains

Colors and traits (أفعل / فعلاء)

Plural colors and traits (فُعْل)

Comparative adjectives (أفعل من)

Superlative adjectives (أفعل)

Adverbs of manner (ـاً)

The nominative case (ـُ)

The genitive case (ـِ)

The accusative case (ـَ)

Dual noun cases (ـان / ـين)

Masculine plurals and 'the best of' (أفضل النجارين)

Emphasizing sentences (إنّ)

Connecting clauses (أنّ)

Reporting speech (قال إنّ)

Expressing contrast (لكنّ)

Comparison and probability (كأنّ, لعلّ)

Distant plural pointing (أولئك)

Plural relative pronouns (الذين, اللواتي)

Past habits (كان + present)

Ongoing actions (ما زال)

Masculine plurals online (مبرمجون، مؤثرون)

Perfective past (قد)

Probability (قد)

The subjunctive mood (أن)

Question	Answer
A.D. (CE)	ميلاديmîlâdî
The king founded the university in the year one thousand, nine hundred and eighty-five CE.	أسس الملك الجامعة في عام ألف وتسعمئة وخمسة وثمانين الميلادي.assasa al-maliku al-jâmi'ata fî 'âmi alfin wa tis'imi'atin wa khamsatin wa thamânîna al-mîlâdiyyi
The first global war began in the year one thousand, nine hundred and fourteen CE.	بدأت الحرب العالمية الأولى في عام ألف وتسعمئة وأربعة عشر الميلادي.bada'ati al-harbu al-âlamiyyatu al-'ûlâ fî âmi alfin wa tis'imi'atin wa arba'ata ashara al-mîlâdiyyi
A.H. (Hijri)	هجريhijrî
The great scientist died in the year one thousand, three hundred and ninety-nine AH.	توفيت العالمة العظيمة في سنة ألف وثلاثمئة وتسع وتسعين الهجرية.tuwuffiyat il-'âlimatu l-'azhîmatu fî sanati alfin wa thalâthi mi'atin wa tis'in wa tis'îna l-hijriyyah
We are now in the year one thousand, four hundred and forty-four AH.	نحن الآن في سنة ألف وأربعمئة وأربع وأربعين الهجرية.nahnu al-ân fî sanati alfin wa-arba'imi'atin wa-arba'in wa-arba'îna al-hijriyyah
the era	حقبةhiqba
to reach (an amount) / to reach (arrive at, attain)	بلغbalagha
person (in population counts)	نسمةnasamah
In that era, the population did not reach sixty-seven million people.	في تلك الحقبة، لم يبلغ عدد السكان سبعة وستين مليون نسمة.fi tilka al-hiqbah, lam yablugh adadu as-sukkani sabatan wa sittina milyuna nasamah
In this era, there is neither injustice nor hunger for one million and five hundred thousand people.	في هذه الحقبة، لا ظلم ولا جوع لمليون وخمسمئة ألف نسمة.fi hâdhihi l-hiqbati, lâ zulma walâ jû'a limilyûnin wa-khamsimi'ati alfi nasamah
The population of the city reached one hundred and twelve thousand people.	بلغ عدد سكان المدينة مئة واثني عشر ألف نسمة.balagha adadu sukkâni al-madînati mi'atan wathnay ashara alfa nasamatin.
We hope that the budget of the project reaches nine hundred and fifty-four thousand dollars.	عسى أن تبلغ ميزانية المشروع تسعمئة وأربعة وخمسين ألف دولار.asâ an tablugha mîzâniyyatu al-mashrûi tisami'atin wa-arbaatan wa-khamsîna alfa dûlârin.

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