Breakdown of رقم الرحلة ثمانية.
الal
the
رقمraqm
number
رحلةriħla
trip / journey / flight
ثمانيةthamâniyah
eight
Questions & Answers about رقم الرحلة ثمانية.
Why does the number ثمانية (eight) have a feminine ending?
When reading numbers as labels, IDs, or just reciting counting numbers (bare counting), Arabic uses a default form. For numbers 3 through 10, this default counting form always has the feminine ending (taa marbuuTa). So, "eight" is ثمانية.
Is ثمانية feminine here to match the gender of الرحلة (the flight)?
No, it's not matching the noun! Because we are stating an ID number ("flight number eight") rather than counting a quantity of items ("eight flights"), we just use the default bare counting form. It doesn't matter if the noun before it is masculine or feminine.
Why doesn't the word for "number" (رقم) have الـ (the) at the beginning?
This phrase is a possession structure called an idafa, literally meaning "the number of the flight". In Arabic, the first word in this chain (رقم) never takes الـ (the). Only the second word (الرحلة) takes the الـ to make the whole phrase specific ("the flight number").
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
Arabic doesn't use a word for "is" or "are" in the present tense. You simply state the subject, رقم الرحلة (the flight number), followed immediately by the information about it, ثمانية (eight). The "is" is naturally understood.
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