Question 1

Why does the number four (أربع) not have a feminine ending, but the number five (خمسة) does?

Accepted Answer

This is because of the 'reverse agreement' rule for numbers 3 to 10. The gender of the number must be the opposite of the noun it counts. The singular of ألعاب (toys) is لعبة, which is feminine, so the number takes the masculine form (أربع). The singular of دولارات (dollars) is دولار, which is masculine, so the number takes the feminine form (خمسة).

Question 2

Wait, دولارات (dollars) ends in ـات, which is usually a feminine plural ending. Why is it treated as masculine?

Accepted Answer

When matching numbers to nouns, you always look at the singular form of the noun, never the plural! The singular word دولار (dollar) is masculine. Even though it borrows the feminine-looking ـات suffix to make its plural, its core gender remains masculine. That is why it pairs with the feminine-looking number خمسة.

Question 3

Where is the verb for 'has' in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Arabic doesn't have a direct verb for 'to have'. Instead, it uses the preposition عند (at / with) to show possession. عند الولد literally translates to 'at the boy', which is the standard Arabic way to say 'the boy has'.

Question 4

What grammatical form do the counted nouns ألعاب and دولارات take here?

Accepted Answer

When counting from 3 to 10, the counted noun must always be plural. Because of the rules for these numbers, the nouns are also in the genitive case (the same case used for possession). If you read this sentence with full formal pronunciation, both of these plural nouns end with an 'in' sound (a double kasra): ألعابٍ (al'aabin) and دولاراتٍ (doolaaraatin).

عند الولد أربع ألعاب وخمسة دولارات.

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