Breakdown of في الفريق أحد عشر لاعبا.
الal
the
فيfî
in / about, regarding
فريقfarîq
team
لاعبlâ'ib
player
أحد عشرahada 'ashara
eleven
Questions & Answers about في الفريق أحد عشر لاعبا.
Why is the word for players singular (لاعبا) when there are eleven of them?
How is the number eleven (أحد عشر) formed here?
Numbers from 11 to 19 are compound numbers made of two words: the unit and the ten. أحد is a special form of 'one' and عشر means 'ten'. For 11 and 12, both parts match the gender of the noun. Because لاعبا (player) is masculine, both parts of أحد عشر are masculine.
Where is the word for 'there are' in this sentence?
Arabic doesn't have a direct verb for 'there is' or 'there are'. Instead, starting a sentence with a prepositional phrase like في الفريق (in the team) implies existence. Literally, the sentence reads 'In the team [are] eleven players'.
Would the number change if the sentence was about female players?
Yes! Because the numbers 11 and 12 fully match the gender of the noun they count, you would use the feminine form إحدى عشرة if you were counting female players (لاعبة).
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