Question 1

Why does the sentence use the singular words كلبا (a dog) and قطا (a cat) instead of the plural forms for "dogs" and "cats"?

Accepted Answer

In Arabic, numbers from 11 to 99 are always followed by a singular noun. So, instead of saying "seventeen dogs," the literal Arabic structure is "seventeen dog." Additionally, this noun must be in the accusative case, which adds an "an" sound (tanween fatha) to the end of the word. That's why you see the extra letter alif added at the end of كلبا (kalban) and قطا (qiṭṭan).

Question 2

Why do the numbers for seventeen (سبعة عشر) and eighteen (ثمانية عشر) mix feminine and masculine words?

Accepted Answer

This is a special rule for numbers 13 through 19. The first part of the number takes the opposite gender of the noun being counted, while the "ten" part takes the same gender. Since كلب (dog) and قط (cat) are masculine, the "seven" and "eight" are written in their feminine forms (سبعة, ثمانية), and the "ten" stays masculine (عشر).

Question 3

Will the endings of these numbers change if the sentence structure changes?

Accepted Answer

No. Numbers from 11 to 19 (except for the number 12) have "locked" endings. Both parts of the number will always end with a short "a" sound (fatha), no matter what role they play in the sentence. They will always be pronounced sab'ata 'ashara and thamāniyata 'ashara.

Question 4

Does هناك (hunāka) mean "there" as in pointing to a specific location?

Accepted Answer

While it can be used to point out a location, when هناك is placed at the very beginning of a sentence like this, it is used as an existential phrase meaning "There is" or "There are." Because Arabic doesn't use the verb "to be" in the present tense, هناك does the job of the entire phrase "There are" on its own.

هناك سبعة عشر كلبا وثمانية عشر قطا.

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