Breakdown of كانت أول رحلة طيران في عام ألف وتسعمئة وثلاثة.
وwa
and
فيfî
in / about, regarding
عامâmun
year
رحلةriħla
trip / journey / flight
ثلاثةthalâtha
three
أولawwal
first
كانkâna
to be
ألفalf
thousand
طيرانtayarân
aviation
تسعمئةtis'umi'ah
nine hundred
Questions & Answers about كانت أول رحلة طيران في عام ألف وتسعمئة وثلاثة.
How do you read years in Arabic compared to English?
Unlike English, where we usually split years into chunks like "nineteen" and "oh three", Arabic reads the full number out loud. You literally say "one thousand and nine hundred and three" (ألف وتسعمئة وثلاثة). Notice that we use و (and) between every single part of the compound number.
How is the word for "nine hundred" (تسعمئة) formed?
It is a combination of تسع (nine) and مئة (hundred). In Arabic, the hundreds from 300 to 900 are written and pronounced as a single combined word, unlike English where they stay separate.
Why does the number three (ثلاثة) have a feminine ending if the word for year (عام) is masculine?
This is a great reminder of the "reverse gender" rule for numbers 3 through 10. Since the counted noun عام (year) is masculine, the number takes the feminine form ثلاثة (with a Ta' Marbuta). Even though the noun and the number three are separated by "one thousand and nine hundred", the rule still applies to the final digit!
Why is the verb كانت (was) in the feminine form?
The verb needs to agree with the main subject of the sentence. Here, the subject is "the first flight" (أول رحلة). Because the core noun رحلة (flight or trip) is feminine, the verb must be the feminine كانت rather than the masculine كان.
Why do we need the word طيران after رحلة?
The word رحلة on its own just means "trip" or "journey" and could refer to a bus ride or a boat trip. To specify that it is a "flight", Arabic uses an Idafa (possession phrase) that literally translates to "trip of aviation" by adding the word طيران (aviation or flying).
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