Breakdown of أسس الملك الجامعة في عام ألف وتسعمئة وخمسة وثمانين الميلادي.
الal
the
وwa
and
فيfî
in / about, regarding
عامâmun
year
أسسassasa
to establish
خمسةkhamsah
five
ملكmalik
king
ثمانونthamânûna
eighty
جامعةjâmi'a
university
ألفalf
thousand
تسعمئةtis'umi'ah
nine hundred
ميلاديmîlâdî
A.D. (CE)
Questions & Answers about أسس الملك الجامعة في عام ألف وتسعمئة وخمسة وثمانين الميلادي.
Why is the number 1985 read in this specific order (ألف وتسعمئة وخمسة وثمانين)?
In formal Arabic, large numbers like years are read from the largest unit down to the smallest (thousands, then hundreds), but for the final two digits, the units always precede the tens. So 1985 is literally read as 'a thousand, and nine hundred, and five, and eighty'.
Why is the entire number sequence in the genitive case?
The number sequence acts as the possessor (mudaf ilayh) of the word عام (year). Because it is genitive, if you were reading aloud with full formal vowels, each part joined by و (and) takes a genitive ending: ألفٍ, وتسعمئةٍ, and وخمسةٍ.
Why do we say ثمانين (eighty) instead of ثمانون?
Because the entire number sequence is in the genitive case. For 'tens' numbers (20-90), which decline like regular masculine plural nouns, the genitive and accusative ending is ـين, making it ثمانين.
Why does the number five (خمسة) have a feminine ending here?
Numbers 3 through 9 always take the opposite gender of the counted noun. The counted noun here is عام (year), which is masculine. Therefore, 'five' must be the feminine خمسة. If the sentence used the feminine word for year (سنة), you would use the masculine form خمس.
Does the word الميلادي (CE) modify the number 1985 or the word عام (year)?
It modifies عام, meaning 'the Gregorian year'. Because عام is in the genitive case (following the preposition في), masculine, and made definite by the number sequence attached to it, the adjective الميلادي is also masculine, definite, and takes a genitive kasra at the end.
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