Learn Farsi: مقطع دوم مهم است. - The second stage is important.

Most ordinal numbers in Farsi are made by adding -om to the regular number (like chaharom for fourth). However, dovvom (second) and sevvom (third) are slight exceptions. An extra "v" sound is added between the number's vowel and the -om ending to make them easier to pronounce.

Why does dovvom come after the noun maghta' here?

When you use ordinal numbers ending in -om (Type 1 ordinals), they act exactly like adjectives. This means they must come after the noun they describe, connected by the invisible Ezafe vowel (pronounced "e"). This gives us maghta'-e dovvom.

If I wanted to say "two stages" instead of "the second stage", would the word order change?

Yes! Regular counting numbers come before the noun, and you do not use the Ezafe connection. "Two stages" would simply be do maghta', whereas "the second stage" is maghta'-e dovvom.

The word maghta' ends in the letter eyn (ع). How does that affect the Ezafe pronunciation?

In modern spoken Farsi, an eyn at the end of a word is usually pronounced as a slight glottal stop (a small catch in your throat, like in "uh-oh"). When you add the Ezafe vowel, it simply flows right after that catch, sounding like maghta'-e.