What does "two" mean in Arabic?
The number is اِثْنَان (ithnān) for masculine things and اِثْنَتَان (ithnatān) for feminine things. After a preposition, or as the object of a verb, the ending changes to -ayni: اِثْنَيْنِ (ithnayni) and اِثْنَتَيْنِ (ithnatayni). These are the forms for counting, for answering "how many?", and for "two" standing on its own: كم عددهم؟ اثنان (how many are they? two).
Here Arabic is different from English. English puts the number before a plural noun: "two books." Arabic has three numbers, singular, dual and plural, and "two books" is simply the dual noun: كِتَابَان (kitābān). The numeral اثنان is not needed, and it is not put in front of a plural: *اثنان كتب is wrong. The numeral appears beside a dual noun only when the speaker wants to stress it, "two books, exactly two": كتابان اثنان. So the word of this lesson works in a few places: alone, in arithmetic and counting, after a dual noun for emphasis, before a partitive ("two of the students": اثنان من الطلاب), in the numbers twelve and twenty-two and the like, and in the name of a day of the week.
The word is built on the root ث ن ي (th-n-y), whose basic idea is "to fold, to double, to repeat." The simple verb ثَنَى (thanā) is "he folded, he bent"; ثَانٍ (thānin) is "second"; مُثَنَّى (muthannā) is the grammarians' own name for the dual, "the doubled form"; and ثُنَائِيّ (thunāʾī) is "two-part, binary, a duo." The first letter of اثنان is a hamzat al-waṣl: the alif is pronounced only at the start of an utterance, and after a word it is silent (جاء اثنان, "jāʾa-thnān").
The week gives the word a second life. Monday is الاثنين (al-ithnayn), "the second day," because the Arabic week begins on Sunday, الأحد (al-aḥad), "the first." Tuesday is الثلاثاء (ath-thulāthāʾ). "On Monday" is يوم الاثنين (yawma al-ithnayn).
- اِثْنَان / اِثْنَتَان (ithnān / ithnatān) = "two" (m. / f.); after a preposition or as an object اِثْنَيْنِ / اِثْنَتَيْنِ (ithnayni / ithnatayni) - "Two things" is a dual noun, not a numeral plus a plural: كتابان, not *اثنان كتب. The numeral follows the dual noun only to stress it: كتابان اثنان - The numeral "two" agrees with the thing counted in gender, the same gender, unlike 3 to 10: رجلان اثنان, امرأتان اثنتان - "Two of the…" = اثنان من + a definite plural: اثنان من الطلاب - "Twelve" is اثنا عشر (m.) / اثنتا عشرة (f.), and the counted noun is singular and accusative: اثنا عشر كتاباً - "Twenty-two" puts the unit first: اثنان وعشرون عاماً - "Monday" is الاثنين, and "on Monday" is يوم الاثنين - "One of the two" is أحد الاثنين (f. إحدى الاثنتين); "two by two" is اثنين اثنين - The alif of اثنان is silent after another word: "jāʾa-thnān"
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58.1a كم how-many عددهم their-number اثنان two
58.1b kam (kam) how-many ʿadadu-hum (ʿa-DA-du-hum) number-NOM-their ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM
58.2a عندي I-have أخوان two-brothers اثنان two
58.2b ʿindī (ʿIN-dee) I-have akhawāni (a-kha-WAA-ni) brothers-DU.M.NOM ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM
58.3a اثنان two واثنان and-two أربعة four
58.3b ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM wa-thnāni (wath-NAA-ni) and-two-M.NOM arbaʿatun (ar-BA-ʿa-tun) four-M.NOM
58.4a جاء came اثنان two من from الطلاب the-students
58.4b jāʾa (JAA-ʾa) came-PAST.3M.SG ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM mina (MI-na) from aṭ-ṭullābi (aṭ-ṭul-LAA-bi) the-students-M.PL.GEN
58.5a أريد I-want قهوتين two-coffees اثنتين two
58.5b urīdu (u-REE-du) I-want-PRES.1SG qahwatayni (qah-wa-TAY-ni) coffees-DU.F.ACC ithnatayni (ith-na-TAY-ni) two-F.ACC
58.6a نبدأ we-begin العمل the-work يوم day الاثنين the-Monday صباحاً in-the-morning
58.6b nabdaʾu (NAB-da-ʾu) we-begin-PRES.1PL al-ʿamala (al-ʿA-ma-la) the-work-ACC yawma (YAW-ma) day-ACC.ADV.CONSTRUCT al-ithnayni (al-ith-NAY-ni) the-Monday-GEN ṣabāḥan (ṣa-BAA-ḥan) morning-ACC.ADV
58.7a قرأت I-read اثني two عشر ten كتاباً book هذه this السنة the-year
58.7b qaraʾtu (qa-RAʾ-tu) I-read-PAST.1SG ithnay (ITH-nay) two-M.ACC ʿashara (ʿA-sha-ra) ten-M kitāban (ki-TAA-ban) book-ACC.SG hādhihi (HAA-dhi-hi) this-F.SG as-sanata (as-SA-na-ta) the-year-F.ACC
58.8a السر the-secret بين between اثنين two يبقى remains سراً a-secret
58.8b as-sirru (as-SIR-ru) the-secret-NOM bayna (BAY-na) between-ACC ithnayni (ith-NAY-ni) two-M.GEN yabqā (YAB-qaa) remains-PRES.3M.SG sirran (SIR-ran) secret-ACC
58.9a وصل arrived إلى to المطار the-airport اثنان two من from أصدقائي my-friends
58.9b waṣala (WA-ṣa-la) arrived-PAST.3M.SG ilā (i-LAA) to al-maṭāri (al-ma-ṬAA-ri) the-airport-GEN ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM min (min) from aṣdiqāʾī (aṣ-di-QAA-ʾee) friends-GEN-my
58.10a اشترت bought أمي my-mother اثنتي two عشرة ten بيضة egg
58.10b ishtarat (ISH-ta-rat) bought-PAST.3F.SG ummī (UM-mee) mother-NOM-my ithnatay (ITH-na-tay) two-F.ACC ʿashrata (ʿASH-ra-ta) ten-F bayḍatan (BAY-ḍa-tan) egg-F.ACC.SG
58.11a قال said أحد one الاثنين the-two لصاحبه to-his-friend لن never أذهب I-go وحدي alone-my
58.11b qāla (QAA-la) said-PAST.3M.SG aḥadu (A-ḥa-du) one-NOM.CONSTRUCT al-ithnayni (al-ith-NAY-ni) the-two-M.GEN li-ṣāḥibi-hi (li-ṢAA-ḥi-bi-hi) to-friend-GEN-his lan (lan) NEG.FUT adhhaba (ADH-ha-ba) I-go-SUBJ.1SG waḥdī (WAḤ-dee) alone-ACC-my
58.12a دخل entered الغرفة the-room رجلان two-men اثنان two وجلسا and-sat قرب near النافذة the-window
58.12b dakhala (DA-kha-la) entered-PAST.3M.SG al-ghurfata (al-GHUR-fa-ta) the-room-F.ACC rajulāni (ra-ju-LAA-ni) men-DU.M.NOM ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM wa-jalasā (wa-JA-la-saa) and-sat-PAST.3M.DU qurba (QUR-ba) near-ACC an-nāfidhati (an-NAA-fi-dha-ti) the-window-F.GEN
58.13a لا not يمكن possible فتح opening هذه this الخزنة the-safe إلا except بمفتاحين with-two-keys اثنين two
58.13b lā (laa) NEG yumkinu (YUM-ki-nu) is-possible-PRES.3M.SG fatḥu (FAT-ḥu) opening-NOM.CONSTRUCT hādhihi (HAA-dhi-hi) this-F.SG al-khaznati (al-KHAZ-na-ti) the-safe-F.GEN illā (il-LAA) except bi-miftāḥayni (bi-mif-taa-ḤAY-ni) with-keys-DU.M.GEN ithnayni (ith-NAY-ni) two-M.GEN
58.14a أخي my-brother أكبر older مني than-me عمره his-age اثنان two وعشرون and-twenty عاماً year
58.14b akhī (A-khee) brother-NOM-my akbaru (AK-ba-ru) older-NOM minnī (MIN-nee) than-me ʿumru-hu (ʿUM-ru-hu) age-NOM-his ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM wa-ʿishrūna (wa-ʿish-ROO-na) and-twenty-NOM ʿāman (ʿAA-man) year-ACC.SG
58.15a إذا if كانوا they-were ثلاثة three فلا then-not يتناجى whisper اثنان two دون without الثالث the-third
58.15b idhā (I-dhaa) if kānū (KAA-noo) were-PAST.3M.PL thalāthatan (tha-LAA-tha-tan) three-ACC fa-lā (fa-LAA) then-NEG.PROH yatanājā (ya-ta-NAA-jaa) whisper-PRES.3M.SG ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM dūna (DOO-na) without-ACC ath-thālithi (ath-THAA-li-thi) the-third-GEN
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58.1 كم عددهم؟ اثنان. — kam ʿadaduhum? ithnān. — "How many are they? Two."
58.2 عندي أخوان اثنان. — ʿindī akhawān ithnān. — "I have two brothers."
58.3 اثنان واثنان أربعة. — ithnān wa-thnān arbaʿa. — "Two and two are four."
58.4 جاء اثنان من الطلاب. — jāʾa ithnān min aṭ-ṭullāb. — "Two of the students came."
58.5 أريد قهوتين اثنتين. — urīdu qahwatayn ithnatayn. — "I would like two coffees." (the dual with the numeral added, to be sure)
58.6 نبدأ العمل يوم الاثنين صباحاً. — nabdaʾu al-ʿamal yawma al-ithnayn ṣabāḥan. — "We begin work on Monday morning."
58.7 قرأت اثني عشر كتاباً هذه السنة. — qaraʾtu ithnay ʿashara kitāban hādhihi as-sana. — "I read twelve books this year."
58.8 السر بين اثنين يبقى سراً. — as-sirr bayna ithnayn yabqā sirran. — "A secret between two stays a secret." (a constructed sentence, not a proverb)
58.9 وصل إلى المطار اثنان من أصدقائي. — waṣala ilā al-maṭār ithnān min aṣdiqāʾī. — "Two of my friends arrived at the airport."
58.10 اشترت أمي اثنتي عشرة بيضة. — ishtarat ummī ithnatay ʿashrata bayḍa. — "My mother bought twelve eggs."
58.11 قال أحد الاثنين لصاحبه: «لن أذهب وحدي». — qāla aḥad al-ithnayn li-ṣāḥibihi: "lan adhhaba waḥdī." — "One of the two said to his friend: 'I will not go alone.'"
58.12 دخل الغرفة رجلان اثنان وجلسا قرب النافذة. — dakhala al-ghurfa rajulān ithnān wa-jalasā qurba an-nāfidha. — "Two men came into the room and sat near the window."
58.13 لا يمكن فتح هذه الخزنة إلا بمفتاحين اثنين. — lā yumkinu fatḥ hādhihi al-khazna illā bi-miftāḥayn ithnayn. — "This safe cannot be opened except with two keys."
58.14 أخي أكبر مني، عمره اثنان وعشرون عاماً. — akhī akbaru minnī, ʿumruhu ithnān wa-ʿishrūna ʿāman. — "My brother is older than I am; he is twenty-two years old."
58.15 «إذا كانوا ثلاثة فلا يتناجى اثنان دون الثالث». — idhā kānū thalāthatan fa-lā yatanājā ithnān dūna ath-thālith. — "If they are three, two must not whisper apart from the third." (a saying of the Prophet, in the wording of the Ṣaḥīḥ of al-Bukhārī)
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58.1 كم عددهم؟ اثنان.
58.2 عندي أخوان اثنان.
58.3 اثنان واثنان أربعة.
58.4 جاء اثنان من الطلاب.
58.5 أريد قهوتين اثنتين.
58.6 نبدأ العمل يوم الاثنين صباحاً.
58.7 قرأت اثني عشر كتاباً هذه السنة.
58.8 السر بين اثنين يبقى سراً.
58.9 وصل إلى المطار اثنان من أصدقائي.
58.10 اشترت أمي اثنتي عشرة بيضة.
58.11 قال أحد الاثنين لصاحبه: «لن أذهب وحدي».
58.12 دخل الغرفة رجلان اثنان وجلسا قرب النافذة.
58.13 لا يمكن فتح هذه الخزنة إلا بمفتاحين اثنين.
58.14 أخي أكبر مني، عمره اثنان وعشرون عاماً.
58.15 «إذا كانوا ثلاثة فلا يتناجى اثنان دون الثالث».
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1. The forms. "Two" has a masculine and a feminine, and each has two cases. The nominative has the ending -āni, and the accusative and genitive have -ayni. The endings are those of the dual. - Masculine: اِثْنَانِ (ithnāni), nominative; اِثْنَيْنِ (ithnayni), accusative and genitive - Feminine: اِثْنَتَانِ (ithnatāni), nominative; اِثْنَتَيْنِ (ithnatayni), accusative and genitive - With the article: الاثنان (al-ithnān), "the two (m.)"; الاثنتان (al-ithnatān), "the two (f.)"; the oblique الاثنين (al-ithnayn), الاثنتين (al-ithnatayn). In 58.26 of the genre section, الاثنتين means "the two (paintings)."
At the end of a phrase the final short vowel is not pronounced, and the word is said "ithnān," "ithnayn." That is why Section B writes it so.
2. "Two" is a dual, so the noun is a dual. In Arabic, two of anything is the dual of the noun. The ending is -āni (nominative) or -ayni (accusative and genitive), and for a feminine in -a the tāʾ marbūṭa becomes an ordinary tāʾ before it. - كتاب → كتابان (kitābān), "two books"; كتابين (kitābayn) after a preposition or as an object - مدرسة → مدرستان (madrasatān), "two schools"; مدرستين (madrasatayn) - أخ → أخوان (akhawān), "two brothers"; ابن → ابنان (ibnān), "two sons" - رجل → رجلان (rajulān), "two men" (58.12); لوحة → لوحتان (lawḥatān), "two paintings" (58.25)
With a dual, the numeral is not needed: "I have two brothers" is عندي أخوان. The numeral is added for stress: عندي أخوان اثنان (58.2), "I have two brothers, two and not more." The numeral stands after the noun, like an adjective, and takes the same case: رجلان اثنان, بمفتاحين اثنين (58.13).
3. The numeral agrees in gender. The numbers one and two agree with the thing counted: masculine with masculine, feminine with feminine (the numbers 3 to 10 take the opposite gender, but not "two"). So قهوتين اثنتين (58.5), لوحتان اثنتان (58.25), but رجلان اثنان (58.12). When there is no noun, the speaker picks the gender of the thing in mind: اثنان for people or masculine things, اثنتان for feminine things.
4. "Two" standing alone. The numeral is used without a noun in the following places. - Answering "how many?": كم عددهم؟ اثنان (58.1) - Counting and arithmetic: اثنان واثنان أربعة (58.3), "two and two are four." "Two times twelve" is اثنان في اثني عشر (58.22), where في means "times." - A person among people: اثنان من الطلاب (58.4), "two of the students." The partitive is من + a definite plural, and the numeral is the subject: جاء اثنان من الطلاب. It is not *اثنان طلاب. - "The two": الاثنان (al-ithnān) points back to two things already mentioned: رسم الفنان الاثنتين (58.27), "the artist painted the two." - "One of the two": أحد الاثنين (aḥad al-ithnayn, 58.11) for masculine, and إحدى الاثنتين (iḥdā al-ithnatayn) for feminine. The first word is in construct with the second, and the second is genitive. "One of them (two)" is أحدهما (aḥaduhumā), feminine إحداهما (iḥdāhumā). - "Between two": بين اثنين (58.8). The preposition بين needs two things or more, and it takes the oblique case. "Between the two" is بين الاثنين, f. بين الاثنتين (58.26). - "Every two": كل اثنين (58.28), "every two people," with كل in construct before the indefinite genitive.
5. "Two by two." The distributive is the numeral repeated in the accusative: اثنين اثنين (ithnayn ithnayn). It acts as an adverb of manner: يصعدون إلى الحافلة اثنين اثنين (58.19), "they get on the bus two by two." Feminine is اثنتين اثنتين.
6. Twelve. In the numbers 11 and 12 both parts of the compound agree with the thing counted in gender, and the counted noun is singular and accusative. - Masculine: اثنا عشر (ithnā ʿashara), nominative; اثني عشر (ithnay ʿashara), accusative and genitive - Feminine: اثنتا عشرة (ithnatā ʿashrata), nominative; اثنتي عشرة (ithnatay ʿashrata), accusative and genitive - The first part declines like a dual (-ā in the nominative, -ay in the others), but the nūn is dropped, as it is in every construct. The second part never changes, and it stays on the fatḥa. - اثنا عشر تلميذاً (58.18), "twelve pupils"; قرأت اثني عشر كتاباً (58.7); اشترت أمي اثنتي عشرة بيضة (58.10)
7. Twenty-two and the other tens. The unit comes first, then و, then the ten, in Arabic as in older English ("two and twenty"). The unit agrees in gender with the thing counted. The ten has the sound plural ending: -ūna in the nominative, -īna in the others. The counted noun is singular and accusative. - اثنان وعشرون عاماً (58.14), "twenty-two years" - بعد اثنتين وأربعين دقيقة (58.23), "after forty-two minutes," where the numeral is genitive after بعد and the noun stays accusative - Feminine nominative: اثنتان وعشرون
8. The days. The names of the first days of the week are ordinal in meaning: الأحد (al-aḥad), "Sunday" ("the one"), الاثنين (al-ithnayn), "Monday" ("the two"), الثلاثاء (ath-thulāthāʾ), "Tuesday." The name of Monday keeps its -ayn form in every position. "On Monday" is يوم الاثنين (yawma al-ithnayn, 58.6), with يوم in the accusative as an adverb of time, or في يوم الاثنين (58.16), with يوم in the genitive after في. "Next Monday" is يوم الاثنين القادم, and "the following Monday" is يوم الاثنين التالي (58.29).
9. Verbs and pronouns with a dual subject. The dual runs through the whole sentence. - Pronouns: هما (humā), "they two" (m. and f.); أنتما (antumā), "you two"; the suffix -humā: كتابهما (kitābuhumā), "their (two) book"; -kumā: كتابكما, "your (two) book." The suffix on a verb: فكذبوهما (fa-kadhdhabūhumā), "so they denied the two" (Section F). - The verb after the subject: past ذهبا (dhahabā), "the two (m.) went"; ذهبتا (dhahabatā), "the two (f.) went"; present يذهبان (yadhhabāni), "the two (m.) go"; تذهبان (tadhhabāni), "the two (f.) go" and "you two go." In the jussive and subjunctive the nūn falls: لم يكتبا (lam yaktubā, 58.30), "the two did not write." - The verb before the subject: it stays singular, as with any subject that follows: جاء اثنان (58.4), وصل اثنان (58.9), دخل الغرفة رجلان (58.12), يقف اثنان (58.24), but the verb that follows and refers to the dual agrees with it: وجلسا (wa-jalasā, 58.12), "and the two sat." - Adjectives after a dual noun are dual: معلمان جديدان, "two new teachers"; مختلفين in 58.27, "different."
10. "Both." The word كلا (kilā, m.) / كلتا (kiltā, f.) is "both," with the dual: كلاهما (kilāhumā), "both of them (m.)"; كلتاهما (kiltāhumā), "both of them (f.)." It is related in idea to "two," but it is a separate word and is not taught here.
11. A dual is a pair, a plural is three or more. Arabic does not use the plural for two. For two men, say الرجلان (ar-rajulān), not the plural الرجال. The reverse is also true: with three or more the plural must be used, and the numeral comes in front of it: ثلاثة طلاب.
12. Words from the same root. ثانٍ (thānin), "second," fem. ثانية (thāniya), also "a second of time"; ثُنائي (thunāʾī), "two-part, bilateral": حوار ثنائي, "a dialogue between two," and ثنائي اللغة, "bilingual." The third is ثالث (thālith, 58.15 and Section F), built on the same pattern as ثاني.
- Putting اثنان before a plural noun. "Two books" is كتابان, never *اثنان كتب. - Doubling the dual. *اثنان كتابين mixes the two; the numeral follows the noun: كتابان اثنان. - Giving the numeral the wrong gender. The numeral "two" agrees: لوحتان اثنتان, never *لوحتان اثنان. (This is unlike 3 to 10.) - Using the nominative after a preposition. After بين, بـ, من and the like it is اثنين: بين اثنين, never *بين اثنان. - Keeping the nūn in the compound. In "twelve" the nūn of the dual falls: اثنا عشر, never *اثنان عشر. - Using a plural noun after twelve or twenty-two. The counted noun is singular: اثنا عشر كتاباً, never اثنا عشر كتباً; اثنان وعشرون عاماً, never أعواماً. - Reading الاثنين as "the two days." It is the name of Monday. Say يومان (yawmān) for "two days." - Using the plural verb for a dual subject. After the subject: الولدان ذهبا, never *الولدان ذهبوا. Before it: ذهب الولدان. - Dropping the dual nūn in the wrong place. The nūn falls only in a construct: كتابا الطالب (kitābā aṭ-ṭālib), "the two books of the student." Everywhere else it stays: كتابان جديدان. - Pronouncing the opening alif after a word. In جاء اثنان the alif is silent: "jāʾa-thnān," and in بين اثنين it is "bayna-thnayn."
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Arabic is one of the few modern languages that keep the dual alive, and a speaker uses it every day, without noticing it. In news and official writing it is everywhere: الطرفان (aṭ-ṭarafān), "the two parties"; البلدان (al-baladān), "the two countries"; الجانبان, "the two sides"; and بين البلدين, "between the two countries." In these phrases the number is carried by the noun, and the word اثنان is not written at all. The numeral shows up when the count is itself the news: "two killed," "two injured," اثنان من المشتبه بهم, "two of the suspects."
The digit is ٢ in the Arabic-Indic digits used in the eastern Arab countries (٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩), and 2 in the Western digits that the Maghreb prefers. The days of the week are named in a row from Sunday, so Monday is the second. A schedule or a notice that says يوم الاثنين gives a day, not a number, and the word is invariable.
The dialects have their own words for the number, and they differ more here than almost anywhere. Egyptian Arabic says اتنين (itnēn), the Levantine dialects say تنين (tnēn), and Moroccan Arabic says جوج (zūj), from the word for a "pair." The standard اثنين is understood everywhere and is used in news, school and writing. The dual survives in the dialects mostly in a few set uses, for example in the pairs of the body, and for time and money: يومين (yōmēn), "two days"; ساعتين, "two hours."
- اثنان في واحد (ithnān fī wāḥid) — "two in one" - ثنائي اللغة (thunāʾī al-lugha) — "bilingual" - حوار ثنائي (ḥiwār thunāʾī) — "a dialogue between two; a bilateral talk" - كل اثنين (kull ithnayn) — "every two; every second one," as in "every two weeks," كل أسبوعين - أحد الاثنين (aḥad al-ithnayn) — "one of the two" - بين اثنين (bayna ithnayn) — "between two" - يوم الاثنين (yawm al-ithnayn) — "Monday; on Monday" - ثاني اثنين (thānī ithnayn) — "the second of two," a phrase from the Qurʾān (9:40), said of the Prophet and his companion in the cave
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The citation is from the Qurʾān, Sūrat Yā-Sīn (36), verse 14. The verse opens the story of "the people of the town," which verse 13 presents as a parable: messengers came to a town, two first, and then a third. The lesson's word is in the verse, in the accusative, as the object of "We sent." It is chosen because it shows the numeral in the one place where a numeral and a dual meet: اثنين stands for the two messengers, and the dual does not stop there, because the next verb carries the dual pronoun -humā back to them. The verse also has the third, with the ordinal ثالث. The text is given in vowelled script, as it reads in the Arabic Qurʾān, and was checked against two published sources (the Arabic text on quran.com and on surahquran.com), which agree on the words. Commentators differ on who the messengers were and what the town was, and the lesson does not need to settle that. The English is the Latinum Institute's own, kept close to the Arabic.
F.1a إذ when أرسلنا We-sent إليهم to-them اثنين two فكذبوهما so-they-denied-the-two فعززنا so-We-reinforced بثالث with-a-third فقالوا so-they-said إنا indeed-we إليكم to-you مرسلون sent
F.1b idh (idh) when arsalnā (ar-SAL-naa) We-sent-PAST.1PL ilayhimu (i-LAY-hi-mu) to-them-M.PL ithnayni (ith-NAY-ni) two-M.ACC fa-kadhdhabūhumā (fa-kadh-dha-BOO-hu-maa) so-denied-PAST.3M.PL-them-DU fa-ʿazzaznā (fa-ʿaz-ZAZ-naa) so-reinforced-PAST.1PL bi-thālithin (bi-THAA-li-thin) with-third-GEN fa-qālū (fa-QAA-loo) so-said-PAST.3M.PL innā (in-NAA) indeed-we ilaykum (i-LAY-kum) to-you-M.PL mursalūna (mur-sa-LOO-na) sent-M.PL.NOM
إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمُ اثْنَيْنِ فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَعَزَّزْنَا بِثَالِثٍ فَقَالُوا إِنَّا إِلَيْكُمْ مُرْسَلُونَ
idh arsalnā ilayhimu thnayni fa-kadhdhabūhumā fa-ʿazzaznā bi-thālithin fa-qālū innā ilaykum mursalūna.
"When We sent to them two, and they denied the two, We strengthened them with a third, and they said: 'We have been sent to you.'"
— The Qurʾān, Sūrat Yā-Sīn (36:14), Arabic text (translation: Latinum Institute, kept close to the Arabic)
إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمُ اثْنَيْنِ فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَعَزَّزْنَا بِثَالِثٍ فَقَالُوا إِنَّا إِلَيْكُمْ مُرْسَلُونَ
- إذ أرسلنا (idh arsalnā). "When We sent." إذ (idh) is "when" and introduces a past event. The verb أرسل (arsala) is Form IV of the root ر س ل, "to send," in the first person plural, the "We" of God's speech in the Qurʾān. - إليهم اثنين (ilayhimu ithnayni). "To them, two." The preposition إلى (ilā) becomes إلي- before a pronoun suffix: ilay-him. The vowelled text writes the final mīm with a ḍamma: إِلَيْهِمُ (ilayhimu). The reason is the next word. اثنين begins with a hamzat al-waṣl, and the rule of connected speech is that a final -him takes a ḍamma before it. In recitation it runs on as "ilayhimu-thnayni," and the alif is silent, as Section D said it would be. - اثنين (ithnayni). The lesson's word, the masculine accusative of "two," the direct object of أرسلنا. The noun that the numeral would count, "messengers," is not written: the numeral stands alone for the two. Its ending is -ayni, as Section D (rule 1) sets out. - فكذبوهما (fa-kadhdhabūhumā). "So they denied the two." كذّب (kadhdhaba), Form II, "to call a liar, to deny." The subject is -ū, "they," the people of the town, and the object is the suffix -humā, the dual pronoun, which refers straight back to اثنين. The numeral has been dropped, but the dual is still there: it is carried across the clause by the pronoun, as Section D (rule 9) describes. - فعززنا بثالث (fa-ʿazzaznā bi-thālithin). "So We reinforced with a third." عزّز (ʿazzaza), Form II, "to strengthen." No object is written; the strengthened ones are the two, understood from what has gone before, and a translation has to supply "them." ثالث (thālith) is the ordinal "third," and it is genitive with a tanwīn after the preposition بـ. It is built on the same pattern as ثاني (thānī), "second," from the root of ثلاثة, "three," and it shows how the numbers after "two" are counted: the ordinal is a noun that stands for a person, "a third (messenger)." - فقالوا إنا إليكم مرسلون (fa-qālū innā ilaykum mursalūna). "So they said: 'Indeed we are sent to you.'" إنّا (innā) is إنّ + نا, "indeed we." مرسلون (mursalūna) is the passive participle of أرسل in the sound masculine plural, "sent ones," and it is the predicate of إنّ, so it is nominative. The speakers are the messengers, now three.
The verse is the beginning of a story of a town and its messengers. It counts in a few words: two are sent, they are denied, a third is added, and the three speak together. For a learner of the number "two," it is a small and complete lesson on how Arabic carries a count: the number is said once, as اثنين; the dual is then carried on by a pronoun, فكذبوهما; and the next number comes as an ordinal, بثالث, and the plural, مرسلون, closes the count.
The lesson of Section D, rule 2, that a numeral is not required with a dual noun, is borne out here in one more way. The story needs the numeral because no noun is named: "two" is the whole of the object, and this is the typical place where the numeral appears alone and in the accusative.
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58.16a في in يوم day الاثنين the-Monday تذهب goes مدرستنا our-school إلى to المتحف the-museum
58.16b fī (fee) in yawmi (YAW-mi) day-GEN.CONSTRUCT al-ithnayni (al-ith-NAY-ni) the-Monday-GEN tadhhabu (TADH-ha-bu) goes-PRES.3F.SG madrasatu-nā (mad-ra-SA-tu-naa) school-F.NOM-our ilā (i-LAA) to al-matḥafi (al-MAT-ḥa-fi) the-museum-GEN
58.17a ينتظر wait التلاميذ the-pupils في in الساحة the-yard ومعهم and-with-them معلمان two-teachers اثنان two
58.17b yantaẓiru (yan-TA-ẓi-ru) wait-PRES.3M.SG at-talāmīdhu (at-ta-laa-MEE-dhu) the-pupils-M.PL.NOM fī (fee) in as-sāḥati (as-SAA-ḥa-ti) the-yard-F.GEN wa-maʿa-hum (wa-MA-ʿa-hum) and-with-them muʿallimāni (mu-ʿal-li-MAA-ni) teachers-DU.M.NOM ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM
58.18a يقف stand التلاميذ the-pupils في in صفين two-rows وفي and-in كل every صف row اثنا two عشر ten تلميذاً pupil
58.18b yaqifu (YA-qi-fu) stand-PRES.3M.SG at-talāmīdhu (at-ta-laa-MEE-dhu) the-pupils-M.PL.NOM fī (fee) in saffayni (saf-FAY-ni) rows-DU.M.GEN wa-fī (wa-FEE) and-in kulli (KUL-li) every-GEN.CONSTRUCT saffin (SAF-fin) row-GEN ithnā (ITH-naa) two-M.NOM ʿashara (ʿA-sha-ra) ten-M tilmīdhan (til-MEE-dhan) pupil-ACC.SG
58.19a ويصعدون and-they-board إلى to الحافلة the-bus اثنين two اثنين two
58.19b wa-yaṣʿadūna (wa-yaṣ-ʿa-DOO-na) and-board-PRES.3M.PL ilā (i-LAA) to al-ḥāfilati (al-ḥaa-FI-la-ti) the-bus-F.GEN ithnayni (ith-NAY-ni) two-ACC.DISTR ithnayni (ith-NAY-ni) two-ACC.DISTR
58.20a على on كل every مقعد seat يجلس sits اثنان two
58.20b ʿalā (ʿa-LAA) on kulli (KUL-li) every-GEN.CONSTRUCT maqʿadin (MAQ-ʿa-din) seat-GEN yajlisu (YAJ-li-su) sit-PRES.3M.SG ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM
58.21a يعد counts المعلم the-teacher التلاميذ the-pupils اثنان two أربعة four ستة six ثمانية eight
58.21b yaʿuddu (ya-ʿUD-du) counts-PRES.3M.SG al-muʿallimu (al-mu-ʿAL-li-mu) the-teacher-NOM at-talāmīdha (at-ta-laa-MEE-dha) the-pupils-ACC ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M arbaʿatun (ar-BA-ʿa-tun) four-M sittatun (SIT-ta-tun) six-M thamāniyatun (tha-maa-NI-ya-tun) eight-M
58.22a قال said أحد one التلاميذ the-pupils اثنان two في times-by اثني two عشر ten يساوي equals أربعة four وعشرين and-twenty
58.22b qāla (QAA-la) said-PAST.3M.SG aḥadu (A-ḥa-du) one-NOM.CONSTRUCT at-talāmīdhi (at-ta-laa-MEE-dhi) the-pupils-GEN ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM fī (fee) times-by ithnay (ITH-nay) two-M.GEN ʿashara (ʿA-sha-ra) ten-M yusāwī (yu-SAA-wee) equals-PRES.3M.SG arbaʿatan (ar-BA-ʿa-tan) four-ACC wa-ʿishrīna (wa-ʿish-REE-na) and-twenty-ACC
58.23a وصلنا we-arrived بعد after اثنتين two وأربعين and-forty دقيقة minute
58.23b waṣalnā (wa-ṢAL-naa) we-arrived-PAST.1PL baʿda (BAʿ-da) after-ACC ithnatayni (ith-na-TAY-ni) two-F.GEN wa-arbaʿīna (wa-ar-ba-ʿEE-na) and-forty-GEN daqīqatan (da-QEE-qa-tan) minute-F.ACC.SG
58.24a في in المتحف the-museum يقف stands اثنان two من from الحراس the-guards عند at الباب the-door
58.24b fī (fee) in al-matḥafi (al-MAT-ḥa-fi) the-museum-GEN yaqifu (YA-qi-fu) stands-PRES.3M.SG ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM min (min) from al-ḥurrāsi (al-ḥur-RAA-si) the-guards-M.PL.GEN ʿinda (ʿIN-da) at-ACC al-bābi (al-BAA-bi) the-door-GEN
58.25a في in القاعة the-hall الأولى the-first لوحتان two-paintings اثنتان two لرسام by-painter مشهور famous
58.25b fī (fee) in al-qāʿati (al-QAA-ʿa-ti) the-hall-F.GEN al-ūlā (al-OO-laa) the-first-F.GEN lawḥatāni (law-ḥa-TAA-ni) paintings-DU.F.NOM ithnatāni (ith-na-TAA-ni) two-F.NOM li-rassāmin (li-ras-SAA-min) of-painter-GEN mashhūrin (mash-HOO-rin) famous-GEN
58.26a سألت I-asked المعلم the-teacher ما what الفرق the-difference بين between الاثنتين the-two
58.26b saʾaltu (sa-ʾAL-tu) I-asked-PAST.1SG al-muʿallima (al-mu-ʿAL-li-ma) the-teacher-ACC mā (maa) what al-farqu (al-FAR-qu) the-difference-NOM bayna (BAY-na) between-ACC al-ithnatayni (al-ith-na-TAY-ni) the-two-F.GEN
58.27a أجاب he-answered رسم painted الفنان the-artist الاثنتين the-two في in يومين two-days مختلفين different
58.27b ajāba (a-JAA-ba) answered-PAST.3M.SG rasama (RA-sa-ma) painted-PAST.3M.SG al-fannānu (al-fan-NAA-nu) the-artist-NOM al-ithnatayni (al-ith-na-TAY-ni) the-two-F.ACC fī (fee) in yawmayni (yaw-MAY-ni) days-DU.M.GEN mukhtalifayni (mukh-ta-li-FAY-ni) different-DU.M.GEN
58.28a بعد after الزيارة the-visit أكلنا we-ate في in المطعم the-restaurant وطلب and-ordered كل every اثنين two منا of-us طبقاً dish واحداً one
58.28b baʿda (BAʿ-da) after-ACC az-ziyārati (az-zi-YAA-ra-ti) the-visit-F.GEN akalnā (a-KAL-naa) we-ate-PAST.1PL fī (fee) in al-maṭʿami (al-MAṬ-ʿa-mi) the-restaurant-GEN wa-ṭalaba (wa-ṬA-la-ba) and-ordered-PAST.3M.SG kullu (KUL-lu) every-NOM.CONSTRUCT ithnayni (ith-NAY-ni) two-M.GEN minnā (min-NAA) of-us ṭabaqan (ṬA-ba-qan) dish-ACC wāḥidan (WAA-ḥi-dan) one-M.ACC
58.29a كتبنا we-wrote عن about الرحلة the-trip وسلمنا and-we-handed-in ما what كتبنا we-wrote يوم day الاثنين the-Monday التالي the-following
58.29b katabnā (ka-TAB-naa) we-wrote-PAST.1PL ʿan (ʿan) about ar-riḥlati (ar-RIḤ-la-ti) the-trip-F.GEN wa-sallamnā (wa-sal-LAM-naa) and-handed-in-PAST.1PL mā (maa) what katabnā (ka-TAB-naa) we-wrote-PAST.1PL yawma (YAW-ma) day-ACC.ADV.CONSTRUCT al-ithnayni (al-ith-NAY-ni) the-Monday-GEN at-tāliya (at-TAA-li-ya) the-following-M.ACC
58.30a قال said المعلم the-teacher اثنان two وعشرون and-twenty منكم of-you كتبوا wrote جيداً well وبقي and-remained اثنان two لم not يكتبا write بعد yet
58.30b qāla (QAA-la) said-PAST.3M.SG al-muʿallimu (al-mu-ʿAL-li-mu) the-teacher-NOM ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM wa-ʿishrūna (wa-ʿish-ROO-na) and-twenty-NOM minkum (min-KUM) of-you-M.PL katabū (KA-ta-boo) wrote-PAST.3M.PL jayyidan (JAY-yi-dan) well-ACC.ADV wa-baqiya (wa-BA-qi-ya) and-remained-PAST.3M.SG ithnāni (ith-NAA-ni) two-M.NOM lam (lam) NEG.PAST yaktubā (YAK-tu-baa) write-JUSS.3M.DU baʿdu (BAʿ-du) yet
58.16 في يوم الاثنين تذهب مدرستنا إلى المتحف. — fī yawmi al-ithnayn tadhhabu madrasatunā ilā al-matḥaf. — "On Monday our school goes to the museum."
58.17 ينتظر التلاميذ في الساحة ومعهم معلمان اثنان. — yantaẓiru at-talāmīdh fī as-sāḥa wa-maʿahum muʿallimān ithnān. — "The pupils wait in the yard, and with them are two teachers."
58.18 يقف التلاميذ في صفين وفي كل صف اثنا عشر تلميذاً. — yaqifu at-talāmīdh fī saffayn wa-fī kulli saff ithnā ʿashara tilmīdhan. — "The pupils stand in two rows, and in each row there are twelve pupils."
58.19 ويصعدون إلى الحافلة اثنين اثنين. — wa-yaṣʿadūna ilā al-ḥāfila ithnayn ithnayn. — "And they get on the bus two by two."
58.20 على كل مقعد يجلس اثنان. — ʿalā kulli maqʿad yajlisu ithnān. — "On each seat two sit."
58.21 يعد المعلم التلاميذ: اثنان، أربعة، ستة، ثمانية. — yaʿuddu al-muʿallim at-talāmīdh: ithnān, arbaʿa, sitta, thamāniya. — "The teacher counts the pupils: two, four, six, eight."
58.22 قال أحد التلاميذ: «اثنان في اثني عشر يساوي أربعة وعشرين». — qāla aḥad at-talāmīdh: "ithnān fī ithnay ʿashara yusāwī arbaʿatan wa-ʿishrīn." — "One of the pupils said: 'Two times twelve is twenty-four.'"
58.23 وصلنا بعد اثنتين وأربعين دقيقة. — waṣalnā baʿda ithnatayn wa-arbaʿīna daqīqa. — "We arrived after forty-two minutes."
58.24 في المتحف يقف اثنان من الحراس عند الباب. — fī al-matḥaf yaqifu ithnān min al-ḥurrās ʿinda al-bāb. — "In the museum two of the guards stand at the door."
58.25 في القاعة الأولى لوحتان اثنتان لرسام مشهور. — fī al-qāʿa al-ūlā lawḥatān ithnatān li-rassām mashhūr. — "In the first hall there are two paintings by a famous painter."
58.26 سألت المعلم: «ما الفرق بين الاثنتين؟» — saʾaltu al-muʿallim: "mā al-farq bayna al-ithnatayn?" — "I asked the teacher: 'What is the difference between the two?'"
58.27 أجاب: «رسم الفنان الاثنتين في يومين مختلفين». — ajāba: "rasama al-fannān al-ithnatayn fī yawmayn mukhtalifayn." — "He answered: 'The artist painted the two on two different days.'"
58.28 بعد الزيارة أكلنا في المطعم وطلب كل اثنين منا طبقاً واحداً. — baʿda az-ziyāra akalnā fī al-maṭʿam wa-ṭalaba kullu ithnayn minnā ṭabaqan wāḥidan. — "After the visit we ate in the restaurant, and every two of us ordered one dish."
58.29 كتبنا عن الرحلة وسلمنا ما كتبنا يوم الاثنين التالي. — katabnā ʿan ar-riḥla wa-sallamnā mā katabnā yawma al-ithnayn at-tāliya. — "We wrote about the trip and handed in what we had written on the following Monday."
58.30 قال المعلم: «اثنان وعشرون منكم كتبوا جيداً وبقي اثنان لم يكتبا بعد». — qāla al-muʿallim: "ithnān wa-ʿishrūna minkum katabū jayyidan wa-baqiya ithnān lam yaktubā baʿdu." — "The teacher said: 'Twenty-two of you have written well, and two have not written yet.'"
58.16 في يوم الاثنين تذهب مدرستنا إلى المتحف.
58.17 ينتظر التلاميذ في الساحة ومعهم معلمان اثنان.
58.18 يقف التلاميذ في صفين وفي كل صف اثنا عشر تلميذاً.
58.19 ويصعدون إلى الحافلة اثنين اثنين.
58.20 على كل مقعد يجلس اثنان.
58.21 يعد المعلم التلاميذ: اثنان، أربعة، ستة، ثمانية.
58.22 قال أحد التلاميذ: «اثنان في اثني عشر يساوي أربعة وعشرين».
58.23 وصلنا بعد اثنتين وأربعين دقيقة.
58.24 في المتحف يقف اثنان من الحراس عند الباب.
58.25 في القاعة الأولى لوحتان اثنتان لرسام مشهور.
58.26 سألت المعلم: «ما الفرق بين الاثنتين؟»
58.27 أجاب: «رسم الفنان الاثنتين في يومين مختلفين».
58.28 بعد الزيارة أكلنا في المطعم وطلب كل اثنين منا طبقاً واحداً.
58.29 كتبنا عن الرحلة وسلمنا ما كتبنا يوم الاثنين التالي.
58.30 قال المعلم: «اثنان وعشرون منكم كتبوا جيداً وبقي اثنان لم يكتبا بعد».
- Who tells it. The narrator is a pupil, one of the twenty-four, who says "we" (وصلنا, أكلنا, كتبنا). In 58.26 the narrator is alone and says "I" (سألت). The teacher in 58.30 speaks to the whole class, so "you" is the masculine plural (منكم, كتبوا), which Arabic uses for a mixed group. - Numbers that fit together. There are two rows of twelve pupils (58.18), so twenty-four, and twenty-four is "two times twelve" (58.22). The class in 58.30 is twenty-two and two, again twenty-four. The two teachers of 58.17 are not counted among the pupils. - The dual noun and the numeral (58.17, 58.25). معلمان اثنان and لوحتان اثنتان are the stressed forms of Section D, rule 2: the dual noun with the numeral after it, agreeing in gender. معلم is masculine, so اثنان; لوحة is feminine, so اثنتان. - صفين and يومين (58.18, 58.27). These are dual nouns with no numeral at all: "two rows," "two days." The reader sees the plain dual in the same text as the stressed one. - The compound numeral as a subject (58.18). In فِي كُلِّ صَفٍّ اثْنَا عَشَرَ تِلْمِيذًا the predicate (فِي كُلِّ صف) comes first and the subject, اثنا عشر, follows in the nominative, with the singular accusative noun after it (Section D, rule 6). - The distributive (58.19). اثنين اثنين is the repeated accusative, "two by two" (Section D, rule 5). It describes how they get on the bus. - كل + the genitive (58.20, 58.28). كل مقعد is "every seat," with the singular indefinite noun in the genitive. كل اثنين منا (58.28) is "every two of us," with the numeral itself in the genitive; the verb that follows, طلب, is singular and masculine, as it agrees with كل. - Counting by twos (58.21). In a spoken list, numbers are not put into a sentence, and so the first, اثنان, is in the nominative. The units in the list are given without the counted noun, in the masculine. - Multiplication (58.22). "A × B" is A في B, and the result is يساوي (yusāwī, "equals") + a number in the accusative. اثنان is the nominative subject, and اثني عشر is genitive after في. The result أربعة وعشرين is accusative, as the object of يساوي. - A number with its noun after بعد (58.23). اثنتين وأربعين is genitive after بعد, because both parts are governed together, and the counted noun دقيقة stays singular and accusative. - The verb before the subject (58.24). يقف stays singular before اثنان. (See Section D, rule 9.) In 58.30 the second verb, لم يكتبا, is dual because it refers back to اثنان after the subject has been named. - A relative clause with no relative word (58.30). وبقي اثنان لم يكتبا: "and there remained two who had not written." The noun اثنان is indefinite, so no الذي is needed before the clause. - الاثنتين (58.26, 58.27). "The two (paintings)," with the article, standing for the two paintings already mentioned in 58.25. It is genitive after بين and accusative as the object of رسم. - يوم الاثنين التالي (58.29). The adjective التالي agrees with يوم, which is accusative, so it is التالي (at-tāliya), and not with الاثنين, which is the name of the day and does not change.
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- IPA: /ʔiθnaːn/ - ا (alif) with kasra = /ʔi/ at the start of an utterance. After a word it is silent (a hamzat al-waṣl): "jāʾa-thnān," "bayna-thnayn." - ث (thāʾ) = /θ/, the th of English think, with the tongue between the teeth. It is not an s and not a t. - ن (nūn) = /n/. The sukūn on the thāʾ closes the first syllable (ith-), and the nūn opens the second. - ا (long ā) = /aː/ and the final ن = /n/: ith-NAA-ni with the case ending, and ith-NAAN at the end of a phrase. - Stress: ith-NAA-ni, on the long vowel. In the feminine, ith-na-TAA-ni; in the oblique cases, ith-NAY-ni and ith-na-TAY-ni; in the compound, ITH-naa ʿA-sha-ra.
- ث /θ/ in ثار (thāra, "he rose up") vs س /s/ in سار (sāra, "he walked"): the first is a soft hiss with the tongue-tip out, the second a hiss with the tongue behind the teeth. - ث /θ/ in ثم (thumma, "then") vs ذ /ð/ in ذم (dhamma, "blame"): both are made with the tongue between the teeth, but the thāʾ is voiceless and the dhāl is voiced, like the th of this. - اثنان (ithnān, "two," nominative) vs اثنين (ithnayn, "two," oblique): the long ā against the diphthong ay, which is all that separates the two cases. - اثنان (ithnān, "two") vs اثنتان (ithnatān, "two," f.): the added -ta- of the feminine.
- ع (ʿayn) /ʕ/ in عدد، عمره، عشر، مدرسة، المعلم: a voiced squeeze made low in the throat, not a glottal stop and not an h. - ح (ḥāʾ) /ħ/ in أحد، الحافلة، لوحتان، المتحف: the whispered h from the throat. - خ (khāʾ) /x/ in أخي، أخوان: the rough sound of Scottish loch. - غ (ghayn) /ɣ/ in الغرفة: a voiced rasp at the back of the mouth, like a gargle. - ق (qāf) /q/ in قهوتين، قال، دقيقة، القاعة: a k made deep at the uvula. - The emphatics ص ض ط ظ in صباحاً، بيضة، الطلاب، المطار، ينتظر (ظ): tongue raised at the back, darkening the neighbouring vowels. - ذ (dhāl) /ð/ in إذا، هذه، تلميذ، النافذة: like the th of English this.
Before sun letters the l of the article assimilates: الثالث → ath-thālith, الطلاب → aṭ-ṭullāb, السر → as-sirr, السنة → as-sana, النافذة → an-nāfidha, الزيارة → az-ziyāra, الرحلة → ar-riḥla, التلاميذ → at-talāmīdh. Before moon letters it does not: الاثنين → al-ithnayn, الاثنتين → al-ithnatayn, المعلم → al-muʿallim, الغرفة → al-ghurfa, المتحف → al-matḥaf, الباب → al-bāb. Dictionaries cite الاثنين as al-ithnayn, and this lesson romanizes it so throughout. After a word, the alif of اثنان and of the article is silent: وصل إلى المطار اثنان → "waṣala ilā-l-maṭāri-thnāni"; بين اثنين → "bayna-thnayni."
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