Syrian Numbers 1-10, 1-100 & Prices

Quick answer In Syrian Arabic you count 1 to 10 as wahed, tnein, tlate, arbaʿa, khamse, sette, sabʿa, tmanye, tesʿa, ʿashra (واحد، تنين، تلاتة، أربعة، خمسة، ستة، سبعة، تمانية، تسعة، عشرة). 11 to 19 end in -aʿsh (hdaʿsh, tnaʿsh), the tens end in -in (ʿeshrin, tlatin), and from 21 on the unit comes first: 21 is wahed w ʿeshrin. Syria writes the digits as ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥, left to right like ours.

Syrian numbers 1 to 10: how do you count in Syrian Arabic?

These are the numbers you will hear in Damascus, with the Arabic digits Syria prints on price tags, banknotes and bus numbers. Say them out loud until they come without thinking; every larger number is built from these ten.

Two traps with the digits: ٦ looks like a 7 but is 6, and ٠ is a dot while ٥ is a small circle. Multi-digit numbers are written left to right exactly like ours, so ٢٥ is 25.

Numbers 11 to 100 and beyond in Syrian Arabic

Eleven to nineteen all end in -aʿsh, the tens all end in -in. From 21 upwards the unit comes first: 21 is literally "one and twenty", wahed w ʿeshrin.

Examples: 35 is khamse w tlatin, 105 is miyye w khamse, 224 is mitein w arbaʿa w ʿeshrin, 2026 is alfein w sette w ʿeshrin. Before a noun, 100 shortens to mit (mit lira, a hundred pounds) and 11 to 19 add -ar (khamstaʿshar lira, fifteen pounds). Thousands matter in Syria, because prices are usually quoted in thousands of lira: khams t-alaf is 5000, tnaʿshar alf is 12,000.

How do you ask "how much?" in Syrian Arabic?

The key word is ʾaddeish? (قديش؟). Point and say ʾaddeish hada? (how much is this?), or ask ʾaddeish haʾʾo? (how much does it cost?). The seller answers with be, "for": el-kilo be-alfein, the kilo is two thousand. If it is ghali ktir (too expensive), ask fi hasm? (is there a discount?) or offer a price with khallih be … (make it …). The same word tells the time: ʾaddeish es-saʿa? is "what time is it?", answered with es-saʿa tlate w nos (half past three).

How are Syrian numbers different from Standard Arabic and Egyptian?

Damascus drops the "th" sounds of Modern Standard Arabic: thalatha becomes tlate, ithnan becomes tnein, thamaniya becomes tmanye, and many final -a sounds turn into -e (khamse, sette). Lebanese and Palestinian numbers are almost the same, so these work across the Levant. Egyptian is the odd one out: 11 to 19 end in -tashar (hidashar instead of hdaʿsh) and 2 is itnein.

The counting rule in one paragraph

With 1 the noun stays singular and the number follows it (ktab wahed, one book). With 2 the noun takes the dual ending -ein (yomein, two days). From 3 to 10 you use a short number plus the plural (tlat kotob, three books). From 11 the noun is singular again (ʿeshrin yom, twenty days). In a café you simply say tnein ʾahwe, two coffees. Exercise 1 on the sheet drills all four cases.

The PDF adds a fruit-stall dialogue, price tags, clock faces and a haggling role-play for two. If you are new to Syrian Arabic, start with greetings; to ask "how many?" in a full sentence, continue with pronouns and question words. More useful lines for the market are in essential Arabic phrases for travelers, and the whole series is on the Levantine Arabic worksheets page.

What's inside the PDF

• Numbers 0 to 10, 11 to 19, tens, hundreds and thousands as a visual grid: Arabic digit, Arabic script and Damascus pronunciation side by side
• How compound numbers are built (wahed w ʿeshrin), the -ar before a noun (khamstaʿshar lira) and the t-alaf thousands that Syrian prices need
• The counting rule in one table: singular, dual, plural after 3 to 10, singular again after 11, plus the café exception (tnein ʾahwe)
• 12 phrases for prices and haggling (ʾaddeish?, ghali ktir!, fi hasm?) and a fruit-stall dialogue in Damascus to read in pairs
• Telling the time with w and illa, the days of the week and the time words you need every day
• Six exercises with points, including price tags, clock faces and a haggling role-play with seller and buyer cards, plus answer key and teacher notes

How to use it on your own

Say every number in sections A and B out loud until you can count to 20 and in tens to 100 without looking, then practise thousands with real prices. Read the counting rule and test yourself with objects on your desk. Read the fruit-stall dialogue as both speakers. For the role-play, play both parts yourself out loud if you have no partner. Always say the answer before you write it.

How to use it in class

Fits a 45 to 60 minute lesson, or a 30-minute version with section A, the counting rule and the role-play. The counting rule (section C) is the grammar point of this sheet: drill it with real objects in the room before the exercises. Ex. 5, the haggling role-play, is the centrepiece: pairs play it twice so both roles are covered, Arabic numbers only, and the seller keeps the minimum column secret. Points fields on every exercise, answer key on the last page.

Preview

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say the numbers 1 to 10 in Syrian Arabic?

wahed (1), tnein (2), tlate (3), arbaʿa (4), khamse (5), sette (6), sabʿa (7), tmanye (8), tesʿa (9), ʿashra (10). Zero is sefr. Standard Arabic says ithnan, thalatha and thamaniya; Damascus drops the "th" and turns many final -a sounds into -e.

How do you count to 100 in Syrian Arabic?

Learn 1 to 10, then 11 to 19, which all end in -aʿsh (hdaʿsh, tnaʿsh, tlettaʿsh), and the tens, which end in -in: ʿeshrin, tlatin, arbʿin, khamsin, settin, sabʿin, tmanin, tesʿin, miyye (100). Everything in between is unit + w + ten: 45 is khamse w arbʿin, 99 is tesʿa w tesʿin.

How do you ask how much something costs in Syrian Arabic?

ʾaddeish? (قديش؟) is "how much?". Point and say ʾaddeish hada? (how much is this?), or ʾaddeish haʾʾo? (how much does it cost?). The answer often comes with be, "for": el-kilo be-alfein, the kilo is two thousand. Prices are in Syrian pounds, lira, and usually in thousands.

Are Syrian numbers different from Lebanese or Egyptian numbers?

Syrian and Lebanese numbers are almost identical; Palestinian ones too. Egyptian is more different: 11 to 19 end in -tashar instead of -aʿsh (Egyptian hidashar, Syrian hdaʿsh), 2 is itnein instead of tnein, and the final -a stays -a (khamsa, not khamse).

How do you tell the time in Syrian Arabic?

Ask ʾaddeish es-saʿa? and answer with es-saʿa plus the number: es-saʿa khamse (five o'clock), khamse w nos (half past five), khamse w rebʿ (quarter past), sette illa rebʿ (quarter to six). One o'clock is es-saʿa wahde, with the feminine form.

Is this numbers worksheet free?

Yes. Download the PDF, print it and copy it as often as you like for personal use and in class. Please keep the Yallah Speak credit in the footer.