Using Numbers in Arabic is an invaluable reference for the intermediate to advanced learner of Arabic. The proper use of numbers can often be perplexing for students of the Arabic language. While most Arabic grammars and textbooks include a chapter or discussion on the topic, that coverage is inadequate for serious students, scholars, and researchers.

This guide shows the reader, using clear explanations and examples, exactly how to use cardinal and ordinal numbers in Arabic, from one to the billions and beyond. Each entry features a brief description in English followed by examples in Arabic from actual written and recorded texts; each example is also accompanied by an English translation. All information is based on real-world practice, with helpful citations from literature and media to illustrate each principle. In a second section, the author covers useful number-related topics, such as dates, times, fractions, decimals, and percentages, as well as basic arithmetic functions. While focusing on Modern Standard Arabic, the volume also covers Classical Arabic and describes and illustrates differences between classical and modern practice. The volume’s glossary, bibliography, and index will also be useful to students.

Using Numbers in Arabic is a handy addition to the reference shelf of every serious student of the Arabic language, and it will be welcomed by native speakers with fluency in English interested in a reference on how to render numbers correctly.

Jamal Ali is associate professor of Arabic at the University of Southern California. He has taught Arabic at numerous American universities, is the author of Language and Heresy in Ismaili Thought, and coauthor of Arabi Liblib, a three-volume reference series aimed at the advanced learner of Colloquial Egyptian Arabic.

IntroductionTransliteration TablePart I: Cardinal and Ordinal NumbersPart II: Other Number TopicsGlossary—EnglishGlossary—ArabicBibliography