The Numbers One and Two

The number one

The number one acts like an adjective — it comes after the noun and agrees with the gender of the noun.

ktab waнd — one book (ktab is masculine, so waнd is used)

bnt wнda — one girl (bnt is feminine, so wнda is used)

“Waнd” before a noun

Sometimes waнd appears before a noun. In this situation, it does not mean the number one — it works like the English words a or an.

waнd l-ktab — a book  ·  waнd l-bnt — a girl

The number two

The number juj can be used with a plural noun in two ways:

juj d l-ktub or juj ktub — two books

When two is part of a larger number, such as twenty-two, the form tnayn is used instead of juj.