Saadia Gaon

[Paul Younan]

The numbers by themselves are without gender, correct? If so, can they obtain gender based upon the nouns that they are phrased with?

Oh, absolutely. In common with other Semitic languages, Aramaic uses a feminine-appearing number with masculine nouns and a masculine-appearing number with feminine nouns.

This phenomenon, known as chiastic concord, applies not only to the numbers from three through ten....but also applies to the units "-three" through "-nine" in all compound numbers. "One" and "Two" are irregular adjectives, and the tens from twenty onwards are invariable.

With masculine nouns:

1 -> khad
2 -> tren
3 -> tlatha
4 -> arba
5 -> khamsha
6 -> eshta
7 -> shaba
8 -> tmanya
9 -> tesh'a
10 -> esra

With feminine nouns:

1 -> khda
2 -> tarten
3 -> tlat
4 -> arba'a
5 - > khamesh
6 -> shet
7 -> sba
8 -> tmane
9 -> tsha
10 -> esar