Numbers

12 phrases · Central Kurdish (Sorani) with romanization, English and audio

  1. یەک، دوو، سێ، چوار، پێنج

    Yek, dû, sê, çwar, pênc

    One, two, three, four, five

    Usage

    Counting from one to five; the basics for prices and quantities

    Grammar Note

    Numerals come before the noun, which stays singular (دوو کەس 'two people'). دوو has a long û, written وو.

  2. شەش، حەوت، هەشت، نۆ، دە

    Şeş, ḧewt, heşt, no, de

    Six, seven, eight, nine, ten

    Usage

    Counting from six to ten

    Grammar Note

    In حەوت the ح is the pharyngeal h (ḧ). In نۆ the letter ۆ is the vowel o.

  3. یازدە، دوازدە، سیازدە

    Yazde, dwazde, syazde

    Eleven, twelve, thirteen

    Usage

    Eleven to thirteen, used for times and quantities

    Grammar Note

    11 to 19 are built from the unit plus دە (ten). سیازدە is a shortened form of سێ + دە.

  4. بیست، سی، چل، پەنجا، سەد

    Bîst, sî, çil, penca, sed

    Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred

    Usage

    Larger numbers needed at markets and when bargaining

    Grammar Note

    Numbers above twenty join tens and units with و 'and' (بیست و یەک '21'). The short i in چل is not written.

  5. هەزار، دوو هەزار، سەد هەزار

    Hezar, dû hezar, sed hezar

    One thousand, two thousand, one hundred thousand

    Usage

    Large numbers for prices such as amounts in dinars

    Grammar Note

    Multiples are number + هەزار (دوو هەزار), and هەزار takes no plural ending.

  6. سێیەم

    Sêyem

    Third

    Usage

    For order or sequence, such as the third exit

    Grammar Note

    Ordinals are the cardinal plus -em (سێ → سێیەم); a y glide appears after a vowel.

  7. نیو

    Nîw

    Half

    Usage

    Half a quantity, as in نیو کیلۆ 'half a kilo'

    Grammar Note

    It goes before the measure: نیو کیلۆ. The noun form 'half' is نیوە.

  8. کاتژمێر شەشە

    Katjimêr şeşe

    It's six o'clock

    Usage

    Telling the time; swap the number for another hour

    Grammar Note

    کاتژمێر + number + the copula -e gives 'it is … o'clock'. کاتژمێر also means 'clock' and 'hour'.

  9. چەند ساڵیت؟

    Çend sałît?

    How old are you?

    Usage

    Asks a friendly peer's age; avoid with elders where it can be rude

    Grammar Note

    چەند + ساڵ + the 2nd-person ending -ît asks someone's age. The letter ڵ is the dark l (ł).

  10. من شازدە ساڵم

    Min şazde sałim

    I'm sixteen years old

    Usage

    How to state your age; replace شازدە with your own number

    Grammar Note

    Number + ساڵ + the 1st-person ending -m states your age. شازدە is a contraction of شەش + دە.

  11. تکایە پازدە خولەک چاوەڕێ بن

    Tikaye pazde xulek çaweṟê bin

    Please wait fifteen minutes

    Usage

    Said when asking people to wait, or heard from staff

    Grammar Note

    The noun after a numeral stays singular (پازدە خولەک). The plural imperative -n is the polite form. Composed from attested words and patterns rather than quoted from a source sentence; worth confirming with a native speaker.

  12. سی خولەک لێرە بووم

    Sî xulek lêre bûm

    I've been here thirty minutes

    Usage

    Tells how long you have been waiting somewhere

    Grammar Note

    Duration is expressed as number + unit noun + past tense (بووم 'I was').

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