Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ثَلَاثِينَ | ṯalāṯīna | |
| ثَلَاثُونَ | ṯalāṯūna | formal, nominative |
| ٣٠ | numeral |
The word is a cardinal number. It can be written using the Arabic-Indic digits ٣٠.
Which one should you use?
The choice between the endings -ūna and -īna depends entirely on the grammatical case of the number in the sentence. ثَلَاثُونَ is the nominative form, while ثَلَاثِينَ is used for the accusative and genitive cases.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ثَلَاثُونَ and ثَلَاثِينَ are the formal versions of the word. In informal Levantine Arabic, the term tletīn is used instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic, tletīn is used for thirty in informal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
In formal Arabic, the form ثَلَاثُونَ is used in the nominative case, typically when the number is the subject of a sentence. The form ثَلَاثِينَ is used in the accusative or genitive cases, typically when the number is an object or follows a preposition.
How do you pronounce it?
ṯalāṯīna
Did you know?
- The suffix change from -ūna to -īna is a feature of 'sound masculine plurals', meaning 'thirty' follows the exact same grammatical pattern as a word like 'teachers' or 'engineers'.
- In certain North African dialects, the pronunciation of the 'th' in 'thirty' can shift toward an 's' sound.
- The distinction between ثَلَاثُونَ and ثَلَاثِينَ is so strictly observed in formal media and news broadcasts that using the wrong one can immediately signal a speaker is not a native or highly trained orator.
Examples in context
- يوجد ثلاثون شخصًا في الغرفة.There are thirty people in the room.
- عندي ثَلَاثِينَ دِرْهَمًا.ʿindī thalāthīna dirhaman.I have thirty dirhams.
- قَرَأْتُ ثَلَاثِينَ صَفْحَةً اليَوْمَ.qaraʾtu thalāthīna ṣafḥatan al-yawm.I read thirty pages today.
- انتَظَرْتُ ثَلَاثِينَ دَقِيقَةً.intaẓartu thalāthīna daqīqatan.I waited for thirty minutes.
Example conversation
Sarah and Ziyad are discussing a book's page count.
- سارة Saraكَمْ صَفْحَةً قَرَأْتَ يَا زِيَاد؟Kam safhatan qara'ta ya Ziyad?How many pages did you read, Ziyad?
- زياد Ziadقَرَأْتُ ثَلَاثِينَ صَفْحَةً.Qara'tu thalathina safhatan.I read thirty pages.
- سارة Saraهَذَا رَائِعٌ جِدّاً!Hadha ra'i'un jiddan!That is very wonderful!
- زياد Ziadشُكْراً لَكِ يَا سَارَة.Shukran laki ya Sarah.Thank you, Sarah.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thirty” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
