"We need nineteen women and nineteen men."
Translation:אנחנו צריכים תשע עשרה נשים ותשעה עשר גברים.
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1546
anáchnu tzrichím teshá esré nashím ve-tish'á asár gvarím.
(colloquially it will be tsha-ésre)
So the "ten" must agree in gender with the noun but the other number must be opposite the gender?
- 147
The gender of the " other number" must agree with the noun & the "ten" must be the opposite.
- 1546
No, you can't separate the numbers. "Nineteen" is one number and its gender always agrees with the gender of the noun.
Not sure what "the opposite gender" is, but if you have the ה at the end in mind, note that the masculine numbers usually have the ה , not the feminine. So, therefore תשעה עשר is masculine and תשע עשרה is feminine.
I'm still having trouble understanding this: If numbers that have ה at the end are usually masculine, then why wouldn't the masculine form of nineteen be תשעה עשרה and feminine be תשע עשר?
- 1546
Well, numbers are a very special case. They are still confusing at times for me. But if you'd like you can check this post about Misleading gender of words in Hebrew and numbers are also discussed and all of the numbers are listed in full. Hope it helps you:
A way that helps me to remember (not a grammatical explanation) is to think of a balancing act. If I make the first word תשע longer by adding ה (and therefore masculine, תשעה), then I must keep the -teen short, עשר. If instead I keep the תשע short (and therefore feminine), then I must make the -teen longer by adding ה, thus עשרה.
Thanks. I should have remembered that from Hebrew class so many decades ago. Or maybe Duolingo should have taught it. :-) Good thing we have your help!
I think anashim generally means "people", although it could also mean men. That's why these exercises usually use gevarim for men.
I am constantly confused about when to add a Het at the end of the number or the עשר when used in a sentence. I suspect it has to do with the gender, but sometimes it is on the number, other times on the tenth portion, and I can't seem to figure out the rule. Is there a standard rule for this?
Duolingo does not explain a lot, but expects you to figure out things incidentally. I prefer direct teaching and direct lessons. Duo is a big disappointment at times!!
my answer matched exactly but it said it was wrong, glitch in the system
- 1546
No. Nouns don't change gender depending on the number. נשים is feminine, just like אישה.
Since started this lesson Three years ago, it still confuse me although I know the rules.