lkhames لخامس
Moroccan Darija · numeral
“lkhames” (لخامس) is a numeral in Moroccan Darija meaning fifth (ordinal).
Meanings
- fifth (ordinal)
Usage
Lkhames is the ordinal of "khemsa" (five). It is used with the article, after the noun or on its own: "ja lkhames" (he came fifth), "nhar lkhames" (the fifth day). The feminine is "lkhamsa": "t-tab9a lkhamsa" (the fifth floor). Note that this form is easily confused with the cardinal "khamsa". Ordinals of this type are commonly used only up to ten. Beyond that, the cardinal is used: "nhar 3echrin" (the twentieth day). For dates, the cardinal is also preferred: "khamsa f chhar".
Example
ولدي جا الخامس فالقسم
wldi ja lkhames f l9ism
“My son came fifth in his class.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lkhames” but also “lkhams”, “l5ames”, “l5ams” and “lkhamess”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.