khames خامس
Tunisian Derja · numeral
“khames” (خامس) is a numeral in Tunisian Derja meaning fifth (ordinal).
Meanings
- fifth (ordinal)
Usage
Khames is the ordinal of khamsa, "five". It usually comes after the noun, like an adjective. You say et-tabe9 el-khames, "the fifth floor", or el-9esm el-khames, "the fifth class". For the feminine, khamsa is used: el-mara el-khamsa, "the fifth time". In spoken language it is often used without an article, as in fi tabe9 khames. For higher ranks, however, many speakers prefer French numerals, for example "cinquième année" (fifth year).
Example
نسكن في الطابق الخامس
noskon fi tabe9 el khames
“We live on the fifth floor.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khames” but also “5ames”, “khamess” and “khamis”. 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.