Sab'un (سبعون) is pronounced 'SAH-boo-un' with emphasis on the first syllable. The 'a' in 'sab' sounds like the 'a' in 'father,' the 'u' in the second syllable sounds like the 'oo' in 'boot,' and the final 'un' is the nominative case ending pronounced as 'oon.' In accusative/genitive case (سبعين/sab'in), it's pronounced 'SAH-bin' with a short 'i' sound at the end. The emphatic Arabic letter 'seen' (س) should be pronounced as a clear 's' sound.
About This Number
سبعون (sab'un) is the Arabic numeral for 70, a tens number that follows a specific grammatical pattern in Arabic. It is written as a standalone word and does not require gender agreement with the noun it modifies, making it distinct from compound numbers like 71-79. This number belongs to the group of tens (20, 30, 40, etc.) and is commonly used in everyday counting, measurements, and age references.
Usage Examples
There are seventy students in the school — هناك سبعون طالباً في المدرسة (hunaka sab'un taliban fi al-madrasa)
My grandfather is seventy years old — جدي عمره سبعون سنة (jaddi 'umruhu sab'un sana)
The book contains seventy pages — الكتاب يحتوي على سبعين صفحة (al-kitab yahtawi 'ala sab'in safha) — note: accusative case 'sab'in'
Seventy people attended the wedding — حضر سبعون شخصاً حفل الزفاف (hadara sab'un shakhsan hafal al-zifaf)
The temperature is seventy degrees — درجة الحرارة سبعون درجة (daraja al-harara sab'un daraja)
We walked for seventy kilometers — مشينا سبعين كيلومتراً (mashina sab'in kilumitran)
Grammar Notes
The number 70 (سبعون/sab'un) follows specific declension rules based on case. In the nominative case, it is written as سبعون; in the accusative and genitive cases, it becomes سبعين (sab'in). Importantly, the tens numbers (20-90) do NOT agree with gender — whether the noun is masculine or feminine, the number remains the same. The noun that follows 70 can be in either singular or plural form, though singular is more common in formal Arabic. When 70 is used with a definite noun (with 'al-'), the entire phrase becomes definite: السبعون (al-sab'un). Unlike the numbers 3-9 which show gender polarity (masculine form with feminine nouns and vice versa), and unlike 11-19 which maintain specific gender requirements, 70 represents a simpler pattern shared by all tens numbers where gender neutrality applies. The number can also be written in numeral form as 70 in Arabic texts alongside the spelled-out version.
Cultural Significance
The number 70 holds particular significance in Islamic tradition and appears frequently in the Quran and Hadith. In Islamic jurisprudence, the number 70 is often cited in various legal and religious contexts — for example, seeking forgiveness seventy times represents boundless mercy in Islamic teaching. The number also appears in historical and traditional Arabic poetry, making it a culturally resonant figure in Arabic literature. In modern Arab society, this number is encountered in everyday contexts such as age, distances, quantities, and administrative numbering systems.
Fun Facts
The number 70 is etymologically derived from the root 'sin-ba-'ain' (س-ب-ع), which relates to the concept of 'seven,' making it literally 'seven tens.' In traditional Arabic mathematical and scientific texts, 70 was used in various calculations and astronomical observations documented by medieval Arab scholars. The number appears frequently in traditional Arab folklore and storytelling, most famously in references like 'One Thousand and One Nights' where various multiples and references to seventy appear throughout narratives, reflecting its cultural resonance in storytelling traditions.
## Understanding the Arabic Number 70 (سبعون - Sab'un)
The Arabic numeral 70 is written as **سبعون** in standard script and is transliterated as **sab'un**. This number belongs to the tens category (عشرات/'ishrat) and follows specific grammatical and usage patterns that are essential for anyone learning to count and communicate in Arabic.
## How to Write and Pronounce 70 in Arabic
The written form سبعون appears in Arabic texts and is the nominative case form. Pronunciation-wise, English speakers should think of it as 'SAH-boo-un,' with the stress on the first syllable. The letter 'seen' (س) at the beginning is a clear 's' sound, the 'ba' (ب) is pronounced like 'b' in 'bat,' and the 'ayn' (ع) is a guttural sound unique to Arabic (though in modern colloquial speech, it may be reduced). The ending '-un' (-ون) is the nominative masculine singular indefinite ending.
## Grammatical Rules for Using 70
One of the most important features of the tens numbers (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90) is that they **do not change according to gender**. Whether you're counting seventy men (سبعون رجلاً) or seventy women (سبعون امرأة), the number itself remains سبعون. This is a significant difference from numbers 3-9, which exhibit gender polarity, and from compound numbers 21-99, which show more complex gender interactions.
The number 70 also follows case declension patterns:
- **Nominative case (سبعون):** Used as the subject of a sentence or after 'there is' (في/في) — "There are seventy students" (هناك سبعون طالباً)
- **Accusative/Genitive case (سبعين):** Used when 70 is the object of a preposition or verb, or in other oblique cases — "I saw seventy people" (رأيت سبعين شخصاً) or "in seventy days" (في سبعين يوماً)
## Common Usage Patterns
The noun that follows 70 typically appears in the indefinite accusative form (with the accusative ending '-an'). For example:
- "Seventy students" = سبعون طالباً (sab'un taliban) — note the accusative ending on the noun
- "Seventy days" = سبعون يوماً (sab'un yawman)
- "Seventy pages" = سبعون صفحة (sab'un safha)
When 70 is used with the definite article 'al-,' the entire construction becomes definite: **السبعون** (al-sab'un). This might appear in phrases like "the seventy years" (السبعون سنة) in a specific historical or narrative context.
## Cultural and Religious Significance
In Islamic tradition and the broader Arabic-speaking world, 70 carries cultural weight. The Quran and Hadith literature contain numerous references to the number 70 in various contexts, from jurisprudential rulings to moral teachings. For instance, the concept of forgiving someone "seventy times" in Islamic ethics represents an ideal of limitless compassion and mercy. This number also appears prominently in classical Arabic literature, particularly in traditional storytelling and poetry.
## Practical Examples in Daily Life
You'll encounter 70 in numerous everyday contexts in Arabic-speaking communities:
- **Age:** "He is 70 years old" (عمره سبعون سنة / 'umruhu sab'un sana)
- **Distance:** "The city is 70 kilometers away" (المدينة على بعد سبعين كيلومتراً)
- **Temperature:** "The weather is 70 degrees" (درجة الحرارة سبعون درجة)
- **Quantities:** "We have seventy books" (لدينا سبعون كتاباً)
- **Time periods:** "The project took seventy days" (استغرق المشروع سبعين يوماً)
## Etymology and Linguistic Notes
The word سبعون is derived from the root **س-ب-ع** (seen-ba-ayn), which means 'seven.' The suffix '-oon' (-ون) indicates the masculine plural nominative form in Arabic, making سبعون literally translate to 'sevens' in the tens position. This morphological structure is consistent with other tens numbers: ثلاثون (thirty), أربعون (forty), خمسون (fifty), and so forth.
When writing the number in numeral form followed by Arabic text, you would write: 70 سنة (seventy years) or سبعون سنة, depending on whether you're using the numeral or spelled-out version.
## Comparison with Nearby Numbers
Understanding 70 is easier when you see how it fits into the broader counting system. It comes after 69 (تسعة وستون - tisaa wa-sittin) and before 71 (واحد وسبعون - wahid wa-sab'un). Notice that 71 introduces a different grammatical pattern where the number one comes before the tens number, creating a compound form that behaves differently from the simple tens number.
## Practice Tips
To master the use of 70 in Arabic, practice forming sentences with different nouns and cases. Try saying "seventy" with various words: seventy people, seventy books, seventy days. Pay attention to the case endings on the nouns that follow, and remember that the number itself doesn't change for gender. Listening to native Arabic speakers use this number in context will help you internalize the natural pronunciation and rhythm of the word.