SAB-oo-mee-AH or SAB-oo-MY-ah. Break it into two parts: SAB-oo (seven) + mee-AH (hundred). The emphasis falls on the second syllable of the first part and the first syllable of the second part.
About This Number
Seven hundred (700) in Arabic is written as سبعمائة (sab'u mi'a), combining سبع (seven) with مائة (hundred). This number is used in counting, measurements, currency, and everyday contexts where large quantities need to be expressed in Arabic.
Usage Examples
هناك سبعمائة طالب في الجامعة (There are seven hundred students in the university) — the noun 'students' (plural) follows the number without a feminine marker even though it's plural.
اشتريت سبعمائة درهم من الكتب (I bought seven hundred dirhams worth of books) — showing use with currency.
السيارة تقطع سبعمائة كيلومتر في اليوم الواحد (The car covers seven hundred kilometers in one day) — demonstrating use with measurements.
عاش سبعمائة عام قبل الميلاد (He lived seven hundred years before the common era) — historical/temporal usage.
هناك سبعمائة صفحة في هذا الكتاب (There are seven hundred pages in this book) — counting discrete objects.
دفعت سبعمائة جنيه مصري للفندق (I paid seven hundred Egyptian pounds for the hotel) — common monetary transaction.
Grammar Notes
The number 700 (سبعمائة) is a compound number combining سبع (seven) and مائة (hundred). In Arabic, مائة (hundred) is treated as a feminine noun, so سبعمائة requires the construct state form. When followed by a counted noun, the noun typically appears in the plural form (جمع) and takes the genitive case (إضافة/idafa construction is not required here). The number itself does not change for gender — سبعمائة is used with both masculine and feminine plural nouns without modification. Numbers from 300-900 follow this pattern where the counted noun appears in plural form. Additionally, when 700 is used in mathematical or technical contexts with explicit measurements (e.g., سبعمائة متر), the measurement noun remains singular in the accusative case, though colloquially plural forms are also acceptable.
Cultural Significance
While 700 itself has no specific religious significance in Islamic tradition, large round numbers like hundreds are frequently encountered in Islamic texts and historical narratives. The number appears in various Quranic contexts and Islamic scholarly works discussing historical timelines, population counts, and commercial transactions, reflecting the Arab world's long tradition of mathematics and commerce.
Fun Facts
The word مائة (mi'a/hundred) comes from ancient Semitic roots and appears consistently across Arabic dialects. In classical Arabic poetry and historical texts, numbers in the hundreds were commonly used for counting armies, treasures, and years. The number 700 holds practical significance in modern Arabic-speaking countries for pricing, distances, and administrative statistics, making it a frequently used number in contemporary communication.
## How to Say 700 in Arabic
The number 700 in Arabic is written as **سبعمائة** and is transliterated as **sab'u mi'a**. This number is a compound form combining the word for seven (سبع) with the word for hundred (مائة), creating a fundamental building block for larger numerical expressions in Arabic.
## Pronunciation Guide
To pronounce 700 correctly, follow this breakdown:
- **SAB** - rhymes with "cab"
- **oo** - as in "who"
- **mee** - as in "see"
- **ah** - as in "spa"
Full pronunciation: **SAB-oo-mee-AH**
Alternatively, some speakers emphasize it as SAB-oo-MY-ah, with slightly more stress on the MY syllable. Practice by saying "seven hundred" slowly and then gradually merge the sounds together.
## Grammar Rules for 700
### Compound Number Structure
The number 700 belongs to the hundreds category (300-900 in Arabic), which has specific grammatical rules distinct from lower numbers. The word **مائة** (hundred) is grammatically feminine in Arabic, even though it doesn't show obvious feminine markers.
### Noun Agreement
When 700 is followed by a counted noun, that noun must appear in the **plural form** (جمع). This applies whether the noun is grammatically masculine or feminine. For example:
- سبعمائة طالب (700 students - using plural masculine)
- سبعمائة طالبة (700 female students - using plural feminine)
The number itself remains invariant and does not change form to match the gender of the counted noun.
### Case Endings
The plural noun following 700 typically appears in the **genitive case** (مجرور), although in modern standard Arabic and colloquial usage, this distinction is sometimes relaxed. In formal classical Arabic, the accusative case (منصوب) may also be used depending on syntactic context.
### Mathematical and Measurement Contexts
When 700 is used with measurements or units, the measurement word may appear in singular form with the accusative case:
- سبعمائة متر (700 meters)
- سبعمائة كيلومتر (700 kilometers)
However, plural forms are also acceptable in contemporary usage, reflecting the flexibility of modern Arabic grammar.
## Usage in Daily Contexts
### Currency and Money
One of the most common uses of 700 is in financial transactions:
- دفعت سبعمائة ريال للفندق (I paid 700 riyal for the hotel)
- سعر السيارة سبعمائة ألف درهم (The car's price is 700,000 dirhams)
### Time and Historical References
Several hundred years ago can be expressed as:
- ولد قبل سبعمائة سنة (He was born 700 years ago)
- سبعمائة سنة من الزمان (700 years of time)
### Distances and Measurements
Geographical and physical measurements frequently use this number:
- المسافة سبعمائة كيلومتر (The distance is 700 kilometers)
- البناء يحتوي على سبعمائة متر مربع (The building contains 700 square meters)
### Population and Statistics
In demographic and statistical contexts:
- عدد السكان سبعمائة ألف نسمة (The population is 700 thousand people)
- هناك سبعمائة موظف في الشركة (There are 700 employees in the company)
## Cultural and Historical Context
While 700 itself carries no specific religious or mystical significance in Islamic tradition, the number appears frequently in classical Islamic texts, historical chronicles, and Quranic narratives discussing large quantities. Arab scholars and mathematicians of the medieval period made extensive use of such numbers in their scientific and philosophical works.
## Related Numbers and Patterns
Understanding 700 helps you grasp the entire hundreds series in Arabic:
- 300 = ثلاثمائة (thalath-u mi'a)
- 400 = أربعمائة (arba'u mi'a)
- 500 = خمسمائة (khamsu mi'a)
- 600 = ستمائة (sittu mi'a)
- 700 = سبعمائة (sab'u mi'a)
- 800 = ثمانمائة (thamanyu mi'a)
- 900 = تسعمائة (tis'u mi'a)
All numbers in this range follow similar grammatical patterns with plural nouns in the genitive or accusative case.
## Practice Tips
To master the use of 700 in Arabic:
1. Practice pronunciation daily until it becomes automatic
2. Create sentences using 700 with different noun categories (people, objects, measurements, currency)
3. Listen to native speakers using this number in context through news broadcasts or podcasts
4. Compare 700 with nearby numbers (600, 800) to reinforce pattern recognition
5. Use 700 in mathematical operations or simple calculations to build confidence