With the exception of the words for "first", ordinal numbers (ألأعْدادُ التَّرْتيبيَّةُ ) are formed from the cardinal numbers (ألأعْدادُ الأصْلِيَّةُ) following the pattern of فاعِلٌ for the masculine, and فاعِلَةٌ for the feminine.
The masculine word for "first" is أَوَّلُ , and the feminine word for "first" is أُولى .
Ordinal numbers match the gender of the ordered object both in the simple and the composite forms:
Masculine
الرَّجُلُ الأوَّلُ the first man
الْفَصْلُ الثَّالِثُ the third act
الرَّجُلُ الْعاشِرُ the tenth man
لويِسُ الرابِعَ عَشَرَ Louis the fourteenth
Feminine
السَّيِّدَةُ الأولى the first lady
الْمَرْحَلَةُ الرَابِعَةُ the fourth stage
الْمَرْأَةُ الْعاشِرَةُ the tenth woman
الْخَطْوَةُ التَّاسِعَةَ عَشَرَةَ the nineteenth step
Composite ordinal numbers from أَلْحادِيَ عَشَرَ to التَّاسِعَ عَشَرَ are always indeclinable, meaning they do not change their forms.
See also: