Case Forms of Numerals
Dva, dvije, tri and četiri have declined forms such as dvaju, dvjema, triju and četirima. These are especially useful in careful written language.
How It Works
For masculine or neuter two, genitive is dvaju and dative/locative/instrumental is dvama. For feminine two, the corresponding forms are dviju and dvjema.
For three and four, compare genitive triju, četiriju with dative/locative/instrumental trima, četirima. The dependent noun and modifiers must fit the phrase: o trima važnim pitanjima.
Undeclined numeral uses are frequent in speech, particularly in prepositional phrases. Recognize them, while keeping the declined forms available for careful style. Numerals above four generally do not acquire these endings; ordinal numbers follow adjective-like declension instead.
Examples (3)
- Razgovarali smo o trima važnim pitanjima.
We discussed three important questions.
- Poslala sam poruku dvjema prijateljicama.
I sent a message to two female friends.
- To je dogovor četiriju država.
That is an agreement between four countries.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Formal numeral declension combines counting constructions with case government.
Related Patterns
- Agreement With Collective Nouns
Numeral and collective phrases require attention to agreement.
Level 4 - Preposition + kojiRelative Pronouns with Prepositions
A preposition governs case even inside a complex noun phrase.
Level 4 - Dense Noun Phrases
Formal noun phrases can contain several case-dependent elements.
Level 6
Words in This Pattern
Practice Case Forms of Numerals in Bubblegum
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