dva / dvě / oba / obě

Forms of Two and Both

Level 2

In Czech, the words for 'two' (dva/dvě) and 'both' (oba/obě) behave identically. They must agree with the gender of the noun they count, and they use special historical endings in different grammatical cases.

How It Works

1. The Gender Split (Nominative & Accusative)
When acting as the subject or direct object, these numerals have two forms:

  • Masculine (animate and inanimate): dva, oba
  • Feminine and Neuter: dvě, obě

Pronunciation tip: After labial consonants like v and b, the letter ě inserts a /j/ sound rather than softening the consonant, so dvě and obě are pronounced roughly like 'dvyeh' and 'obyeh'.

Note: Learners often mistakenly use dva with neuter nouns (like auto or pivo). Remember that neuter nouns strictly group with feminine nouns here: dvě auta, not dva auta. Because these numerals do not force the genitive case, the verb must be plural, and in the past tense, it must agree with the neuter gender by ending in -a (e.g., Dvě auta stála.). Special note on eyes and ears: When referring to body parts, oko (eye) and ucho (ear) change from neuter in the singular to feminine in the plural. Therefore, they take dvě and feminine adjective endings in the nominative/accusative: dvě velké oči (two big eyes), not dvě velká oči. For mixed-gender groups (e.g., a brother and a sister), Czech defaults to the masculine animate form: oba. This gender split also applies to compound numbers ending in 2 when written as separate words (e.g., dvacet dva muži vs. dvacet dvě ženy). Also, unlike 1 and 2, the numbers 3 and 4 have a single, gender-blind form for all genders.

2. The Noun Form
Unlike numerals 5 and higher, which force the noun into the genitive plural, dva/dvě and oba/obě simply take the standard nominative or accusative plural.

3. Other Cases (The Dual)
In other grammatical cases (most commonly triggered by prepositions like bez, od, s, o), the gender split disappears, and these words use fossilized 'dual' endings. The noun must also match this case:

  • Genitive / Locative: dvou, obou
  • Dative / Instrumental: dvěma, oběma

For example, 'with two colleagues' is se dvěma kolegy (Instrumental). Warning: Never say dvěmi or oběmi. The instrumental forms are strictly dvěma and oběma. Additionally, when used with paired body parts (hands, legs, eyes, ears), the nouns also take fossilized dual endings in the instrumental: se dvěma rukama / nohama / očima / ušima. Crucially, any adjectives or pronouns modifying these body parts in the instrumental must also take special dual endings. Adjectives take -ýma (hard) or -íma (soft), while pronouns have their own specific endings like -ma or -ima (e.g., těma, mýma). For example: s těma velkýma modrýma očima (with those big blue eyes).
Exception for non-body parts: When oko and ucho refer to inanimate objects (like a loop in a net or a mug handle), they revert to regular neuter plurals and use standard endings instead of dual forms: dvě ucha (two handles) and se dvěma uchy (with two handles).

4. Emphasis
In everyday speech, Czechs frequently combine these words for emphasis: oba dva or obě dvě (literally 'both two').

5. Plural-Only Nouns
You cannot use dva/dvě with nouns that only exist in the plural (pluralia tantum, like dveře - doors, kalhoty - trousers, brýle - glasses). Instead, you must use the collective numeral dvoje (e.g., dvoje dveře, dvoje kalhoty).

Examples (5)

  1. Mám dva bratry a dvě sestry.

    I have two brothers and two sisters.

    Word by Word: I-have two brothers and two sisters.

    This demonstrates the basic gender split: 'dva' for masculine (bratry) and 'dvě' for feminine (sestry).

  2. Obě auta jsou zaparkovaná před domem.

    Both cars are parked in front of the house.

    Word by Word: Both cars are parked in-front-of house.

    Neuter nouns like 'auto' must use the 'obě' (or 'dvě') form, never 'oba'.

  3. Sešel jsem se se dvěma kolegy.

    I met with two colleagues.

    Word by Word: Met I-am myself with two colleagues.

    After the preposition 's/se' (with), the numeral must take the special instrumental dual form 'dvěma'.

  4. Mluvil o obou možnostech.

    He spoke about both options.

    Word by Word: He-spoke about both options.

    The preposition 'o' (about) requires the locative case, so 'obě' becomes 'obou'.

  5. Vezmu si oba dva.

    I'll take both of them.

    Word by Word: I-will-take to-myself both two.

    Combining 'oba' and 'dva' is a very common way to add emphasis in everyday Czech.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating the number as frozen and failing to decline it after a preposition.

    Šel jsem tam s dva kamarády.
    Šel jsem tam se dvěma kamarády.

    Unlike in English, numerals in Czech must decline to match the case required by the preposition. 'S' (with) requires the instrumental case, so 'dva' must become 'dvěma'.

  • Using the masculine form 'dva' or 'oba' with neuter nouns.

    Dám si dva piva.
    Dám si dvě piva.

    Because neuter nouns look different from feminine nouns, learners often guess they take the masculine 'dva'. However, neuter nouns strictly use the 'dvě/obě' forms.

  • Applying the standard instrumental plural ending '-mi' instead of the special dual ending '-ma'.

    Mluvím s oběmi studenty.
    Mluvím s oběma studenty.

    Because many Czech nouns and adjectives end in '-mi' in the instrumental plural, learners often incorrectly guess 'dvěmi' or 'oběmi'. The correct forms are strictly 'dvěma' and 'oběma'.

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dva / dvě / oba / oběLevel 2Forms of Two and Both

Learn This First

To use the forms of 'two' and 'both' correctly, you must first be able to distinguish between masculine, feminine, and neuter noun genders, as the choice of numeral form depends entirely on the gender of the noun it modifies.

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oba