двајца / тројца / петмина

Counting Men and Mixed Groups

Level 3Sounds Like dvaǰca; troǰca; petmina

To count men or mixed groups of people, Macedonian uses special numbers: двајца (2), тројца (3), четворица (4), петмина (5), шестмина (6) and so on: двајца студенти (two students), тројца пријатели (three friends).

How It Works

The forms. двајца (2), тројца (3), четворица (4), петмина (5), шестмина (6), седуммина (7), осуммина (8), деветмина (9), десетмина (10). From five up, add -мина to the ordinary number. Above ten, the ordinary numbers are normal: единаесет студенти.

Who they count. Use them for men, and for mixed groups of men and women: двајца студенти can be two men or a man and a woman. For women only, use the ordinary numbers with the feminine form: две сестри, три другарки. For animals and things, never use them.

The noun after them is the normal plural, not the special count form: двајца студенти, тројца браќа. Compare два града, where a masculine thing takes the count form after the number.

On their own. These numbers often stand without a noun, because they already mean people: Дојдоа тројца (Three people came), Во нашето семејство нѐ има петмина (There are five of us in our family). The quantity words неколкумина (a few people) and многумина (many people) work the same way (see quantities of people).

With the article they mean the two, the three or both: двајцата, тројцата, четворицата, петтемина. See both.

Examples (6)

  1. Во класот има двајца нови студенти.

    There are two new students in the class.

    Двајца covers two men or a man and a woman.

  2. Дојдоа тројца пријатели од Битола.

    Three friends came from Bitola.

  3. Имам двајца браќа и една сестра.

    I have two brothers and one sister.

    Brothers take двајца, while one sister takes the ordinary една.

  4. Четворица полицајци стоеја пред зградата.

    Four police officers were standing in front of the building.

  5. Во нашето семејство нѐ има петмина.

    There are five of us in our family.

    Петмина stands alone and already means five people.

  6. Имам две сестри.

    I have two sisters.

    The group is only women, so the ordinary number две is used.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the people number for a group of women.

    Имам двајца сестри.
    Имам две сестри.

    Двајца, тројца and the other people numbers are for men and mixed groups. Women take the ordinary numbers.

  • Using the people number for animals.

    Во дворот има двајца кучиња.
    Во дворот има две кучиња.

    Animals and things always take the ordinary numbers: два for masculine nouns, две for feminine and neuter nouns.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

двајца / тројца / петминаLevel 3Counting Men and Mixed Groups

Learn This First

Counting people follows count forms.

Words in This Pattern

тројцачетворицапетмина