dvoje / troje

Counting Plural-Only Nouns

Level 4

Nouns that exist only in the plural cannot take dva, tri or štyri. Count them with the set numbers jedny (1), dvoje (2), troje (3), štvoro (4), pätoro (5) and so on.

How It Works

Which nouns? Plural-only nouns such as dvere (door), nohavice (trousers), okuliare (glasses), nožnice (scissors), hodiny (clock) and šaty (dress).

The set numbers.

  • 1: jedny: jedny okuliare, jedny nožnice
  • 2: dvoje: dvoje dverí
  • 3: troje: troje nohavíc
  • 4: štvoro: štvoro šiat
  • 5 and more: pätoro, šestoro …, or simply päť + genitive plural

The noun after them. Jedny agrees with its noun like an adjective. After dvoje, troje and štvoro, standard Slovak puts the noun in the genitive plural: dvoje dverí (also dvoje dvier), troje nohavíc. The dictionary marks dvoje dvere, with the nominative, as colloquial. It is common in speech, but write the genitive.

Pairs. With nouns for things that come in pairs, the set numbers count pairs: troje topánok (three pairs of shoes). You can also say dva páry topánok.

Children. Dvoje detí and troje detí are very common ways of saying how many children a family has, next to dve deti, tri deti.

Oboje. The same set includes oboje (both): see Both.

Examples (6)

  1. Mám len jedny okuliare.

    I have only one pair of glasses.

    Word by Word: I-have only one(pl.) glasses.

    Jedny is plural in form, like okuliare.

  2. Kúpil som si dvoje nohavíc.

    I bought two pairs of trousers.

    Word by Word: I-bought myself two(set) of-trousers.

  3. Naša kuchyňa má dvoje dverí.

    Our kitchen has two doors.

    Word by Word: Our kitchen has two(set) of-doors.

  4. V zásuvke sú jedny nožnice.

    There is a pair of scissors in the drawer.

    Word by Word: In drawer are one(pl.) scissors.

  5. Na cestu si zbalila troje topánok.

    She packed three pairs of shoes for the trip.

    Word by Word: For trip herself she-packed three(set) of-shoes.

    With paired things, troje counts pairs.

  6. Máme dvoje detí, syna a dcéru.

    We have two children, a son and a daughter.

    Word by Word: We-have two(set) of-children, son and daughter.

Common Mistakes

  • Counting a plural-only noun with dva or dve.

    Kúpil som dve nohavice.
    Kúpil som dvoje nohavíc.

    Nohavice (a pair of trousers) is a plural-only noun, so it cannot be counted with dve. Use the set number dvoje, or dva páry nohavíc.

  • Using jeden with a plural-only noun.

    Mám jeden okuliare.
    Mám jedny okuliare.

    One of a plural-only noun is jedny, a plural form that agrees with okuliare.

  • Using tri with a plural-only noun.

    Izba má tri dvere.
    Izba má troje dverí.

    Dvere is plural-only, so count it with troje, followed by the genitive plural dverí.

How It Connects

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

dvoje / trojeLevel 4Counting Plural-Only Nouns

Learn This First

Before Counting Plural-Only Nouns, learn Plural-Only Nouns and Genitive Plural Endings. dvoje and troje count plural-only nouns. The noun after them is in the genitive plural.

Words in This Pattern

štvorojeden