dvaja / traja / štyria

Numbers for Groups of Men

Level 3

Men: dvaja bratia, traja študenti, štyria kamaráti. Object: Mám dvoch bratov.

How It Works

Three sets of numbers

  • men: dvaja, traja, štyria: dvaja muži
  • masculine things and animals: dva, tri, štyri: dva domy, dva psy
  • feminine and neuter: dve, tri, štyri: dve ženy, tri deti

As the subject

The noun is in the nominative plural and the verb is plural: Traja študenti prišli. (Three students came.) With päť and more the pattern changes; see Five and More With Men.

As the object

The numbers become dvoch, troch, štyroch, and the noun takes its accusative form for men (the same as the genitive): Mám dvoch bratov. Poznám troch učiteľov.

Mixed groups and people in general

A group with at least one man takes these forms: Boli sme tam dvaja. (There were two of us there.) Sme traja. (There are three of us.)

Other cases. Dvoch, troch, štyroch are also the genitive and locative forms for everyone, and the instrumental is dvoma, troma, štyrmi: s dvoma kamarátmi (with two friends). See Numbers in Cases. For both, see Both.

Examples (6)

  1. Moji dvaja bratia bývajú v Bratislave.

    My two brothers live in Bratislava.

  2. Prišli traja študenti.

    Three students came.

    The verb is plural: prišli.

  3. Štyria kamaráti hrajú karty.

    Four friends are playing cards.

  4. Mám dvoch bratov.

    I have two brothers.

    As an object, dvaja becomes dvoch and bratia becomes bratov.

  5. Poznám troch učiteľov z tejto školy.

    I know three teachers from this school.

  6. Boli sme tam dvaja.

    There were two of us there.

    A pair that includes a man uses dvaja.

Common Mistakes

  • Mixing dva with the object form of the noun.

    Mám dva bratov.
    Mám dvoch bratov.

    When men are the object, the number takes the matching form too: dvoch bratov.

  • Keeping the subject form for an object.

    Videl som traja študentov.
    Videl som troch študentov.

    Traja is only the subject form. As an object it becomes troch.

  • Using dvaja with women.

    Prišli dvaja ženy.
    Prišli dve ženy.

    Dvaja is only for men and mixed groups. Feminine and neuter nouns take dve.

How It Connects

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

dvaja / traja / štyriaLevel 3Numbers for Groups of Men

Learn This First

Before Numbers for Groups of Men, learn Two by Gender and Plural of Nouns for Men. dvaja, traja and štyria are the men forms of dva, tri and štyri. They are used with plural nouns for men.

Words in This Pattern

dvaštyri