Archives for: September 2010, 06

Два/две (часть вторая)

September 6th, 2010 by Don

The other day we mentioned that the words два/две ‘two’ are followed by a noun in a form that resembles the genitive singular. What's really freaky, though, is that if you put an adjective between the number and the noun, you don't use the genitive singular. So what for do you use? Well, that depends...

If you are dealing with masculine or neuter nouns, then you have to use an adjectival form that copies the genitive plural:

два новых стола two new tables
два длинных письма two long letters

If you are dealing with feminine nouns, it is usually best to use an adjectival form that copies the nominative plural:

две новые машины¹ two new cars

Here are some sample sentences:

На поле лежали два раненых солдата. Two wounded soldiers lay in the field.
У инопланетянина были два чёрных глаза и один зелёный. The alien had two black eyes and one green one.
Две красивые туристки беседовали за шампанским. Two pretty tourists were chatting over champagne.
У меня два младших брата. I have two younger brothers.

¹ You will sometimes also encounter две новых машины, аlthough новые is better style these days.

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