GrammarCollective Numbers

Collective Numbers

Russian has a special category of numbers (дво́е, тро́е, че́тверо...) used in specific contexts:

Male or mixed-gender groups

Collective numerals sound most natural with men or mixed groups:

• дво́е друзе́й - two (male/mixed) friends
• тро́е студе́нтов - three students (at least one male)

With only women, normal numbers are preferred: две подру́ги, not дво́е подру́г.

Children / young beings

Very common, even if gender is known:

• дво́е дете́й - two children
• тро́е котя́т - three kittens

This is more natural than два ребёнка in many contexts.

Plural-only nouns

Mandatory with nouns that have no singular:

• дво́е су́ток - two days (24h periods)
• тро́е но́жниц - three pairs of scissors
• че́тверо очко́в - four pairs of glasses

You cannot use normal numbers here.