Declension of numbers 2 to 4 (dvaju, trima)

Declining Numbers 2 to 4 and "Both"

In everyday spoken Croatian, numbers often remain uninflected. However, in formal speech and writing—such as legal contracts regarding copyright or royalties—the numbers 2, 3, and 4, as well as oba / obje (both), are fully declined when used in oblique cases (Genitive, Dative, Locative, and Instrumental).

There is one crucial rule to remember: when you decline these numbers, the noun following them no longer takes the special "paucal" form (Genitive singular) that you use in the Nominative or Accusative. Instead, the noun takes the regular plural ending for that specific case.

Declining dva (two) and oba (both)

The forms for dva and oba depend on the gender of the noun they modify. Conveniently, they share a single form for the Dative, Locative, and Instrumental cases.

Notice how the masculine and neuter forms generally use -a- or -u, while the feminine forms insert a -j- (dviju, dvjema).

Here are examples in the Genitive case. Notice how the nouns autor and pjevačica are put into the Genitive plural:

And here are examples in the Dative, Locative, and Instrumental cases, accompanied by plural nouns in the matching case:

Declining tri (three) and četiri (four)

The numbers 3 and 4 are simpler because their declined forms are exactly the same for all genders.

Just like with dva and oba, the noun that follows takes the matching plural case ending.

Examples in the Genitive case:

Examples in the Dative and Instrumental cases: