Declension of collective numerals (двоих, троим)

Declension of Collective Numerals

Collective numerals like двое (two), трое (three), and четверо (four) emphasize a group as a single unit. They are most commonly used with masculine nouns representing people or with personal pronouns (мы, вы, они).

When a sentence requires an oblique (non-nominative) case, collective numerals decline similarly to plural adjectives. Here are the endings for the most common collective numerals:

Let's see these forms in action. We can practice by discussing professionals who work with rare items, such as a ювелир (jeweler) or an оценщик (appraiser):

Using Collective Numerals with Pronouns

When you want to say "the two of us" or "the three of them," combine the genitive personal pronoun (нас, вас, их) with the matching collective numeral in its oblique form.

Let's look at this structure while expanding our gemstone vocabulary with words like драгоценный (precious):

Other rare stones you might evaluate include the изумруд (emerald) and the алмаз (diamond):

Describing Gemstones

When assessing a diamond or emerald, jewelers look closely at its physical features, such as the грань (facet) or its overall огранка (cut). Note how the collective numeral matches the case demanded by the verb or preposition: