Collective Numerals

01

When to Use Them

Reach for a collective number in two situations: a group of children, and a mixed group of men and women.

• Imam dvoje djece.

  I have two children.

• Moje troje djece su istih godina.

  My three children are the same age.

• Imamo dvoje roditelja.

  We have two parents. (a mother and a father, so the group is mixed)

02

The Forms

The first two are built with -oje, and from four upward with -ero.

• dvoje (two), troje (three)
• četvero (four), petero (five), šestero (six)

• četvero djedova i baka

  four grandfathers and grandmothers

• petero ljudi

  five people

03

They Take the Genitive

Like other quantity words, a collective number is followed by the genitive - normally the genitive plural of the thing counted.

• dvoje djece

  two children (djece = genitive)

• Vidim troje ljudi.

  I see three people.

• petero studenata

  five students

04

Children: the Usual Case

The most common everyday use is with djeca (children), itself a collective-style word: you almost always count children with dvoje, troje and so on, rather than with dva, tri.

• Imate dvoje jako lijepe djece.

  You have two very lovely children.

• Ona ima troje male djece.

  She has three small children.

05

Mixed Groups of People

For a group that mixes men and women, the collective is the natural choice; a plain masculine or feminine number would force you to settle on one gender.

• Nas je bilo petero.

  There were five of us.

• Došlo je troje gostiju.

  Three guests came.

06

A Separate Set for Men Only

For a group made up only of men, Bosnian has yet another set - dvojica, trojica, četvorica - built on -ica and, like the -ero collectives, followed by the genitive of the people counted.

• dvojica braće

  two brothers

• trojica vojnika

  three soldiers

• četvorica muškaraca

  four men

07

Plain Numbers Stay for Same-Gender Groups

For a group counted as separate items that is all male or all female, the ordinary numbers are used: dva brata (two brothers), dvije sestre (two sisters). The collective is reserved for children and mixed groups.

• Imam šest braće i sedam sestara.

  I have six brothers and seven sisters.