Numbers and Cases — Lithuanian Grammar

Lithuanian numbers do two things that English numbers do not: the small ones agree in gender with what they count, and the noun being counted goes into a case that depends on the number. Once you know the few rules, the system is very regular.

The Cardinal Numbers

(1–5)
(6–10)
(11, 12 … 20, 100, 1000)

The lowest ones have separate masculine and feminine forms: (one), (two), (four), (five). (three) is the same for both.

Which Case the Noun Takes

This is the heart of the system:

After 1: the noun is singular and agrees like an adjective - (one man), (one book).
After 2–9: the noun is in the nominative plural - (two men), (five books).
After 10 and above (and 11–19): the noun jumps to the genitive plural - (ten men), (eleven books).

Turiu tris brolius.
I have three brothers.
Dešimt eurų.
Ten euros.
Šešios dienos.
Six days.

Compound Numbers

In numbers like 21, 22, 35, it is the last word that decides the noun's form, exactly as if that last word stood alone:

dvidešimt vienas euras
twenty-one euros (singular, because it ends in "one")
dvidešimt penki eurai
twenty-five euros (nominative plural, ends in "five")
trisdešimt eurų
thirty euros (genitive plural)

Ordinal Numbers

"First, second, third…" are adjectives and agree with their noun in gender and case:

pirmas aukštas
the first floor.
trečia diena
the third day.

They often appear in the definite form too (), especially in dates and titles.

Everyday Counting: Money and Time

Numbers earn their keep in prices and clock times, where the case rules above quietly do their work:

Kiek tai kainuoja?
How much does it cost?
Penki eurai.
Five euros.
Dešimt eurų.
Ten euros. (genitive plural after ten)
Kiek dabar valanda?
What time is it now?

"One" Behaves Like an Adjective

Of all the numbers, (one) is the most adjective-like: it agrees fully in gender, number and case with its noun, and even has a plural for plural-only nouns:

vienas vyras
one man.
viena diena
one day.
vieną kartą
once. (accusative)

Counting Plural-Only Things

For nouns that exist only in the plural, Lithuanian uses special collective numbers such as (a set of two) and (a set of five), seen for example in counting years:

penkeri metai
five years.
dveji marškiniai
two shirts.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Lithuanian course

65 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 31. A few of them, with the words “Numbers and Cases” is about in bold:

Aš turiu du automobilius, du dviračius ir tris motociklus.
I have two cars, two bicycles, and three motorbikes.
Lesson 33
Aš perku vieną bananą ir šešis kiaušinius.
I am buying one banana and six eggs.
Lesson 43
Aš turiu dvi jaunesnes ir dvi vyresnes seseris.
I have two younger sisters and two older sisters.
Lesson 138

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