The six you will hear
Collective forms exist from 2 to 10, but only the first six are in everyday use. дво́е and тро́е end in -е; the rest end in -еро. The collective number is red throughout this page; tap any word to hear it.
When to use them
Use a collective number in these five situations. Everywhere else, use the ordinary numbers два, три, четы́ре (see numbers).
Men, women and mixed groups
Collective numbers go with words for men, children and mixed groups. For women and for feminine nouns in general, use the ordinary numbers, followed by the genitive singular after 2–4. With masculine people, both are correct; the collective sounds more natural in speech.
Collective numbers in every case
Like every Russian number, the collectives change for case (the ending that shows a word’s job). Their endings are those of plural adjectives: -и́х, -и́м, -и́ми. Outside the nominative and accusative, the noun takes the same case as the number. In everyday speech these forms are used mostly without a noun: на двои́х, “for two”.
| Case | 2 · дво́е | 3 · тро́е | 4 · че́тверо | 5 · пя́теро |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | ||||
| Genitive | ||||
| Dative | ||||
| Accusative | ||||
| Instrumental | ||||
| Prepositional |
вдвоём, втроём: “as a pair”, “the three of us”
Add в- and an instrumental-style ending, and the collective becomes an adverb (a word describing how an action is done) meaning “together, as a group of …”. It is the natural way to say “just the two of us”.
Everyday phrases
You will hear these in restaurants, hotels and on the phone. Each uses на + accusative, “for (a number of people)”, or the collective on its own as a noun.
Check yourself
Choose the right number word. Say the answer out loud, then reveal it.