The numbers one to four with nouns
In short
one — agrees like an adjective
| m | f | n |
|---|---|---|
| jedan sto | jedna knjiga | jedno pismo |
In the accusative too: Imam jednu sestru.
two — one distinction only
| m + n | f |
|---|---|
| dva brata, dva pisma | dve sestre |
three, four — never change: tri, četiri
After dva/dve, tri, četiri the noun takes the counting form, which looks like the genitive singular.
| jedan | dva/tri/četiri | |
|---|---|---|
| m | jedan sto | dva stola, dva minuta, četiri sata |
| f | jedna knjiga | tri knjige, dve karte, tri sobe |
| n | jedno pismo | četiri pisma |
Never the plural: tri stola, not tri stolovi.
A1 · Lesson 24 · Counting from one to four
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
In English you count one book, two books, three books — the number sits there unchanged and the noun goes plural. Serbian does two things differently, and both of them happen in the first four numbers.
- One changes its ending to match the thing counted, exactly like an adjective.
- Two, three and four are followed by a special counting form of the noun — not the plural.
One: jedan, jedna, jedno
You already know how an adjective follows its noun's gender. The number jedan behaves the same way, and its three endings are the ones you have seen on dobar, dobra, dobro.
| Gender | one | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | jedan | jedan sto — one table |
| feminine | jedna | jedna knjiga — one book |
| neuter | jedno | jedno pismo — one letter |
After jedan the noun is simply singular, as you would expect: jedan brat, jedna sestra, jedno dete. And because jedan works like an adjective, it also follows its noun into the accusative: Imam jednu sestru. — I have one sister.
Two: dva and dve
The number two also cares about gender, but it makes only one distinction instead of three. dva goes with masculine and neuter nouns, dve with feminine ones.
| Gender of the noun | two | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | dva | dva brata — two brothers |
| neuter | dva | dva pisma — two letters |
| feminine | dve | dve sestre — two sisters |
Three and four: tri, četiri
Here it gets easier. tri and četiri never change: the same word for every gender. tri brata, tri sestre, tri pisma; četiri brata, četiri sestre, četiri pisma.
The counting form of the noun
Look at those examples again: dva brata, tri sestre, četiri pisma. The noun is not in the plural you learned in lesson seven. After two, three and four Serbian uses the counting form, which looks like the genitive singular from lesson twenty-two — the form you use after od, iz and kod.
| Noun | with jedan | with dva/dve, tri, četiri |
|---|---|---|
| sto (m) | jedan sto | dva stola, tri stola, četiri stola |
| brat (m) | jedan brat | dva brata, tri brata, četiri brata |
| knjiga (f) | jedna knjiga | dve knjige, tri knjige, četiri knjige |
| sestra (f) | jedna sestra | dve sestre, tri sestre, četiri sestre |
| pismo (n) | jedno pismo | dva pisma, tri pisma, četiri pisma |
The same thing happens with every other noun you know: Uzimam dve karte. — I am taking two tickets. Čekam dva minuta. — I am waiting two minutes. Stan ima tri sobe. — The flat has three rooms. Radim četiri sata. — I work four hours.
The trap: do not reach for the plural. It is tri stola, never tri stolovi; četiri prozora, never četiri prozori. With feminine nouns you cannot hear the mistake — knjige is both the plural and the counting form — but with masculine nouns it is very audible.
Numbers work happily with everything you already say. With imati: Imam dve sestre. With existential ima and nema: Ima četiri stolice. And to ask about a quantity, use koliko: Koliko košta jedna karta?
One small habit: where English says a book, Serbian usually says just knjiga. Use jedan when you really mean one and not two.
Check what you read
6 of the 15 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
Ovde je ___ sto.
Ovo je ___ karta.
Imamo ___ pivo.
Imam(jedan) olovku.
Ovde je(jedan) slobodno mesto.
Uzimam dve(karta) za Beograd.
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Vidim tri stola.
I see three tables.
Imam dva brata.
I have two brothers.
Imam dve sestre.
I have two sisters.
Ovde je jedno pismo.
Here is one letter.
Ovo je jedan sto.
This is one table.
Ovde ima četiri stolice.
There are four chairs here.
Ana ima tri knjige.
Ana has three books.
Danas radim četiri sata.
Today I am working four hours.
Ovo je jedna knjiga.
This is one book.
Da li imaš dve olovke?
Do you have two pencils?
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 39
Try it yourself
Translate a sentence that uses this rule. The check marks the word that went wrong and names the rule behind it, as in the app.
Sentences
Write it in Serbian
I see three tables.
tri + the counting form of the noun