Collective numerals - Souborové číslovky¶
Basic information¶
Collective numerals are used to quantify:
- nouns that exist only in the plural (pluralia tantum), such as nůžky (scissors) or brýle (glasses)
- items that naturally occur in sets or pairs, such as cigarety (a pack of cigarettes) or ponožky (a pair of socks)
See the examples comparing cardinal and collective numerals:
| Cardinal | Collective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) jeden | jedny | jedny brýle glasses |
| (2) dva | dvoje | dvoje kalhoty trousers |
| (3) tři | troje | troje ponožky socks |
| (4) čtyři | čtvery | čtvery nůžky scissors |
| (5) pět | patery | patery cigarety packs of cigarettes |
| (6) šest | šestery | šestery kontaktní čočky contact lenses |
| (7) sedm | sedmery | sedmery hory mountain ranges |
| (8) osm | osmery | osmery kleště pliers |
| (9) devět | devatery | devatery tepláky sweatpants |
| (10) deset | desatery | desatery sirky matches |
... and so on, with the suffix -ery (e.g. jedenáctery, dvanáctery) and vowel alternation for tens (20, 30, 40):
- dvacet → dvacatery
- třicet → třicatery
- čtyřicet → čtyřicatery
- but then the pattern becomes regular: padesát → padesátery
When numbers are combined (e.g. 25, 38 ...), an inversion is typically applied → pětadvacatery, osmatřicatery. However, the standard order (dvacatery patery) is also occasionally found.
Higher collective numerals are of limited use.
Grammatically, collective numerals are followed by the nominative case of the noun being counted:
dvoje (NOM)kalhoty
Alternatively, we can use a periphrastic construction with the genitive-governing word pár: 1
pár (GEN)kalhot
Morphology¶
The nominative and accusative forms are most commonly used and share the same morphology. However, when needed, Czech also provides forms for other grammatical cases:
| NOM | GEN | DAT | ACC | VOC | LOC | INS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| jedny (1) |
jedněch | jedněm | jedny | jedny | jedněch | jedněmi |
| dvoje (2) |
dvojích | dvojím | dvoje | dvoje | dvojích | dvojími |
| troje (3) |
trojích | trojím | troje | troje | trojích | trojími |
| čtvery (4) |
čtverých | čtverým | čtvery | čtvery | čtverých | čtverými |
| patery (5) |
paterých | paterým | patery | patery | paterých | paterými |
... and higher collective numerals decline regularly, following the pattern of patery.
Note the importance of correct usage:
-
jedna sirka (one match)
jedny sirky (one box of matches) -
dvě ponožky (two socks, not necessarily a pair)
dvoje ponožky (two pairs of socks, i.e. four socks in total)
Note
Some Czech nouns are plural in form, even though their English equivalents are singular.
A few examples:
| Czech PL | English SG |
|---|---|
| narozeniny | birthday |
| hodinky | watch |
| dveře | door |
| plavky | swimsuit |
| Vánoce | Christmas |
| Velikonoce | Easter |
Additional notes¶
There is a rare set of cardinal numerals with the suffix -ero (čtvero, patero, šestero, sedmero, osmero, devatero, desatero, jedenáctero, etc.) that resemble collective numerals but are used for general quantification. They can be replaced by regular cardinal numerals, but are often used for stylistic emphasis or in fixed expressions:
-
čtvero
e.g. čtvero ročních období (four seasons)
-
patero
e.g. patero knih (five books)
-
desatero
Desatero božích příkázání (Ten Commandments)
They typically add a poetic or formal tone to the expression.
-
The word pár can mean two, but it is also commonly used with the broader meanings a couple of or a few / some, depending on context. ↩