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Dwa vs. dwie in Polish


Zorro  
4 Apr 2012 /  #61
Presumably, these were collective Poles or individuals in a collective accident:-)

They were either males or their sex would be unknown. Now, look at these sentences and try to guess their gender:

1. Dwaj Polacy zginęli.
2. Dwie Polki zginęły.
3. Dwoje Polaków zginęło.

Good luck!

How is it that i'm quoting Lyzko and the system says I'm quoting Cinek?
Lyzko  
15 Apr 2012 /  #62
Number one is mixed genders.
Number two is obviously females ONLY!
Number three is clearly (and collectively) MALES.

:-)
a.k.  
15 Apr 2012 /  #63
How is it that i'm quoting Lyzko and the system says I'm quoting Cinek?

You have marked Lyzko's post but click into cinek's quote buttom
swiniopas  
16 Apr 2012 /  #64
I didn't. I just wanted to answer the question precisely.

Actually you were... :) Dwa and dwójka are two separate words and you don't group their declensions together.
Lyzko  
16 Apr 2012 /  #65
Actually, "Dwoje Polaków......" might easily included a (neutral) child in addition to another male:-)
NorthMancPolak  4 | 642  
16 Apr 2012 /  #66
You can laugh at Polish grammar etc. all you like, but at least Polish will never have a "It's spelled Raymond Luxury-Yacht, but it's pronounced 'Throatwobbler Mangrove' " situation, haha :)
strzyga  2 | 990  
16 Apr 2012 /  #67
1. Dwaj Polacy zginęli.2. Dwie Polki zginęły.3. Dwoje Polaków zginęło.

Number one is mixed genders.Number two is obviously females ONLY!Number three is clearly (and collectively) MALES.

One of your guesses is correct. Try again.
Lyzko  
16 Apr 2012 /  #68
Take no. one back, Stzrygusiu! It's (LIVING!!!) males, NOT mixed.
Sooorrryyyy!!!!

....But 'dwa' (never 'dwaj') rachunki, I presume, since "rachunek" is an INANIMATE masculine noun, correct?
strzyga  2 | 990  
16 Apr 2012 /  #69
Take no. one back, Stzrygusiu! It's (LIVING!!!) males, NOT mixed.Sooorrryyyy!!!!

right. And No.3 is mixed.

....But 'dwa' (never 'dwaj') rachunki, I presume, since "rachunek" is an INANIMATE masculine noun, correct?

correct :)
"dwaj is for masculine personal, or whatever it's called.
Anyway, dwa psy - even though pies is animate, just like dwa rachunki. Dwa koty, dwa bociany.
dwaj panowie - "starsi panowie dwaj". Or "dwóch panów".
Zorro  
17 Apr 2012 /  #70
What's the difference between:
(a) Dwaj Polacy zginęli --- (b) Dwóch Polaków zginęło.

Or can we say:
(a) Dwa bociany odleciały --- (b) Dwóch bocianów odleciało?
(a) Dwa rachunki zginęły --- (b) Dwóch rachunków zginęło?
Lyzko  
17 Apr 2012 /  #71
"Dwóch" is spoken or colloquial. It's also used in the genitive.

Dwaj przyjaciele......
Dwa koty......
Dwoje dzieci, mężczyzni

etc....
Zorro  
18 Apr 2012 /  #72
There's is no difference between 'dwaj mężczyźni pracowali na wysokości" and "dwóch mężczyzn pracowało na wysokości". Both are literal and colloquial forms, but the latter one is perhaps more popular than the former. Also, this latter phrase in the genetive can only be used with the męskoosobowe nouns. You can't say: Dwóch bocianów odleciało, as bociany is a niemęskoosobowy noun.
Lyzko  
18 Apr 2012 /  #73
Excellent explanation, Zorro:-)
squirtle  2 | 4  
30 May 2012 /  #74
Merged: how to say two

Ceść.
Can anyone explain the use of all the different ways of saying two in Polish.
I know there are seventeen and someone has been explaining it to me, but I'm not sure I get it yet.
Mianownik
dopelniacz
celownik
then ask who, what, and I believe

can anyone explain this
many thanks
dziekuje
Wulkan  - | 3136  
30 May 2012 /  #75
can anyone explain this

waste of time...
jon357  73 | 22934  
30 May 2012 /  #76
There's a long thread here on it, but really the best way is just to relax and listen to what people say.
pam  
30 May 2012 /  #77
I know there are seventeen

Think its more like 23.......dont worry about it too much, doubt you will ever need to know alll forms of two. Also i agree with wulkan, bit of a waste of time.....Concentrate on everyday conversation if you get the chance to speak with poles. good luck!
Ziemowit  14 | 3936  
30 May 2012 /  #78
Just don't say "two". Say "three" instead!
jojo82  - | 1  
31 May 2012 /  #79
Merged: what are the differances between the different twos

I have come accross a few ways to say the number 2 and im now really confused what are the differances.
Dwa
Dwójka
Dwóch
Dwoje
Dwie

Dziękuję

JoJo
boletus  30 | 1356  
31 May 2012 /  #80
Learning number two by example: rhymes and proverbs
Jezzy  - | 1  
2 Jun 2012 /  #81
Dwie dziewczyny :)
akardo  - | 1  
2 Jun 2012 /  #82
dwa - rodzaj meski
dwie - rodzaj zenski
Ziemowit  14 | 3936  
8 Jun 2012 /  #83
Mądrej głowie dość dwie słowie!
-----------------------------------------------
In this proverb, "dwie" is the feminine gender the dual number of the numeral "two". The dual number in Polish ceased to exist in the 17th century; before that time the noun would be declined as follows: jedno słowo, dwie słowie, trzy/cztery słowa, pięć etc. słów. In modern Polish, however, this proverb should translate into: Mądrej głowie wystarczają dwa słowa.

Other relics of the dual number:
[1 x10] dziesięć : (or jedno dzieście) [singular] : [2 x 10] dwa dzieścia [d-u-a-l] : [3 or 4 x 10] trzy or cztery dzieści [plural] : [5 x 10] pięć dziesiąt [plural]

--> [10] dziesięć : [20] dwadzieścia : [30] trzydzieści : [40] czterdzieści : [50] pięćdziesiat

[1 x 100] sto : [2 x 100] dwie ście [d-u-a-l]: [3 or 4 x 100] trzy or cztery sta : [5 x 100] pięć set
--> sto, dwieście, trzysta, czterysta, pięćset
Lyzko  
11 Jun 2012 /  #84
Oho, akardo! Not so fast. "Dwa" is indeed masculine, only for non-virile (human) as well as masculine inanimate, not virile animate!

Dwa koty, psy, rachunki, sklepy... (living or non-living, NON-human masculine)
Dwaj przyaciele, koledzy... (living HUMAN masculine)

Polish has seemingly more baggage as well as an arsenal of noun quirks compared with English.

..sorry, "przyJaciele"!!

I was reminded that Slovenian too has a "dual" form, but the Polish dual is more or less only vestigial.
Ziemowit  14 | 3936  
28 Jul 2017 /  #85
[moved from]

you have "en volk", "dva volkova", "trije volkovi" and "pet volkov". Insane.

Polish used to have it, but no longer, isn't that so?

You have (you had) :

jedna baba - dwie babie - trzy baby - pięć bab
jedna ręka - dwie ręce - trzy ręki - pięć rąk
jedna noga - dwie nodze - trzy nogi - pięć nóg
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Ciebie dla, człowiecze, dał Bog przekłoć sobie
Ręce, nodze obie.
Kry święta szła z boka na zbawienie tobie


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