Asked • 03/27/19

два мужчины or "двое мужчин"?

Is it okay to say "два мужчины" or should I always say "двое мужчин"?

1 Expert Answer

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Jim C. answered • 04/02/19

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Lyudmila G.

Just to add a little note. You can say "два мужчины" or "двое мужчин" both are correct. You can only say "две женщины", "двое женщин" is incorrect. Собирательные числительные двое, трое, четверо, пятеро, шестеро, семеро, восьмеро, девятеро, десятеро сочетаются только с существительными мужского рода и общего рода, называющих лиц МУЖСКОГО пола: четверо школьников, двое преподавателей, трое друзей, двое сирот;
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08/31/20

Yelena F.

I would add that when it is about the people of high rank, it is not recommended to use a "collective" type of numerals: when it is two presidents or two ministers, it is better to say "два президента", "два министра". Also, this type of numerals are often used when we mean people in general, even there could be women in a group: пятеро подростков", "четверо прохожих".
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12/16/20

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