Using numbers is usually a pretty easy topic, but not in Slavic languages. Sadly, numbers also decline in these languages. Russian, of course, is no exception!
Because of this, expressing I talked to two boys, I fell in love with two girls, and other similar constructions is going to be a little more complex. The Russian equivalent for two would be different in both example sentences.
You might be feeling a little intimidated by now but have no fear! We’ll go over all the possible declensions for the letters 2-4. The reason why this post is focused on those three numbers is because they decline very similarly. Numbers 5 and above decline differently, hence there will be a separate post for those numbers.
| Formation |
| два [two] |
| nom. | два/две |
| gen. | двух |
| dat. | двум |
| acc. | два/две – двух |
| inst. | двумя |
| prep. | двух |
I took care to highlight in the table where the declensions coincide. I’ll do the same in the next tables.
| Я думал о двух проблемах. I thought about the two problems. |
| Между двумя шкафами стоит лампа. A lamp is between the two wardrobes. |
| Она любит двух мужчин. She loves two men. |
| Yes, there is a feminine form for два. Check out my post on cardinal numbers for more details, or even lesson eleven, where I wrote about it. |
| три [three] |
| nom. | три |
| gen. | трёх |
| dat. | трём |
| acc. | три – трёх |
| inst. | тремя |
| prep. | трёх |
| Он садил за столом с тремя девушками. He was sitting at the table with three girls. |
| Миша продал три стола. Misha sold three tables. |
| Бабушка рассказала трём малчикам историю. Grandma told the three boys a story. |
| четыре [four] |
| nom. | четыре |
| gen. | четырёх |
| dat. | четырём |
| acc. | четыре – четырёх |
| inst. | четырмя |
| prep. | четырёх |
| Димке должно быть около четырёх лет. Dimka must be around four years old. |
| Ещё четырём людям нужно сдать экзамен. Four more people need to take the test. |
| Я бывал в четырёх странах. I’ve been in four countries. |
And that’s it! This was indeed a complex post, and it’ll take time and practice for you to fully master this grammar point, so please take the quizzes [to come soon].
| Last Edit: 11/26/2025. |
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