The dual number: for pairs
Besides singular and plural there is a form for two — for things that exist in pairs: hands, eyes, legs, ears, glasses. Its ending is its own, -ayim: yadayim — hands, einayim — eyes. For example: “ידיים” — hands. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Besides singular and plural there is a form for two — for things that exist in pairs: hands, eyes, legs, ears, glasses. Its ending is its own, -ayim: yadayim — hands, einayim — eyes.
The form reaches past ten too: "three weeks" takes the ordinary plural, but two days — yomayim. Pairs hold the dual stronger than any count.
There is no separate pronoun for "the two of us": people say anachnu shneynu — we both, from shnayim, two. About a woman in the pair they say shtenu.
By example
- ידייםйадаимhands
- עינייםэйнаимeyes
- אנחנו שנינו.анахну шнейну.We are both.
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Dual number in Hebrew?
The form reaches past ten too: "three weeks" takes the ordinary plural, but two days — yomayim. Pairs hold the dual stronger than any count.
Why do Hebrew hands end in -ayim?
Besides singular and plural there is a form for two — for things that exist in pairs: hands, eyes, legs, ears, glasses. Its ending is its own, -ayim: yadayim — hands, einayim — eyes.
Does Hebrew have a dual?
The form reaches past ten too: "three weeks" takes the ordinary plural, but two days — yomayim. Pairs hold the dual stronger than any count.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“ידיים” (йадаим) — hands. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.