Shaataim, matayim, einayim: the dual lives here
For pairs there is a special form: eyes, hands, legs — einayim, yadayim, raglaim. The same ending counts two of some measures: shaataim — two hours, matayim — two hundred, yomaim — two days, shnataim — two years. For example: “ראיתי אותו לפני יומיים.” — I saw him two days ago. A rule from the Hebrew course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
For pairs there is a special form: eyes, hands, legs — einayim, yadayim, raglaim. The same ending counts two of some measures: shaataim — two hours, matayim — two hundred, yomaim — two days, shnataim — two years.
Every other "two of something" takes shnei or shtei plus the plural: shtei kosot — two cups, shnei yeladim — two children.
The tail -aim is both "two eyes" and "two hours" in one ending. Hear it — think of a pair.
Table
| two of what | form | how it is made | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| a day | יומיים — yomaim | the dual | two days |
| a year | שנתיים — shnataim | the dual | two years |
| an hour | שעתיים — shaataim | the dual | two hours |
| a hundred | מאתיים — matayim | the dual | two hundred |
| an eye | עיניים — einayim | the dual | eyes |
| a hand | ידיים — yadayim | the dual | hands |
| a cup | שתי כוסות — shtei kosot | shnaim + plural | two cups |
| a child | שני ילדים — shnei yeladim | shnaim + plural | two children |
By example
- ראיתי אותו לפני יומיים.раити ото лифней йомаим.I saw him two days ago.
- הטיסה אורכת שעתיים.ха-тиса орет штаим.The flight lasts two hours.
- יש לה ידיים חמות.йеш ла ядаим хамот.She has warm hands.
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
Shaataim, matayim, einayim: how does it work in Hebrew?
For pairs there is a special form: eyes, hands, legs — einayim, yadayim, raglaim. The same ending counts two of some measures: shaataim — two hours, matayim — two hundred, yomaim — two days, shnataim — two years.
What does it look like in a Hebrew example sentence?
“ראיתי אותו לפני יומיים.” (раити ото лифней йомаим.) — I saw him two days ago. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.