LingoflyTwo eggs, five eggs: counting bends the noun
English never moves the noun: two tables, five tables. Serbian switches its shape twice, and the whole skill is knowing where the border runs. For example: “Купио (Kupio) сам (sam) два (dva) кромпира и (i) пет (pet) јаја” (jaja) — I bought two potatoes and five eggs. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English never moves the noun: two tables, five tables. Serbian switches its shape twice, and the whole skill is knowing where the border runs.
After 1 (and 21, 31, 101) comes the plain form: jedan kilogram. After 2, 3, 4 a special shape: dva tanjira, tri šolje, četiri jajeta. From 5 up, the of-plural: pet tanjira, deset jaja.
The border is judged by the last digit. So 22, 23, 24 behave like 2–4: dvadeset dva dana. But 25 and 11–14 behave like 5: dvadeset pet dana.
The verb moves too. At 2–4 it goes plural: Dva konobara su došla. From 5 up it slips into the neuter singular: Pet konobara je došlo.
Table
| the word | 1 | 2, 3, 4 | 5 and up |
|---|---|---|---|
| tanjir | jedan tanjir | dva tanjira | pet tanjira |
| šolja | jedna šolja | tri šolje | pet šolji |
| jaje | jedno jaje | četiri jajeta | deset jaja |
| dan | jedan dan | dvadeset dva dana | jedanaest dana |
| the verb | došao je | došla su | došlo je |
By example
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
Two eggs, five eggs: how does it work in Serbian?
English never moves the noun: two tables, five tables. Serbian switches its shape twice, and the whole skill is knowing where the border runs.
What does it look like in a Serbian example sentence?
“Купио (Kupio) сам (sam) два (dva) кромпира и (i) пет (pet) јаја” (jaja) (Kupio sam dva krompira i pet jaja) — I bought two potatoes and five eggs. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.