Dwie

Dwie is the feminine form of the Polish cardinal number two (2). It is used with feminine nouns to count two items and is declined like an adjective, agreeing with the noun in gender, number, and case.

In practice, dwie is most commonly seen with feminine nouns in the nominative and accusative cases. Examples include dwie kobiety (two women) and dwie ręce (two hands). When the noun phrase is declined, the surrounding forms change accordingly: dwóch kobiet (genitive plural), dwóm kobietom (dative plural), dwiema kobietami (instrumental plural), or dwój możliwych form for locative variations such as w dwóch kobietach. Other feminine examples include dwie godziny (two hours) and dwie królowe (two queens).

Dwie coexists with related numeral forms used in Polish counting. For masculine personal nouns or certain mixed groups, the form dwoje is used, for example dwoje dzieci (two children) or dwoje rodzeństwa (two siblings). The basic masculine/neuter form dwa is used with many masculine inanimate and neuter nouns, while dwie is strictly for feminine nouns. Polish numerals thus form a small inflectional system that parallels adjectives, requiring agreement with the noun they quantify.

Etymology traces dwie to the standard Polish word dwa (two), adapted to feminine gender. The form is common in everyday speech and writing and appears across genres, from formal text to colloquial conversation.