trije

Trije is a grammatical form of the Slovenian numeral for three. It functions as a cardinal number used before masculine nouns in the nominative plural, typically when counting people or masculine-gendered groups. The basic numeral for three is tri, but before masculine nouns (or mixed-gender groups) the form trije is commonly used.

In practice, trije is used with masculine or mixed gender plurals, for example trije fantje (three boys/men) and trije prijatelji (three friends). For feminine or neuter nouns, the form tri is typically used, as in tri dekleta (three girls) or tri otroka, depending on the noun’s gender and case. The choice of form can also be influenced by morphosyntactic considerations in different cases, somewhat mirroring how other Slavic languages adjust numerals to gender and case.

Etymology traces trije to the base numeral tri and reflects Slovenian’s system of gendered numeral forms. The distinction between trije and tri illustrates how Slovenian numerals agree with the gender of the counted noun rather than following a single invariant form.

See also: Slovenian language, numerals, gender in numbers.

Notes: While trije is common in everyday Slovenian, precise usage can vary by dialect and style. In formal writing, speakers may rely on the standard gendered forms consistent with the noun being counted.