tvá

Två is the Swedish cardinal numeral for the number 2. It is used in counting and in expressions of quantity, such as två dagar, två kilo, or två hundra kronor. In Swedish, två is placed before a noun when indicating amount, and the following noun inflects normally (två böcker, två stolar).

Pronunciation and orthography: In Standard Swedish, två is pronounced [ˈtvoː]. The å represents a long [oː] sound. The word is written with the letter å; older Swedish used the form tva.

Etymology and cognates: Två derives from Old Swedish tva, from Proto-Germanic twa-, and is cognate with English two and German zwei. The form and spelling reflect shared Germanic roots, with related forms appearing in other Scandinavian languages such as Norwegian and Danish.

Usage and varieties: Två functions as a numeral without gender or number agreement. It combines with nouns to state quantity (två dagar, två böcker) and can appear in larger numeral expressions, for example in phrases like två gånger (twice) or in the construction for larger totals (två hundra kronor means two hundred kronor). In arithmetic, dates, and measurements, två is used in the same role as English two.