Editing Dual (grammatical number) (section)

==== Slovene ====
{{See also|Slovene grammar}}
Along with the [[Sorbian languages]], [[Chakavian dialect|Chakavian]], some [[Kajkavian]] dialects, and the extinct [[Old Church Slavonic]], [[Slovene language|Slovene]] uses the dual. Although popular sources claim that Slovene has "preserved full grammatical use of the dual,"<ref name="MLD 2009">{{cite news |url=http://www.stat.si/eng/novica_prikazi.aspx?id=2177 |title=International Mother Language Day |publisher=Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia |date=19 February 2009 |access-date=3 February 2011}}</ref> Standard Slovene (and, to varying degrees, Slovene dialects) show significant reduction of the dual number system when compared with Common Slavic.<ref name="Jakop2008">{{cite book|last=Jakop|first=Tjaša|title=The Dual in Slovene Dialects|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gQZ1Y9O7OLAC|year=2008|publisher=Brockmeyer|location=Bochum|isbn=978-3-8196-0705-9}}</ref> In general, dual forms have a tendency to be replaced by plural forms. This tendency is stronger in oblique cases than in the nominative/accusative: in standard Slovene, genitive and locative forms have merged with the plural, and in many dialects, pluralization has extended to dative/instrumental forms. Dual inflection is better preserved in masculine forms than in feminine forms.<ref>Jakop (2008, [https://books.google.com/books?id=gQZ1Y9O7OLAC&pg=PA104 pp. 104–105])</ref> Natural pairs are usually expressed with the plural in Slovene, not with the dual: e.g. {{lang|sl|roke}} "hands", {{lang|sl|ušesa}} ears. The dual forms of such nouns can be used, in conjunction with the quantifiers {{lang|sl|dva}} "two" or {{lang|sl|oba}} "both", to emphasize the number: e.g. {{lang|sl|Imam samo dve roki}} "I only have two hands". The words for "parents" and "twins" show variation in colloquial Slovene between plural ({{lang|sl|starši}}, {{lang|sl|dvojčki}}) and dual ({{lang|sl|starša}}, {{lang|sl|dvojčka}}).<ref>Jakop (2008, [https://books.google.com/books?id=gQZ1Y9O7OLAC&pg=PA6 pp. 6ff])</ref> Standard Slovene has replaced the nominative dual pronouns of Common Slavic ({{lang|sla|vě}} "the two of us", {{lang|sla|va}} "the two of you", {{lang|sla|ja/ji/ji}} "the two of them" [m./f./n.]) with new synthetic dual forms: {{lang|sl|midva/midve}} (literally, "we-two"), {{lang|sl|vidva/vidve}}, {{lang|sl|onadva/onidve/onidve}}.<ref>Derganc, Aleksandra. 2006. Some Characteristics of the Dual in Slovenian. ''Slavistična revija'' 54 (special issue): 416–434; especially pp. 428–429.</ref>

Nominative case of noun {{lang|sl|volk}} "wolf", with and without numerals:

{| class="wikitable"
|+ without numerals
! || nom. sg. (wolf) || nom. dual (2 wolves) || nom. pl. (wolves)
|-
! Slovene
| {{lang|sl|volk}} || volkova ||  {{lang|sl|volkovi}}
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ with numerals
! || wolf || 2 wolves || 3 (or 4) wolves || 5(+) wolves (gen. pl.)
|-
! Slovene
| {{lang|sl|en volk}} || {{lang|sl|dva volkova}}|| {{lang|sl|trije volkovi}} || {{lang|sl|pet volkov}}
|}

The dual is recognised by many Slovene speakers as one of the most distinctive features of the language and a mark of recognition, and is often mentioned in tourist brochures.

For verbs, the endings in the present tense are given as {{lang|sl|-va}}, {{lang|sl|-ta}}, {{lang|sl|-ta}}. The table below shows a comparison of the conjugation of the verb {{lang|sl|delati}}, which means "to do, to make, to work" and belongs to Class IV in the singular, dual, and plural.

{| class="wikitable" align = "center"
! !! Singular !! Dual !! Plural
|-
! First person
| {{lang|sl|del'''am'''}} || {{lang|sl|del'''ava'''}} || {{lang|sl|del'''amo'''}}
|-
! Second person
| {{lang|sl|del'''aš'''}} || {{lang|sl|del'''ata'''}} || {{lang|sl|del'''ate'''}}
|-
! Third person
| {{lang|sl|del'''a'''}} || {{lang|sl|del'''ata'''}} || {{lang|sl|del'''ajo'''}}
|}

In the imperative, the endings are given as {{lang|sl|-iva}} for the first-person dual and {{lang|sl|-ita}} for the second-person dual. The table below shows the imperative forms for the verb {{lang|sl|hoditi}} ("to walk") in the first and second persons of the imperative (the imperative does not exist for first-person singular).

{| class="wikitable" align="center" title="Imperative"
! !! Singular !! Dual !! Plural
|-
! First person
| —<!--Note: There is no first-person, singular imperative verb form. Please stop trying to add the first person present indicative form {{lang|sl|hodim}} --> || {{lang|sl|hodiva}} || {{lang|sl|hodimo}}
|-
! Second person
| {{lang|sl|hodi}} || {{lang|sl|hodita}} || {{lang|sl|hodite}}
|}