Editing Dual (grammatical number) (section)

==Hebrew==

===Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew===
In [[Biblical Hebrew|Biblical]], [[Mishnaic Hebrew|Mishnaic]], and [[Medieval Hebrew]], like [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and other [[Semitic languages]], all nouns can have singular, plural or dual forms, and there is still a debate whether there are vestiges of dual verbal forms and pronouns.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Dual Personal Pronouns and Dual Verbs in Hebrew |author=Gary Rendsburg |s2cid=165915077 |journal=The Jewish Quarterly Review |series=New Series |volume=73 |issue=1 |date=July 1982 |pages=38–58 |doi=10.2307/1454459|jstor=1454459 }}</ref> However, in practice, most nouns use only singular and plural forms. Usually {{Script/Hebrew|־ים}} {{transliteration|he|-īm}} is added to [[grammatical gender#Objects and abstractions|masculine]] words to make them plural for example {{Script/Hebrew|ספר / ספרים}} {{transliteration|he|sēfer / səfārīm}} "book / books", whilst with [[grammatical gender#Objects and abstractions|feminine]] nouns the {{Script/Hebrew|־ה}} {{transliteration|he|-ā}} is replaced with {{Script/Hebrew|־ות}} {{transliteration|he|-ōṯ}}. For example, {{Script/Hebrew|פרה / פרות}} {{transliteration|he|pārā / pārōṯ}} "cow / cows". The masculine dual form is shown in pointed text with a pathach; in a purely consonantal text, masculine dual is not indicated at all by the consonants.  The dual for (two) days is {{Script/Hebrew| יוֹמַ֫יִם}} with pathach under the mem.  An example of the dual form is {{Script/Hebrew|יום / יומיים / ימים}} {{transliteration|he|yōm / yomạyim / yāmīm}} "day / two days / [two or more] days". Some words occur so often in pairs that the form with the dual suffix {{transliteration|he|-ạyim}} is used in practice for the general plural, such as {{Script/Hebrew|עין / עינים}} {{transliteration|he|ʿạyin / ʿēnạyim}} "eye / eyes", used even in a sentence like "The spider has eight eyes." Thus words like {{transliteration|he|ʿēnạyim}} only appear to be dual, but are in fact what is called "pseudo-dual", which is a way of making a plural.  Sometimes, words can change meaning depending on whether the dual or plural form is used, for example; {{transliteration|he|ʿayin}} can mean eye or water spring in the singular, but in the plural eyes will take the dual form of {{transliteration|he|ʿenayim}} whilst springs are {{transliteration|he|ʿeynot}}. Adjectives, verbs, and pronouns have only singular and plural, with the plural forms of these being used with dual nouns.

===Modern Hebrew===
In [[Modern Hebrew]] as used in [[Israel]], there is also a dual number, but its use is very restricted. The dual form is usually used in expressions of time and number. These nouns have plurals as well, which are used for numbers higher than two, for example:

{| class="wikitable"
! Singular || Double || Triple
|-
| {{Script/Hebrew|פעם}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|páʿam}} ("time", frequency)
| {{Script/Hebrew|פעמיים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|paʿamáyim}} ("twice")
| {{Script/Hebrew|שלוש פעמים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shalosh pəʿamim}} ("thrice")
|-
| {{Script/Hebrew|יום}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|yom}} ("day")
| {{Script/Hebrew|יומיים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|yomáyim}} ("two days")
| {{Script/Hebrew|שלושה ימים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shəlosha yamim}} ("three days")
|-
| {{Script/Hebrew|שנה}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shaná}} ("year")
| {{Script/Hebrew|שנתיים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shnatáyim}} ("two years")
| {{Script/Hebrew|שלוש שנים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shalosh shanim}} ("three years")
|-
| {{Script/Hebrew|שבוע}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shavúaʿ}} ("week")
| {{Script/Hebrew|שבועיים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shəvuʿáyim}} ("two weeks")
| {{Script/Hebrew|שלושה שבועות}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shəlosha shavuʿot}} ("three weeks")
|-
| {{Script/Hebrew|מאה}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|meʾa}} ("one hundred")
| {{Script/Hebrew|מאתיים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|matáyim}} ("two hundred")
| {{Script/Hebrew|שלוש מאות}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shalosh meʾot}} ("three hundred")

|}

The pseudo-dual is used to form the plural of some body parts, garments, etc., for instance:

: {{Script/Hebrew|רגל}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|régel}} ("leg") → {{Script/Hebrew|רגליים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|ragláyim}} ("legs")
: {{Script/Hebrew|אוזן}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|ózen}} ("ear") → {{Script/Hebrew|אוזניים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|oznáyim}} ("ears")
: {{Script/Hebrew|שן}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shen}} ("tooth") → {{Script/Hebrew|שניים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shináyim}} ("teeth")
: {{Script/Hebrew|מעי}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|məʿi}} ("intestine") → {{Script/Hebrew|מעיים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|məʿáyim}} ("intestines")
: {{Script/Hebrew|נעל}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|náʿal}} ("shoe") → {{Script/Hebrew|נעליים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|naʿaláyim}} ("shoes")
: {{Script/Hebrew|גרב}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|gérev}} ("sock") → {{Script/Hebrew|גרביים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|garbáyim}} ("socks")

In this case, even if there are more than two, the dual is still used, for instance יש לכלב ארבע רגליים {{transliteration|he|yesh lə-ḵélev arbaʿ '''ragláyim'''}} ("a dog has four '''legs'''").

Another case of the pseudo-dual is ''duale tantum'' (a kind of [[plurale tantum]]) nouns:

: {{Script/Hebrew|נקודתיים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|nəkudatáyim}} ("[[colon (punctuation)|colon]]", lit. "two dots")
: {{Script/Hebrew|אופניים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|ofanáyim}} ("bicycle", lit. "two wheels")
: {{Script/Hebrew|משקפיים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|mishkafáyim}} ("eyeglasses", lit. "two lenses")
: {{Script/Hebrew|שמיים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|shamáyim}} ("sky")
: {{Script/Hebrew|מספריים}} &nbsp; {{transliteration|he|misparáyim}} ("scissors")