dois
/ˈdojs/masculine
The Portuguese word for "two" is dois.
dois is the cardinal number 2. It can also be used as a noun to refer to the digit or figure 2. When referring specifically to a two-dollar bill, you would say cédula de dois dólares or nota de dois dólares.
Meaning: cardinal number 2 (num)
Which one should you use?
The form dois is used when modifying masculine nouns. If you are modifying a feminine noun, you must use the feminine form duas.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The number must agree in gender with the noun it modifies. Use dois for masculine nouns and duas for feminine nouns. For ordinal numbers, the masculine term for "second" is segundo.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdojs/
When do people say it?
The phrase duas cabeças pensam melhor que uma is a common idiom meaning "Two heads are better than one".
Did you know?
- In Brazil, the expression é para dois is often used in restaurants to signal that a single dish is large enough to be shared by two people.
- In Portuguese, the word for 'half' is metade, but to say 'half past two' in time, you use duas e meia, treating the hour as feminine.
- The spelling of dois has evolved from the Old Galician-Portuguese form dous, reflecting historical shifts in the Portuguese language.
Examples in context
- Há dois mil livros.There are two thousand books.This example shows the use of dois in a large number.Tatoeba #2422119 by Ricardo14, translation #2415133 by CN
- Tom tem dois gatos.Tom has two cats.This example shows dois modifying a masculine noun.Tatoeba #2789255 by alexmarcelo, translation #2789253 by CN
- Um, dois, três, já!One, two, three, go!This example shows dois used in a rhythmic count.Tatoeba #7220860 by carlosalberto, translation #7220289 by Hamidb
- 1306 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Beatriz are at a bakery ordering snacks.
- RodrigoBeatriz, quantos pães você quer?Beatriz, how many breads do you want?
- BeatrizEu quero apenas dois, Rodrigo.I only want two, Rodrigo.
- RodrigoTudo bem, eu vou pegar dois para nós.Alright, I will get two for us.
- BeatrizObrigada, querido.Thank you, dear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “two” translations and entries dois, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dois, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
