żewġt

Maltese

Maltese numbers ^(edit)

	2	3  → [a], [b]
Cardinal: tnejn     Attributive cardinal: (short form) żewġ, (long form) żewġt, (short form) ġiex, (long form) ġiext     Ordinal: tieni     Adverbial: darbtejn     Fractional: nofs

Etymology

From żewġ +‎ -t.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /zɛwt͡ʃt/
• Rhymes: -ɛwt͡ʃt

Numeral

żewġt m or f

1. long attributive form of of tnejn (“two”)

   Synonym: ġiext

   Coordinate term: (short attributive form) żewġ

Usage notes

• The attributive forms are used before counted nouns.
• The long form is often favoured in words containing fewer syllables and beginning with either an epenthetic vowel or a consonant cluster requiring an epenthetic vowel before the first consonant. In the latter case, the epenthetic vowel is added as in the following example: tfal (“children”) → żewġt itfal (“two children”). Note, only select exceptional words such as (i)jiem, erwieħ or snin strictly warrant the long form, other words merely consider it optional and usage varies from speaker to speaker from time to time. That is to say żewġ tfal is possible, but unlikely given the consonant cluster & monosyllabic nature of the word.