I had a student moaning at me because I insisted he say *twice* and not "two times". And he asked "But why?" to which I replied, "Because that's how you say it!" However on reflection, his question was a valid one. In Latin there doesn't appear to be any discernible pattern > - once is *iterum* > - twice is *bis* > - thrice is *ter* > - four times is *quater* > - five times is *quinquies* but in German the suffix **-mal** is used, > - once is *einmal* > - twice is *zweimal* > - thrice is *dreimal* > - four times is *viermal* In French the term **fois** is repeated > - once is *une fois* > - twice is *deux fois* > - thrice is *trois fois* > - four times is *quatre fois* In Italian the noun **volta** (s) **volte** (p) is used > - once is *una volta* > - twice is *due volte* > - thrice is *tre volte* > - four times is *quattro volte* In Spanish **veces** is repeated > - once is *una vez* > - twice is *dos veces* > - thrice is *tres veces* > - four times is *cuatro veces* And all the following languages follow the same pattern. In Danish it's **ganges**; in Norwegian **ganger**; in Polish **raz** and **razy**; Portuguese has **vez** and **vezes**; and Welsh uses **waith**. - So why does the English language have three different words for "one time", "two times" and "three times"? - Beyond a shadow of a doubt the English *thrice* is doomed to exile if not extinction, is *twice* suffering the same fate? For instance, many Italian learners do say "two times"—it makes more sense. ---------- Related Questions: [Why has the word “thrice” fallen out of common usage?][1] [Twice vs Two Times][2] [Is there a word for four times as much, analogous to once, twice, and thrice?][3] [1]: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/146043/why-has-the-word-thrice-fallen-out-of-common-usage?rq=1 [2]: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/171833/twice-vs-two-times?lq=1 [3]: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/6798/is-there-a-word-for-four-times-as-much-analogous-to-once-twice-and-thrice