Language/Belarusian/Grammar/Nouns

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Belarusian Grammar - Nouns

Hi Belarusian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will cover the basics of Belarusian grammar - nouns. Nouns are an essential part of language and are used to name people, places, things, and ideas. Understanding how to use and decline Belarusian nouns will greatly improve your language skills!


Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Prepositions, Gender, Plurals & Infinitives.

What are nouns in Belarusian?[edit | edit source]

In Belarusian, a noun is a word used to name a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns can be either masculine, feminine, or neuter.

Here's how you can recognize a masculine noun in Belarusian:

  • Masculine nouns usually end in a consonant. Example: дом (dom) - house
  • Masculine nouns that end in "а" or "я" are exceptions to this rule. Example: глеб (hlieb) - bread

Here's how you can recognize a feminine noun in Belarusian:

  • Feminine nouns usually end in "а". Example: кніга (kniha) - book
  • Feminine nouns that end in a soft sign "ь" or "й" are exceptions to this rule. Example: ночт (nocht) - night

Here's how you can recognize a neuter noun in Belarusian:

  • Neuter nouns usually end in "а" or "о". Example: мора (mora) - sea

Declension of Nouns[edit | edit source]

In Belarusian, nouns have six cases.

Cases Function
Назоўны вакалічны (Nominative Case) Used to indicate the subject
Родны (Genitive Case) Used to indicate possession, negation, and indefinite quantities
Давальны (Dative Case) Used to indicate the indirect object
Знаходны (Locative Case) Used to indicate the location of the object
Мясцовы (Instrumental Case) Used to indicate the means or tools used in the action
Вінавальны (Accusative Case) Used to indicate the direct object

Here's a table showing the declension of a masculine noun "дом" (dom).

Cases Singular Plural
Назоўны вакалічны (Nominative Case) дом дамы
Родны (Genitive Case) дому доўмаў
Давальны (Dative Case) дому доўмам
Знаходны (Locative Case) доме да домаў
Мясцовы (Instrumental Case) домам з домамі
Вінавальны (Accusative Case) дом дамы

Here's a dialogue so you can see them in context:

  • Person 1: Прывітанне! Гэта мой новы дом. (Hello! This is my new house.)
  • Person 2: Дзе знаходзіцца дом? (Where is the house located?)
  • Person 1: Дом знаходзіцца на вуліцы Кастрычніцкай. (The house is located on Kastrycnitskaya street.)

Plurals[edit | edit source]

In Belarusian, to form the plural of masculine and neuter nouns, you need to add "-ы" or "-і" to the end of the word. Feminine nouns that end with "-а" replace the "-а" with "-ы", whereas the ones that end with "-я" replace the "-я" with "-і".

Here are some examples:

Singular Plural
стол (stol) - table сталы (staly) - tables
друзь (druzh) - friend дружыя (druzhyya) - friends
вопера (vopera) - opera оперы (opery) - operas

Here's another dialogue so you can see it in context:

  • Person 1: Я люблю слухаць аперу. (I love listening to opera.)
  • Person 2: Я тож люблю аперы. (I love operas too.)

Irregular Nouns[edit | edit source]

Some nouns in Belarusian follow irregular declension patterns. Here are some:

Noun Nominative Singular Genitive Singular Nominative Plural
сын (syn) - son сын сына сыны
дачка (dačka) - daughter дачка доўгі доцяры
чалавек (chalavyek) - person чалавек чалавека людзі

Here's a dialogue so you can see them in context:

  • Person 1: Гэта мой сын. (This is my son.)
  • Person 2: У тэбе многа сыноў? (Do you have many sons?)
  • Person 1: Не, я маю толькі аднаго сына. (No, I only have one son.)

Cultural Information[edit | edit source]

Belarusian is an official language of Belarus, spoken by approximately 6.8 million people. It is a Slavic language and is closely related to Russian and Ukrainian. Belarusian has its own unique writing system, which is based on the Cyrillic script.

Belarus is known for its stunning natural beauty, including its lakes, forests, and national parks. The country is home to numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the Mir Castle Complex and the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park. Belarus is also famous for its folk art, traditional crafts, and delicious cuisine.

To improve your Belarusian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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