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Revision as of 20:21, 29 March 2023
◀️ Telling Time — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Past Tense ▶️ |
As a Lithuanian language teacher for over 20 years, I have seen the struggles that my students face when learning the Lithuanian language. In this lesson, we will cover the present tense in Lithuanian, an essential component for forming basic sentences. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the present tense and use common verb patterns in everyday situations.
Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Common Prepositions & Gendered Nouns.
What is the Present Tense?
Before we dive into the present tense, let's clarify what a tense is. In grammar, tense refers to the time of an action expressed by a verb. The present tense refers to an action that is happening now or regularly.
For example:
- I speak Lithuanian every day. (regular action)
- I am speaking Lithuanian right now. (happening now)
Let's move on to understanding how to form the present tense in Lithuanian.
Regular Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense
In Lithuanian, regular verbs are those that follow a specific pattern of conjugation. Here is the formula for forming the present tense of regular verbs:
| stem + -u (for 1st person singular) + personal endings
The stem of the verb is usually the infinitive form of the verb without the -ti ending. The following table shows the conjugation of the regular verb "kalbėti" (to speak) in the present tense.
Lithuanian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
kalbė- | kahl-BEH- | (I) speak | kalbė-u | kahl-BEH-oo | (I) speak | kalbė-i | kahl-BEH-ee | (you) speak | kalbė-ja | kahl-BEH-yah | (he/she/it) speaks | kalbė-ame | kahl-BEH-ah-meh | (we) speak | kalbė-ate | kahl-BEH-ah-teh | (you all) speak | kalbė-ja | kahl-BEH-yah | (they) speak |
As you can see, the stem of the verb is "kalbė-" and the endings change based on the subject of the sentence. It is important to note that the -u ending is only used for the 1st person singular (I speak) and should not be used for any other subject.
Here are some other examples of regular verb conjugation in the present tense:
- Mes rašome knygą. (We are writing a book.)
Lithuanian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
rašo- | RAH-shoh- | (I) write | rašau | RAH-shah-oo | (I) write | rašai | RAH-shah-ee | (you) write | rašo | RAH-shoh | (he/she/it) writes | rašome | RAH-shoh-meh | (we) write | rašote | RAH-shoh-teh | (you all) write | rašo | RAH-shoh | (they) write |
- Jie miega ryte. (They sleep in the morning.)
Lithuanian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
miego- | MYEH-goh- | (I) sleep | miegu | MYEH-goo | (I) sleep | miegi | MYEH-gee | (you) sleep | miego | MYEH-goh | (he/she/it) sleeps | miegame | MYEH-gah-meh | (we) sleep | miegate | MYEH-gah-teh | (you all) sleep | miego | MYEH-goh | (they) sleep |
Now that we have covered the regular verb conjugation in the present tense, let's move on to the irregular verb conjugation.
Irregular Verb Conjugation in the Present Tense
Irregular verbs in Lithuanian do not follow a standard pattern of conjugation, so they require more memorization. Here are some examples of irregular verbs in the present tense:
- Aš esu studentas. (I am a student.) - the verb "būti" (to be)
Lithuanian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
es- | esh- | (I) am | es-u | eh-SOO | (I) am | e-si | EH-see | (you) are | y-ra | IH-rah | (he/she/it) is | e-same | eh-SAH-meh | (we) are | e-sate | eh-SAH-teh | (you all) are | y-ra | IH-rah | (they) are |
- Aš gaunu laiškus. (I receive letters.) - the verb "gauti" (to receive)
Lithuanian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gaun- | gow-n | (I) receive | gaunu | gow-noo | (I) receive | gauti | gow-tee | (you) receive | gauna | gow-nah | (he/she/it) receives | gauname | gow-nah-meh | (we) receive | gaunate | gow-nah-teh | (you all) receive | gauna | gow-nah | (they) receive |
- Jis žino atsakymą. (He knows the answer.) - the verb "žinoti" (to know)
Lithuanian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
žino- | ZHI-noh- | (I) know | žinau | ZHI-nah-oo | (I) know | žinai | ZHI-nah-ee | (you) know | žino | ZHI-noh | (he/she/it) knows | žinome | ZHI-noh-meh | (we) know | žinote | ZHI-noh-teh | (you all) know | žino | ZHI-noh | (they) know |
As you can see from these examples, irregular verbs in Lithuanian do not always follow a uniform pattern.
Common Verb Patterns
In addition to regular and irregular verb conjugation, there are common verb patterns in Lithuanian that will help you in everyday situations. Here are some examples:
- Noriu vaisių. (I want some fruit.) - the verb "norėti" (to want)
Lithuanian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
nore- | NOH-reh- | (I) want | noriu | noh-ryoo | (I) want | nori | noh-ree | (you) want | nori | noh-ree | (he/she/it) wants | norime | noh-REE-meh | (we) want | norite | noh-REE-teh | (you all) want | nori | noh-ree | (they) want |
- Man patinka muzika. (I like music.) - the verb "patikti" (to like)
Lithuanian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
patin- | pah-TEEN- | (I) like | patinka | pah-TEEN-kah | (I) like | patinka | pah-TEEN-kah | (you) like | patinka | pah-TEEN-kah | (he/she/it) likes | patinka | pah-TEEN-kah | (we) like | patinka | pah-TEEN-kah | (you all) like | patinka | pah-TEEN-kah | (they) like |
- Aš turiu kamerą. (I have a camera.) - the verb "turėti" (to have)
Lithuanian | Pronunciation | English | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
tur- | toor- | (I) have | turiu | TOO-ree-oo | (I) have | turi | TOO-ree | (you) have | turi | TOO-ree | (he/she/it) has | turime | too-REE-meh | (we) have | turite | too-REE-teh | (you all) have | turi | TOO-ree | (they) have |
These verb patterns will help you to form basic sentences in Lithuanian and will also help you to understand verb patterns in other tenses, such as the past tense, which we will cover in a later lesson.
Conclusion
In this lesson, we have covered the basics of present tense conjugation in Lithuanian, including regular and irregular verb conjugation and common verb patterns. By understanding the present tense, you will be able to form simple sentences and hold basic conversations. As always, practice makes perfect, so make sure to practice these verb conjugations and patterns regularly. Best of luck in your Lithuanian language journey!
Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Basic Sentence Structure & Alphabet and Pronunciation.
Videos
Lithuanian grammar (1) - Present tense - YouTube
Easy Lithuanian: Present tense Pt. 1/5 - YouTube
Other Lessons
- Describing People and Things
- Conditional Mood
- Personal Pronouns
- 0 to A1 Course
- Pronouns
- Genitive Case
- Nouns
- Nominative and Accusative Cases
- Common Prepositions
- Adjectives
Sources
Template:Lithuanian-Page-Bottom
◀️ Telling Time — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Past Tense ▶️ |