Language/Belarusian/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Belarusian Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Belarusian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "be" in the Belarusian language. Using "be" is crucial to forming simple sentences and expressing states of being, so let's get started!

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Personal Pronouns & Pronouns.

Forms of "Be"

In Belarusian, the verb "be" (быць) is irregular in its present tense forms. Here are the present tense forms:

Belarusian	Pronunciation	English
я ёсць	ja josc'	I am
ты ёсць	ty josc'	You are (singular)
ён, яна, яно ёсць	jon, jana, jano josc'	He, she, it is
мы ёсць	my josc'	We are
вы ёсць	vy josc'	You are (plural)
яны ёсць	jany josc'	They are

Here are some examples:

• Я ёсць студэнт. (Ja josc' studjent.) - I am a student.
• Ты ёсць гучнік. (Ty josc' hucnik.) - You are a speaker.
• Ён ёсць высокі. (Jon josc' vysoki.) - He is tall.

Don't worry if these forms seem overwhelming at first. Like with any new concept, practice makes perfect!

Negation

To create negative sentences in Belarusian, simply add "не" before the verb "be". Here are some examples:

• Я не ёсць студэнт. (Ja ne josc' studjent.) - I am not a student.
• Ты не ёсць гучнік. (Ty ne josc' hucnik.) - You are not a speaker.
• Ён не ёсць высокі. (Jon ne josc' vysoki.) - He is not tall.

It's important to note that the word order in negative sentences remains the same as in positive ones: subject-verb-object. The only difference is the addition of "не".

Question Form

To form a question in Belarusian, simply change the intonation of the sentence. This means that the word order remains the same as in positive sentences, but the pitch of the speaker's voice should rise at the end of the sentence. Here are some examples:

• Я ёсць студэнт? (Ja josc' studjent?) - Am I a student?
• Ты ёсць гучнік? (Ty josc' hucnik?) - Are you a speaker?
• Ён ёсць высокі? (Jon josc' vysoki?) - Is he tall?

Dialogue

Person 1: Я ёсць Беларус. (Ja josc' Bielarus.) - I am Belarusian. Person 2: І я. (I ja.) - Me too.

Person 1: Ты ёсць з Мінска? (Ty josc' z Minska?) - Are you from Minsk? Person 2: Так, я з Мінска. (Tak, ja z Minska.) - Yes, I am from Minsk.

Person 1: Ён высокі? (Jon vysoki?) - Is he tall? Person 2: Ня, ён не высокі. (Nia, jon ne vysoki.) - No, he is not tall.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You now know how to use the verb "be" in Belarusian. Practice forming simple sentences and negations, and try asking questions using the correct intonation. To improve your Belarusian grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! Don't forget to check out more grammar lessons on the Grammar page. Да вызначэння! (Da vyjaznachennia!) - Good luck!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: Past Tense & Plurals.

Other Lessons

• Negation
• Give your Opinion
• Conditional Mood
• Prepositions
• Personal Pronouns
• How to Use Have
• Pronouns
• Future Tense
• Adjectives

Sources

• Belarusian language - Wikipedia
• Belarusian Latin alphabet - Wikipedia