а то

Or Else with А То

Level 4Sounds Like a to

А то means or else, otherwise: Апраніся цёпла, а то захварэеш. (Dress warmly, or you will get sick.)

How It Works

А то links a piece of advice to a warning. The first clause is often an imperative or a phrase with трэба, and the second clause says what could go wrong.

  • Спяшайся, а то спознішся. (Hurry, or you will be late.)
  • Вазьмі парасон, а то прамокнеш. (Take an umbrella, or you will get wet.)
  • Трэба запісаць адрас, а то забудзем. (We need to write the address down, or we will forget it.)

Tense. The warning is about the future, so the verb after а то is usually a perfective future: захварэеш, спознішся, прамокнеш.

Not або. English or in Hurry or you will be late is a warning, not a choice. Або and альбо offer alternatives, so they do not work here.

Variants. А не то and the more neutral інакш mean the same: Спяшайся, інакш спознішся. A comma always comes before а то.

Other uses. In conversation, а то also appears in answers such as А то хто ж? (Who else?), meaning the answer is obvious. This lesson focuses on the warning meaning.

Examples (5)

  1. Апраніся цёпла, а то захварэеш.

    Dress warmly, or you will get sick.

    Word by Word: Dress warmly, or-else you-will-get-sick.

  2. Спяшайся, а то спознішся.

    Hurry, or you will be late.

    Word by Word: Hurry, or-else you-will-be-late.

  3. Вазьмі парасон, а то прамокнеш.

    Take an umbrella, or you will get wet.

    Word by Word: Take umbrella, or-else you-will-get-wet.

  4. Запішы адрас, а то забудзеш.

    Write the address down, or you will forget it.

    Word by Word: Write-down address, or-else you-will-forget.

  5. Не гавары так гучна, а то дзіця прачнецца.

    Do not talk so loudly, or the baby will wake up.

    Word by Word: Not talk so loudly, or-else child will-wake-up.

Common Mistakes

  • Using або for or else, copying English or.

    Апраніся цёпла, або захварэеш.
    Апраніся цёпла, а то захварэеш.

    Або offers a choice between two options. A warning about what will happen otherwise needs а то or інакш.

  • Leaving out the comma before а то.

    Спяшайся а то спознішся.
    Спяшайся, а то спознішся.

    А то starts a new clause, so a comma comes before it.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

а тоLevel 4Or Else with А То

Learn This First

Or else needs а and the imperative.