яго / яе / іх

Invariable Possessives Яго, Яе and Іх

Level 1Sounds Like âgo âe íh

Яго means his, яе means her and іх means their. They never change: яго брат, яго сястра, яго бацькі.

How It Works

Unlike мой and твой, the third-person possessives are fixed words.

Choose by the owner:

  • яго: the owner is a man, a boy or a masculine or neuter thing (яго брат, his brother)
  • яе: the owner is a woman, a girl or a feminine thing (яе кніга, her book)
  • іх: there are several owners (іх дом, their house)

Nothing changes after that. The same word works with every noun: яго брат, яго сястра, яго акно, яго бацькі. It also stays the same when the noun changes case: Мы размаўлялі з яго сястрой. (We talked with his sister.)

Where these words come from. They are the genitive forms of ён, яна, яно and яны, literally "of him, of her, of them". You also see them in у яго ёсць (he has).

Talking about your own things. If the owner is the subject of the same sentence, Belarusian uses свой: Андрэй любіць сваю маму (Andrei loves his own mother). Андрэй любіць яго маму means another man's mother.

Colloquial variants. In everyday speech and in literature you may also meet ягоны (his) and іхні (their), which change like adjectives: ягоная кніга. They are correct but colloquial. The neutral forms are яго, яе and іх.

Examples (6)

  1. Гэта яго брат.

    This is his brother.

    Word by Word: This his brother.

  2. Яе кніга ляжыць на стале.

    Her book is lying on the table.

    Word by Word: Her book lies on table.

    Кніга is feminine, but яе comes from the owner, a woman.

  3. Іх дом каля ракі.

    Their house is near the river.

    Word by Word: Their house near river.

  4. Я чытаю яе ліст.

    I am reading her letter.

    Word by Word: I read her letter.

    Ліст is the object here, and яе still does not change.

  5. Іх дзеці ходзяць у школу.

    Their children go to school.

    Word by Word: Their children go to school.

  6. Мы размаўлялі з яго сястрой.

    We talked with his sister.

    Word by Word: We talked with his sister.

    Сястрой is in the instrumental case, yet яго stays the same.

Common Mistakes

  • Choosing яго or яе by the gender of the thing owned.

    Марыя і яго брат прыйшлі.
    Марыя і яе брат прыйшлі.

    If the brother is Maria's, the owner is a woman, so use яе. Яго would mean some man's brother.

  • Using the Russian spelling их.

    Гэта их дом.
    Гэта іх дом.

    Belarusian writes і, never и: іх.

  • Using яго for the subject's own things.

    Андрэй любіць яго маму.
    Андрэй любіць сваю маму.

    If Andrei loves his own mother, use сваю. With яго the sentence means he loves another man's mother.

How It Connects

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

яго / яе / іхLevel 1Invariable Possessives Яго, Яе and Іх

Learn This First

Invariable possessives are learned against мой and твой.

Words in This Pattern

ягояеіх