як in Comparisons

Comparing with Як

Level 3Sounds Like âk u paraŭnanní

Ён спявае, як птушка. (He sings like a bird.) Яна такая ж высокая, як брат. (She is as tall as her brother.)

How It Works

Like. Як + a noun or a clause compares one thing with another: Ён спявае, як птушка. (He sings like a bird.) Мы жывём так, як жылі нашы бацькі. (We live the way our parents lived.)

As ... as. For equal qualities, use такі ж with adjectives and гэтак жа with adverbs, then як: Яна такая ж высокая, як брат. Ён бегае гэтак жа хутка, як я. (He runs as fast as I do.) For more than or less than, use чым or за instead: see than with чым and за.

Case. The noun after як takes the case of the word it is compared with. Compared with a subject, it is nominative: Яна спявае, як я. (She sings like me.) Compared with an object, it matches the object: Я люблю яго, як брата. (I love him like a brother.)

Commas. A comparison with як is normally set off by commas. There is no comma:

  • in fixed comparisons: белы як снег (white as snow), галодны як воўк (hungry as a wolf);
  • when як means as, in the role of: Я кажу гэта як сябар. (I am saying this as a friend.);
  • when the comparison is the main part of the predicate: Ты для мяне як брат. (You are like a brother to me.)

For a comparison that only seems true, use быццам (as if). Literary Belarusian can also compare with the instrumental case alone: see the instrumental of comparison. The question word як (how?) is the same word.

Examples (6)

  1. Ён спявае, як птушка.

    He sings like a bird.

    Word by Word: He sings, like bird.

  2. Яна такая ж высокая, як брат.

    She is as tall as her brother.

    Word by Word: She such same tall, as brother.

  3. Я кажу гэта як сябар.

    I am saying this as a friend.

    Word by Word: I say this as friend.

    Як means in the role of here, so there is no comma.

  4. Ты для мяне як брат.

    You are like a brother to me.

    Word by Word: You for me like brother.

    The comparison is the predicate, so there is no comma.

  5. Я люблю яго, як брата.

    I love him like a brother.

    Word by Word: I love him, like brother.

    Брата is accusative, like яго.

  6. Рукі ў яго былі халодныя як лёд.

    His hands were cold as ice.

    Word by Word: Hands at him were cold as ice.

    A fixed comparison, so there is no comma.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the compared pronoun in the object form, as in English like me.

    Яна спявае, як мяне.
    Яна спявае, як я.

    Я is compared with the subject яна, so it stays nominative. English says like me, but Belarusian needs як я.

  • Using чым after такі ж.

    Яна такая ж высокая, чым брат.
    Яна такая ж высокая, як брат.

    After такі ж (just as), use як. Чым is for more or less: Яна вышэйшая, чым брат.

How It Connects

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як in ComparisonsLevel 3Comparing with Як

Learn This First

Comparing with як needs як and than.

Words in This Pattern

яктакіж