будучы Meaning Being

Level 5Sounds Like budučy âk dzeeprysloŭe

Будучы means being or while being: Будучы студэнтам, ён шмат працаваў. (While he was a student, he worked a lot.)

How It Works

Будучы (stressed бу́дучы) is the adverbial participle of быць. It says what state the subject was in while the main action happened: Будучы студэнтам, ён шмат працаваў. (While he was a student, he worked a lot.)

Instrumental after будучы. Just as after быць in the past or future, a noun or adjective after будучы goes in the instrumental: будучы студэнтам, будучы хворай, будучы малым. A place phrase stays as it is: будучы ў Мінску.

Meanings. The phrase can mean when, because or although, and context decides:

  • Будучы ў Мінску, наведайце Верхні горад. (When you are in Minsk, visit the Upper Town.)
  • Будучы ўрачом, мая маці заўсёды ведала, што рабіць. (Being a doctor, my mother always knew what to do.)
  • Будучы хворай, яна ўсё роўна прыйшла на працу. (Although she was ill, she still came to work.)

Same subject. The person who is something must be the subject of the main clause. If the main clause has a different subject, use a clause with калі or бо instead. See adverbial participial phrases for this rule and for commas.

Negation. Write не будучы as two words: Не будучы экспертам, я не магу гэта ацаніць. (Not being an expert, I cannot judge this.)

Do not mix it up with the adjective. The adjective будучы means future (будучы год, next year) and agrees with its noun. The instrumental after the participle tells them apart. Будучы belongs to written and careful speech. In conversation people usually say калі ён быў студэнтам.

Examples (6)

  1. Будучы студэнтам, ён шмат працаваў.

    While he was a student, he worked a lot.

    Word by Word: Being student, he much worked.

  2. Будучы ў Мінску, абавязкова наведайце Верхні горад.

    When you are in Minsk, be sure to visit the Upper Town.

    Word by Word: Being in Minsk, definitely visit Upper Town.

  3. Будучы малым, я баяўся цемры.

    When I was little, I was afraid of the dark.

    Word by Word: Being little, I feared darkness.

  4. Будучы ўрачом, мая маці заўсёды ведала, што рабіць.

    Being a doctor, my mother always knew what to do.

    Word by Word: Being doctor, my mother always knew what to-do.

  5. Не будучы экспертам, я не магу гэта ацаніць.

    Not being an expert, I cannot judge this.

    Word by Word: Not being expert, I not can this judge.

  6. Будучы хворай, яна ўсё роўна прыйшла на працу.

    Although she was ill, she still came to work.

    Word by Word: Being ill, she all the-same came to work.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the noun after будучы in the nominative.

    Будучы студэнт, ён шмат працаваў.
    Будучы студэнтам, ён шмат працаваў.

    After the participle будучы the noun goes in the instrumental. With a nominative, будучы reads as the adjective future, and the sentence starts with a future student.

  • Letting the main clause have a different subject.

    Будучы студэнтам, мяне часта запрашалі на канферэнцыі.
    Калі я быў студэнтам, мяне часта запрашалі на канферэнцыі.

    The student is I, but the main clause has an unnamed they as its subject. A будучы phrase must describe the subject of the main clause, so use a калі clause here.

  • Forgetting the comma after the будучы phrase.

    Будучы студэнтам ён шмат працаваў.
    Будучы студэнтам, ён шмат працаваў.

    An adverbial participial phrase is always set off with commas.

How It Connects

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

будучы Meaning BeingLevel 5

Learn This First

Being needs adverbial participles and the instrumental.

Words in This Pattern

быць