Dative with an Infinitive

Level 5Sounds Like davalʹny + ínfínítyŭ

Dative + infinitive with no other verb: Што мне рабіць? (What should I do?), Табе ісці першым. (You are to go first.)

How It Works

Belarusian can build a whole sentence from a dative person and an infinitive. There is no conjugated verb and no трэба:

  • Што мне рабіць? (What should I do?)
  • Табе ісці першым. (You are to go first.)
  • Нам гэтага не зразумець. (We will never understand this.)

Three common meanings.

  • Asking what to do. In questions it means should: Куды мне ісці? (Where should I go?), Каму пачынаць? (Who is to start?)
  • What is meant to happen. In statements it gives a turn, a task or a fate: Табе ісці першым.
  • What cannot happen. With не it says the thing is impossible: Нам іх не дагнаць. (We cannot catch up with them.) The object after не is often genitive: Нам гэтага не зразумець.

Past time. Add было: Нам было не дагнаць іх. (We could not catch up with them.)

Compare трэба. Мне трэба ісці is a plain statement of need. Мне ісці is shorter and more expressive: it sounds like a turn, a duty or a fate. The dative is the same one used in мне холадна: the person experiences the situation instead of being its subject.

Examples (6)

  1. Што мне рабіць?

    What should I do?

    Word by Word: What to-me to-do?

  2. Табе ісці першым.

    You are to go first.

    Word by Word: To-you to-go first.

  3. Нам гэтага не зразумець.

    We will never understand this.

    Word by Word: To-us of-this not to-understand.

  4. Каму пачынаць?

    Who is to start?

    Word by Word: To-whom to-start?

  5. Куды ж мне падзецца?

    Where am I supposed to go?

    Word by Word: Where then to-me to-get-oneself?

  6. Нам было не дагнаць іх.

    We could not catch up with them.

    Word by Word: To-us was not to-catch-up them.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the person in the nominative.

    Што я рабіць?
    Што мне рабіць?

    Without a conjugated verb, the person must be in the dative. With я you would need a conjugated verb: Што я раблю? (What am I doing?), which has a different meaning.

  • Using the accusative or genitive form of the pronoun.

    Што мяне рабіць?
    Што мне рабіць?

    Мяне is the accusative and genitive form. The person in this pattern is always dative: мне, табе, яму, ёй, нам, вам, ім.

How It Connects

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

Dative with an InfinitiveLevel 5

Learn This First

Dative with an infinitive follows трэба.