Dative + State Word: мне холадна

Dative with State Words

Level 2Sounds Like davalʹny stanu (mne holadna)

To say "I am cold", Belarusian says Мне холадна, literally "to me it is cold". The person goes in the dative, and the state word ends in -а.

How It Works

Pattern: dative + state word.

  • Мне холадна. (I am cold.)
  • Табе не горача? (Are you not hot?)
  • Яму сумна. (He is bored.)
  • Маме цікава. (Mom finds it interesting.)

Without a person the same word describes the situation in general: Сёння холадна (It is cold today), Тут весела (It is fun here).

Not an adjective. Я халодны would describe you as cold to the touch or as an unfriendly person, not how you feel. For feelings, use the dative pattern. Many state words look like adverbs made from adjectives: халодны → холадна, вясёлы → весела (see adverbs from adjectives).

The same family. Мне трэба (I need), мне можна, мне нельга (I may, I must not) and мне падабаецца (I like) also put the person in the dative. For the past and the future, add было or будзе: see past and future of impersonal predicates.

Examples (6)

  1. Мне холадна.

    I am cold.

    Word by Word: To me cold.

    Я → мне, the dative.

  2. Табе не горача?

    Are you not hot?

    Word by Word: To you not hot?

    Ты → табе.

  3. Яму сумна без сяброў.

    He is bored without his friends.

    Ён → яму.

  4. Нам тут вельмі весела.

    We are having a lot of fun here.

    Word by Word: To us here very fun.

    Мы → нам.

  5. Мне сёння дрэнна.

    I do not feel well today.

    Дрэнна describes how the person feels.

  6. Дзіцяці страшна ў цемры.

    The child is scared in the dark.

    A noun can be the one who feels: дзіця → дзіцяці.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative pronoun.

    Я холадна.
    Мне холадна.

    The person who feels a state goes in the dative: я → мне.

  • Using an adjective after the dative.

    Мне сумны.
    Мне сумна.

    After the dative, use the state word in -а, not an adjective: сумны → сумна.

How It Connects

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Dative + State Word: мне холаднаLevel 2Dative with State Words

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State words use dative pronouns.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

холаднасумнавесела