Second-Conjugation Present Tense
Second-conjugation verbs use і (or ы) in their endings: я раблю, ты робіш, ён робіць, мы робім, вы робіце, яны робяць.
How It Works
This is the second of the two groups of present-tense endings.
Two model verbs:
- рабіць (to do, to make): я раблю, ты робіш, ён/яна робіць, мы робім, вы робіце, яны робяць
- гаварыць (to speak): я гавару, ты гаворыш, ён/яна гаворыць, мы гаворым, вы гаворыце, яны гавораць
і or ы? After a soft consonant the ending has і (робіш, ходзіш). After the always-hard ж, ш, ч and р it has ы (гаворыш, бачыш, ляжыш), and the яны form has -аць instead of -яць (гавораць, бачаць).
The я form often changes the stem. Only the я form is affected; every other person keeps the last consonant of the infinitive stem:
- after б, п, в, м, ф an л is added: рабіць → раблю, любіць → люблю, спаць → сплю, лавіць → лаўлю;
- дз becomes дж, з becomes ж, с becomes ш: хадзіць → хаджу, сядзець → сяджу, прасіць → прашу.
More of these changes are collected in consonant changes in verb forms.
Which verbs are second conjugation? Check the яны form: -аць or -яць means second conjugation. If you only know the infinitive: most verbs in -іць/-ыць belong here (рабіць, бачыць, вучыць), except short ones such as піць, жыць, мыць. A few verbs in -ець and -аць also belong here: сядзець, глядзець, ляжаць, маўчаць, спаць. Хацець looks similar but belongs to the first conjugation.
Examples (6)
- Што ты робіш?
What are you doing?
робіш: the ты ending -іш.
- Я гавару па-беларуску.
I speak Belarusian.
гавару: -у, because р is hard.
- Ён добра гаворыць па-беларуску.
He speaks Belarusian well.
гаворыць: ы after р.
- Мы бачым мора.
We can see the sea.
бачым: -ым after the hard ч.
- Вы ходзіце ў басейн?
Do you go to the swimming pool?
ходзіце: the stem keeps дз; only the я form has хаджу.
- Дзеці сядзяць за сталом.
The children are sitting at the table.
сядзяць: the яны ending -яць marks the second conjugation.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out the л in the я form.
Я рабю ўрокі.Я раблю ўрокі.After б, п, в, м and ф the я form adds л: раблю, люблю, сплю.
Giving a second-conjugation verb the first-conjugation яны ending.
Яны гаворуць па-беларуску.Яны гавораць па-беларуску.Second-conjugation verbs end in -аць or -яць in the яны form, never -уць.
Writing і after the hard р.
Ты гаворіш па-беларуску?Ты гаворыш па-беларуску?Р is always hard in Belarusian, so the ending is written with ы.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Second conjugation follows the first.
Related Patterns
- я + -у/-юPresent Tense with Я
The я form is where the л and other consonant changes appear.
Level 1 - яны + -уць/-ацьPresent Tense with Яны
The яны ending -аць/-яць identifies the second conjugation.
Level 1 - Always-Hard ж, ш, ч, р, цAlways-Hard Ж, Ш, Ч, Р and Ц
After these hard consonants the endings are written with ы and -аць.
Level 1 - Consonant Changes in Verb Forms
Collects the consonant changes such as дз → дж.
Level 3 - ён / яна + -е/-іцьPresent Tense with Ён and Яна
The second-conjugation ён/яна form ends in -іць or -ыць.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Second-Conjugation Present Tense in Bubblegum
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