дзе / куды / адкуль

Where, Where to and Where from

Level 2Sounds Like dze kudy adkulʹ

дзе? у школе · куды? у школу · адкуль? са школы. дзе? на працы · куды? на працу · адкуль? з працы.

How It Works

Three questions, three patterns:

Дзе? (where?) → у / на + locative: у школе, на працы, у Мінску.
Куды? (where to?) → у / на + accusative: у школу, на працу, у Мінск (see accusative for destination).
Адкуль? (where from?) → з + genitive: са школы, з працы, з Мінска (see з + genitive).

The pairs to remember:

у → у → з: у школе, у школу, са школы.
на → на → з: на працы, на працу, з працы.
у (at someone's place) → да → ад, for people: у сябра, да сябра, ад сябра (see да + genitive and ад + genitive).
Home: дома (at home), дадому (home, as a direction), з дому (from home).
Here and there: тут, сюды, адсюль; там, туды, адтуль.

З or са? Before some consonant clusters, з becomes са: са школы (see з and са).

— Дзе ты? — У школе.
"Where are you?" "At school."
Word by Word: Where you? In school.
Location: locative.
— Куды ты ідзеш? — У школу.
"Where are you going?" "To school."
Word by Word: Where-to you go? Into school.
Destination: accusative.
— Адкуль ты ідзеш? — Са школы.
"Where are you coming from?" "From school."
Word by Word: Where-from you go? From school.
Origin: з (са) + genitive.
Тата вяртаецца з працы.
Dad is coming back from work.
Word by Word: Dad returns from work.
на працы, на працу, з працы.
Мы ідзём дадому.
We are going home.
Word by Word: We go homeward.
дома (at home), дадому (home, direction), з дому (from home).
Яна прыехала з Мінска ў Гродна.
She came from Minsk to Grodno.
Word by Word: She arrived from Minsk to Grodno.
From: з + genitive; to: у + accusative.

Asking дзе for a direction.
Дзе ты ідзеш?
Куды ты ідзеш?
Дзе asks about location. For movement toward a place, ask куды.
Using ад for leaving a place you were in.
Я вяртаюся ад працы.
Я вяртаюся з працы.
From a place you were in or at, use з: з працы, са школы. Ад is for people (ад сябра) or for moving away from the outside of something.
Using the wrong genitive ending for a city.
Я з Мінску.
Я з Мінска.
Masculine city names such as Мінск take -а in the genitive: з Мінска, з Брэста.

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

дзе / куды / адкульLevel 2Where, Where to and Where from

The three questions need destination and origin.

Patterns that build on this one.

кудыадкульз

Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Belarusian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.