дзе
Question Word Дзе
Дзе means where when you ask about a place: Дзе ты жывеш? (Where do you live?)
How It Works
Дзе asks about location. It usually starts the question, and the rest of the sentence keeps its normal order: Дзе ты працуеш? (Where do you work?)
Answering. A location answer uses a place word or a preposition with the locative case:
- тут (here), там (there), дома (at home)
- у + locative: у Мінску, у школе. See location with у.
- на + locative: на стале, на працы. See location with на.
Location, not movement. English uses where for both "Where are you?" and "Where are you going?". Belarusian splits them: дзе is for location, куды is for direction (where to) and адкуль is for origin (where from). So a verb of motion such as ісці (to go) takes куды, not дзе. The three are compared in where, where to and where from.
A question with дзе needs no verb for "is": Дзе мая кніга? (Where is my book?) See leaving out is.
Examples (5)
- Дзе ты жывеш?
Where do you live?
Word by Word: Where you live?
- Дзе мая кніга? — На стале.
Where is my book? — On the table.
Word by Word: Where my book? — On table.
The answer uses на with the locative стале.
- Дзе ты працуеш? — У банку.
Where do you work? — At a bank.
Word by Word: Where you work? — In bank.
- Дзе тут прыпынак?
Where is the bus stop around here?
Word by Word: Where here stop?
- Дзе мама? — Дома.
Where is Mom? — At home.
Дома is the place word for at home.
Common Mistakes
Using дзе with a verb of motion to ask where someone is going.
Дзе ты ідзеш?Куды ты ідзеш?Ісці (to go) is movement toward a place, so the question word is куды. Дзе only asks where something is.
Answering a дзе question with the accusative, which shows direction.
Дзе кніга? — На стол.Дзе кніга? — На стале.На стол means onto the table (direction). A location answer needs the locative: на стале.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Дзе follows хто.
Related Patterns
- кудыQuestion Word Куды
Asks where to, for movement toward a place.
Level 1 - адкульQuestion Word Адкуль
Asks where from, for origin.
Level 1 - у + LocativeLocation with У and the Locative
The most common way to answer a дзе question.
Level 1 - на + LocativeLocation with На and the Locative
Answers дзе for surfaces, open places and events.
Level 1 - дзе / куды / адкульWhere, Where to and Where from
Compares location, direction and origin side by side.
Level 2 - дзе / куды in Relative ClausesRelative Дзе and Куды
Дзе can also join a clause about a place: the town where I live.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice дзе in Bubblegum
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