Participial Phrases

Level 4Sounds Like dzeeprymetny zvarot

Кніга, напісаная маім сябрам, стала вядомай. (The book written by my friend became well known.) After the noun, the phrase goes between commas.

How It Works

A participle can have words of its own, just like a verb: напісаная маім сябрам (written by my friend), пабудаваны да вайны (built before the war). Together they form a participial phrase that describes a noun.

Agreement. The participle takes the gender, number and case of its noun: кніга, напісаная…, у доме, пабудаваным…, здымкі, зробленыя….

Commas.

  • After the noun: set the phrase off with commas, and put a second comma where it ends if the sentence continues: Кніга, напісаная маім сябрам, стала вядомай.
  • Before the noun: no commas: Напісаная маім сябрам кніга стала вядомай.
  • With a personal pronoun such as мы or я, the phrase is set off wherever it stands: Стомленыя пасля дарогі, мы адразу леглі спаць.

Which participles. Phrases are usually built on passive participles or on -лы participles. For someone who is doing something, Belarusian usually prefers a clause with які: госці, якія прыехалі rather than a participle.

Do not mix this up with an adverbial participial phrase, which describes the action of the verb and never changes.

Examples (6)

  1. Кніга, напісаная маім сябрам, стала вядомай.

    The book written by my friend became well known.

    Word by Word: Book, written by-my friend, became famous.

  2. Напісаная маім сябрам кніга стала вядомай.

    The book written by my friend became well known.

    Word by Word: Written by-my friend book became famous.

    Before the noun, the phrase takes no commas.

  3. Мы жывём у доме, пабудаваным яшчэ да вайны.

    We live in a house built before the war.

    Word by Word: We live in house, built still before war.

  4. Ён паказаў мне здымкі, зробленыя ў Мінску.

    He showed me photos taken in Minsk.

    Word by Word: He showed me photos, made in Minsk.

  5. Стомленыя пасля дарогі, мы адразу леглі спаць.

    Tired after the trip, we went straight to bed.

    Word by Word: Tired after road, we at-once lay-down to-sleep.

    With a pronoun, the phrase is set off even at the start.

  6. Усе запрошаныя на свята госці ўжо прыйшлі.

    All the guests invited to the party have already arrived.

    Word by Word: All invited to party guests already came.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the commas after the noun.

    Кніга напісаная маім сябрам стала вядомай.
    Кніга, напісаная маім сябрам, стала вядомай.

    When the phrase follows its noun, it is set off by commas on both sides.

  • Closing the phrase without its second comma.

    Кніга, напісаная маім сябрам стала вядомай.
    Кніга, напісаная маім сябрам, стала вядомай.

    The phrase ends after сябрам, so a comma must separate it from the rest of the sentence.

  • Leaving the participle in the nominative.

    Мы жывём у доме, пабудаваны да вайны.
    Мы жывём у доме, пабудаваным да вайны.

    The participle agrees with доме, which is locative, so it needs the ending -ым.

How It Connects

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Participial PhrasesLevel 4

Learn This First

Participial phrases need participles and relative clauses.