хадзем / давай

Let's with Хадзем and Давай

Level 2Sounds Like hadzem í davaj

Хадзем дадому! (Let's go home!) Давай пагаворым. (Let's talk.) Давайце пачнём. (Let's begin.)

How It Works

Хадзем is a special мы form of хадзіць (to walk, go). It means let's go, and you can add a place or an activity: Хадзем дадому! (Let's go home!), Хадзем у кіно. (Let's go to the cinema.), Хадзем абедаць. (Let's go have lunch.) It works for one listener or a whole group. Some speakers say хадземце to a group, but хадзем alone is always correct.

Давай and давайце come from даваць (to give). Use давай with one person you call ты, and давайце with a group or with polite вы. After them, use one of two forms:

  • a perfective verb in the мы form, for one specific action: Давай пагаворым. (Let's talk.) Давайце паспрабуем яшчэ раз. (Let's try once more.) See the perfective future.
  • an imperfective infinitive, for an ongoing activity: Давайце працаваць разам. (Let's work together.) You can also put будзем before it: Давайце будзем працаваць разам.

To say let's be something, use будзем, the мы form of быць, with a noun: Давай будзем сябрамі. (Let's be friends.)

Never put a perfective infinitive after давай, and never combine будзем with a perfective verb.

Without давай. A perfective мы form alone can also be a suggestion: Пачнём! (Let's begin!)

On its own, Давай! means OK or come on. For let him or let them, use няхай and хай.

Examples (6)

  1. Хадзем дадому!

    Let's go home!

    Word by Word: Let's-go home!

  2. Хадзем абедаць.

    Let's go have lunch.

    Word by Word: Let's-go to-have-lunch.

  3. Давай пагаворым.

    Let's talk.

    Word by Word: Let's we-will-talk.

    Пагаворым is the perfective мы form.

  4. Давайце пачнём.

    Let's begin.

    Word by Word: Let's we-will-begin.

    Давайце, because the speaker is addressing a group.

  5. Давай будзем сябрамі.

    Let's be friends.

    Word by Word: Let's we-will-be friends.

    Будзем is the мы form of быць. With a noun such as сябрамі, давай needs it.

  6. Давайце паспрабуем яшчэ раз.

    Let's try once more.

    Word by Word: Let's we-will-try once more.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting a perfective infinitive after давай.

    Давай пагаварыць.
    Давай пагаворым.

    After давай, a perfective verb goes in the мы form: пагаворым. An infinitive after давай must be imperfective, as in давай гаварыць.

  • Combining будзем with a perfective verb.

    Давайце будзем пачаць.
    Давайце пачнём.

    Будзем only goes with imperfective infinitives. A perfective verb has its own мы form: пачнём.

How It Connects

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

хадзем / давайLevel 2Let's with Хадзем and Давай

Learn This First

Let's follows the imperative.