і / а

Joining with І and Contrasting with А

Level 1Sounds Like í a

І means "and" for similar things: брат і сястра. А means "and" or "while" for a contrast: Я чытаю, а ён піша.

How It Works

1. І: adding. It joins words or clauses that belong together:

  • Я люблю каву і гарбату. (I like coffee and tea.)
  • Брат і сястра жывуць у Гродне. (My brother and sister live in Hrodna.)

І can also mean "too" or "even": І я таксама. (Me too.) In Вось і аўтобус! it adds emphasis.

2. А: comparing and contrasting. English often uses "and" here, but Belarusian needs а:

  • Two different people or facts: Я чытаю, а ён піша. (I am reading, and he is writing.)
  • Correcting after не: Гэта не чай, а кава. (This is not tea, it is coffee.)
  • Turning the question to someone else: Мяне завуць Ганна. А цябе? (My name is Hanna. And yours?)

For a stronger contrast that goes against what you expect, use але (but).

3. Commas. Put a comma before а when it joins two parts of a sentence. Put no comma before a single і that joins two words.

4. І after a vowel. After a word ending in a vowel, і often sounds like й, and writers sometimes spell it that way, especially in poetry: ты й я. Writing і is always correct.

Examples (6)

  1. Брат і сястра жывуць у Гродне.

    My brother and sister live in Hrodna.

    Word by Word: Brother and sister live in Hrodna.

  2. Я люблю каву і гарбату.

    I like coffee and tea.

    Word by Word: I love coffee and tea.

  3. Я чытаю, а ён піша.

    I am reading, and he is writing.

    Word by Word: I read, and he writes.

    Two different people doing different things, so а is used.

  4. Гэта не чай, а кава.

    This is not tea, it is coffee.

    Word by Word: This not tea, but coffee.

    After не, а brings in the correct thing.

  5. Мяне завуць Ганна. А цябе?

    My name is Hanna. And yours?

    Word by Word: Me they-call Hanna. And you?

  6. Ён жыве ў Мінску, а яна — у Брэсце.

    He lives in Minsk, and she lives in Brest.

    Word by Word: He lives in Minsk, and she in Brest.

    The dash shows that the verb жыве is left out.

Common Mistakes

  • Using і to bring in the correct thing after не.

    Гэта не чай, і кава.
    Гэта не чай, а кава.

    After не, the correct thing is introduced with а.

  • Writing the Russian letter и.

    брат и сястра
    брат і сястра

    Belarusian has no letter и. The word for "and" is і.

  • Leaving out the comma before а.

    Я чытаю а ён піша.
    Я чытаю, а ён піша.

    A comma always comes before а when it joins two clauses.

How It Connects

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і / аLevel 1Joining with І and Contrasting with А

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