мне трэба
Needing with Трэба
Dative person + трэба + infinitive: Мне трэба ісці (I need to go), Табе трэба адпачыць (You need to rest).
How It Works
The pattern: dative person + трэба + infinitive.
- Мне трэба ісці. (I need to go.)
- Табе трэба адпачыць. (You need to rest.)
- Нам трэба купіць хлеб. (We need to buy bread.)
The person is in the dative, just as in мне холадна and мне падабаецца. The pronoun forms are мне, табе, яму, ёй, нам, вам, ім (see personal pronouns in the cases). A noun takes its dative ending: Брату трэба ехаць у Мінск (My brother needs to go to Minsk).
Трэба never changes. It is not a verb, so it has no personal endings. The verb after it is always an infinitive.
Without a person, трэба gives general advice: Трэба больш чытаць (One should read more).
Negation: put не before трэба. Мне не трэба ісці means "I don't have to go". Не трэба плакаць is a gentle "Don't cry".
Past and future: add было or будзе: Мне трэба было рана ўстаць (I had to get up early), Нам трэба будзе пачакаць (We will have to wait). See past and future of impersonal predicates.
Needing a thing. Трэба can also go with a noun, especially in questions: Што табе трэба? (What do you need?). For naming the thing you need, the adjective патрэбны is very common, and it agrees with the noun: Мне патрэбна дапамога (I need help), Мне патрэбны слоўнік (I need a dictionary).
Avoid Russian and mixed forms. Standard Belarusian uses трэба, not нада or нужна. For a strong duty, see мусіць and павінен.
Examples (6)
- Мне трэба ісці.
I need to go.
Word by Word: To-me necessary to-go.
мне is the dative of я.
- Табе трэба адпачыць.
You need to rest.
Word by Word: To-you necessary to-rest.
- Нам трэба купіць хлеб.
We need to buy bread.
Word by Word: To-us necessary to-buy bread.
- Што табе трэба?
What do you need?
Word by Word: What to-you necessary?
Трэба can also stand with "what" or a thing.
- Заўтра мне не трэба ісці на працу.
I don't have to go to work tomorrow.
Word by Word: Tomorrow to-me not necessary to-go to work.
With a named person, не трэба means "don't have to", not "must not".
- Учора мне трэба было рана ўстаць.
Yesterday I had to get up early.
Word by Word: Yesterday to-me necessary was early to-get-up.
было puts the need in the past.
Common Mistakes
Using the nominative я as the subject.
Я трэба ісці.Мне трэба ісці.Трэба is not a verb that agrees with a subject. The person who needs something is in the dative: мне, табе, яму.
Using the Russian word надо (нада) instead of трэба.
Мне нада ісці.Мне трэба ісці.Нада comes from Russian and is not standard Belarusian. Use трэба.
Putting a conjugated verb after трэба.
Мне трэба іду.Мне трэба ісці.The verb after трэба stays in the infinitive, because трэба already carries the meaning "need".
How It Connects
Learn This First
Needing follows the dative of state.
Related Patterns
- можна / нельгаPermission with Можна and Нельга
Можна and нельга work just like трэба: dative person + word + infinitive.
Level 2 - Personal Pronoun Case Forms
Lists the dative pronouns мне, табе, яму, ёй, нам, вам, ім.
Level 2 - The Infinitive
Трэба is always followed by an infinitive.
Level 1 - мусіць / павіненMust with Мусіць and Павінен
Мусіць and павінен express a stronger duty than трэба.
Level 2 - было / будзе + Impersonal WordPast and Future of Impersonal Predicates
Shows how трэба было and трэба будзе form the past and future.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice мне трэба in Bubblegum
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