мы

The Pronoun Мы (We)

Level 1Sounds Like my

Мы means "we", as in Мы сябры (We are friends).

How It Works

Мы is the subject pronoun "we". The verb that follows uses the мы ending: мы чытаем (we read), мы робім (we do). In the past the form is plural: мы былі (we were).

Мы з ... Instead of "my sister and I", Belarusian usually says мы з сястрой, with з and the instrumental. It normally means two people: the speaker and the person named. Мы з братам is "my brother and I", and мы з табой is "you and I". The verb stays in the мы form.

Case forms. Мы becomes нас (us, genitive and accusative), нам (to us), намі (with us) and (аб) нас (about us). У нас can mean "we have" or "at our place, in our country": У нас сёння госці (We have guests today).

"Our" is a separate word, наш (наша, нашы), which agrees like мой and твой.

Examples (5)

  1. Мы сябры.

    We are friends.

  2. Мы вывучаем беларускую мову.

    We are learning Belarusian.

  3. Мы з сястрой жывём у Гродне.

    My sister and I live in Hrodna.

    Word by Word: We with sister live in Hrodna.

    Мы з сястрой means two people: the speaker and the sister.

  4. Хадзі з намі ў кавярню!

    Come to the café with us!

    Намі is the instrumental form of мы.

  5. У нас сёння госці.

    We have guests today.

    У нас, literally "at us", is how Belarusian says "we have" here.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a singular verb after мы з ...

    Мы з сястрой жыве ў Гродне.
    Мы з сястрой жывём у Гродне.

    The subject is мы, so the verb takes the мы ending -ём, even though only one other person is named.

  • Keeping мы after a preposition.

    Ён жыве з мы.
    Ён жыве з намі.

    After з meaning "with", мы changes to its instrumental form намі.

How It Connects

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

мыLevel 1The Pronoun Мы (We)

Learn This First

Мы follows я.

Words in This Pattern

з