Nominative Sentences

Level 6Sounds Like namínatyŭnyâ skazy

A noun alone can be a sentence: Ранак. Туман. Цішыня. (Morning. Fog. Silence.)

How It Works

A nominative sentence (намінатыўны сказ) is built on one noun in the nominative, with no verb. It says that something exists or is present now: Зіма. (It is winter.)

Setting a scene. Writers line several of them up to paint a picture quickly: Ранак. Туман. Цішыня. You also meet them in diaries, stage directions and descriptions: Поўнач. На вуліцы ні душы.

Describing words. The noun can have adjectives: Ціхі летні вечар. (A quiet summer evening.) Put the adjective before the noun: Зорная цёплая ноч. is a nominative sentence, but Ноч зорная, цёплая. is an ordinary two-part sentence that says what the night is like. The noun can also take вось or вунь to point at something: Вось і наша вёска. (And here is our village.)

Exclamations. With які it expresses feeling: Якая прыгажосць! (What beauty!)

Present only. A bare noun always means now. For the past or future, add a form of быць, and the sentence gets a verb: Была зіма. (It was winter.) Будзе зіма. (It will be winter.)

Do not confuse this with the noun — noun sentence, which has two parts: Мінск — сталіца. A nominative sentence has only one part, so there is nothing for a dash to separate.

Examples (6)

  1. Ранак. Туман. Цішыня.

    Morning. Fog. Silence.

    Word by Word: Morning. Fog. Silence.

  2. Зіма. Мароз. Снег рыпіць пад нагамі.

    Winter. Frost. The snow crunches underfoot.

    Word by Word: Winter. Frost. Snow crunches under feet.

  3. Ціхі летні вечар.

    A quiet summer evening.

    Word by Word: Quiet summer evening.

  4. Вось і наша вёска.

    And here is our village.

    Word by Word: Here and our village.

  5. Якая прыгажосць!

    What beauty!

    Word by Word: What beauty!

  6. Поўнач. На вуліцы ні душы.

    Midnight. Not a soul in the street.

    Word by Word: Midnight. On street not soul.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a bare noun for the past.

    Тады зіма. Мы жылі ў вёсцы.
    Тады была зіма. Мы жылі ў вёсцы.

    The intended meaning is it was winter then. A nominative sentence can only mean now, so the past needs была.

  • Adding a dash to a one-part sentence.

    Ранак — туман.
    Ранак. Туман.

    The intended meaning is a scene: morning, fog. A dash turns it into a two-part sentence that says the morning is fog. For a list of scene details, end each with a period.

How It Connects

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

Nominative SentencesLevel 6

Learn This First

Nominative sentences need the nominative.