навошта

Question Word Навошта

Level 3Sounds Like navošta

Навошта means what for: Навошта табе гэта? (What do you need that for?) It asks about a goal, not a cause.

How It Works

1. Purpose, not cause. Compare:

  • Навошта ты ідзеш у горад? — Каб купіць падарунак. (What are you going to town for? — To buy a present.)
  • Чаму ты спазніўся? — Бо быў корак. (Why were you late? — Because there was a traffic jam.)

Answer навошта with каб or для + genitive, and чаму with бо or таму што.

2. With the dative. The person who needs something goes into the dative: Навошта табе гэта? (What do you need that for?), Навошта нам такая вялікая машына? An infinitive can follow: Навошта мне гэта ведаць?

3. A note of doubt. Навошта often suggests that something is pointless: Навошта спяшацца? У нас шмат часу. (What is the point of hurrying?) Навошта ты гэта зрабіў? can sound like a reproach.

4. Inside a sentence. It also introduces indirect questions: Я не разумею, навошта ён гэта зрабіў.

5. Variants. Нашто means the same and is common in speech. Для чаго is another way to ask about purpose. Зачэм is Russian, not Belarusian.

Examples (5)

  1. Навошта табе гэта?

    What do you need that for?

    Табе is dative: the person who needs it.

  2. Навошта ты ідзеш у горад? — Каб купіць падарунак.

    What are you going to town for? — To buy a present.

    A purpose question gets a каб answer.

  3. Навошта спяшацца? У нас шмат часу.

    What's the point of hurrying? We have plenty of time.

    Навошта + infinitive suggests that the action is not needed.

  4. Навошта нам такая вялікая машына?

    What do we need such a big car for?

  5. Я не разумею, навошта ён гэта зрабіў.

    I don't understand why he did that.

    An indirect question with навошта.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Russian question word.

    Зачэм ты прыйшоў?
    Навошта ты прыйшоў?

    Зачэм copies Russian зачем and is not a Belarusian word. The Belarusian word for what for is навошта (or нашто).

  • Asking навошта when you want a cause.

    Навошта неба сіняе?
    Чаму неба сіняе?

    The colour of the sky has a cause, not a purpose, so ask чаму.

How It Connects

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навоштаLevel 3Question Word Навошта

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Навошта follows чаму.

Words in This Pattern

навоштачаму