Nominative for the Subject

Level 1Sounds Like nazoŭny sklon dzejníka

Use the dictionary form for the subject: Мама працуе. (Mom works.) It answers хто? (who?) or што? (what?).

How It Works

Uses of the nominative.

  • The subject: Брат спіць. (My brother is sleeping.) The verb agrees with it: брат спіць, браты спяць.
  • Naming with гэта: Гэта кніга. (This is a book.) See гэта + noun.
  • Describing the subject in the present, where "is" is left out: Я студэнт. Мой брат — настаўнік. See leaving out "is".
  • What someone has: У мяне ёсць сабака. (I have a dog.) The thing you have is the subject of ёсць, so it stays in the nominative. See у мяне ёсць.
  • Calling someone: Мама, дзе ты?

Position does not change the case. Belarusian often puts new information at the end, so the subject can come after the verb: Ідзе дождж. (It is raining.) На стале ляжыць кніга. (There is a book on the table.) The nominative form, not the position, shows the subject. See word order.

Plural subjects end in -ы/-і: Студэнты чытаюць. See the noun plural.

Pronoun subjects are nominative too: я, ты, ён, яна, яно, мы, вы, яны. Because the verb ending shows the person, я, ты, мы and вы are often left out (dropping the pronoun).

Examples (6)

  1. Мама працуе ў бальніцы.

    Mom works at a hospital.

    Word by Word: Mom works in hospital.

    Мама is the subject, in the dictionary form.

  2. На стале ляжыць кніга.

    There is a book on the table.

    Word by Word: On table lies book.

    Кніга comes last because it is new information, but it is still the subject.

  3. Ідзе дождж.

    It is raining.

    Word by Word: Goes rain.

    Дождж is the subject. In Belarusian, rain "goes".

  4. Мой брат — студэнт.

    My brother is a student.

    Word by Word: My brother — student.

    Both nouns are nominative. A dash replaces the missing "is" between two nouns.

  5. У мяне ёсць сабака.

    I have a dog.

    Word by Word: At me is dog.

    Сабака is the subject of ёсць, so it is nominative.

  6. Студэнты чытаюць тэкст.

    The students are reading a text.

    Word by Word: Students read text.

    A plural subject takes a plural verb: чытаюць.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the thing you have into the accusative.

    У мяне ёсць брата.
    У мяне ёсць брат.

    With у мяне ёсць, the thing or person you have is the subject, so it stays in the nominative.

  • Making the verb agree with the wrong word when the subject comes last.

    На стале ляжаць кніга.
    На стале ляжыць кніга.

    The subject is кніга, one book, so the verb is singular even though the subject comes after it.

  • Putting the thing you like into the accusative.

    Мне падабаецца каву.
    Мне падабаецца кава.

    With падабацца, the thing you like is the subject, so it is nominative. See мне падабаецца.

How It Connects

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Nominative for the SubjectLevel 1

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The subject case follows the case overview.

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