не было / не будзе + Genitive

Absence in the Past and Future

Level 3Sounds Like ne bylo ne budze + rodny

Няма (there is no) has a past and a future: не было and не будзе. The missing thing is in the genitive: Учора не было часу (There was no time yesterday).

How It Works

1. Three tenses of absence.

  • Present: Сёння няма дажджу. (There is no rain today.)
  • Past: Учора не было дажджу. (There was no rain yesterday.)
  • Future: Заўтра не будзе дажджу. (There will be no rain tomorrow.)

2. The verb never changes. In a positive sentence the verb agrees: Учора быў дождж. Была навальніца. Былі хмары. In the negative, the thing goes into the genitive and the verb becomes neuter singular было in the past and singular будзе in the future, whatever the noun:

  • Мамы не было дома. (Mom was not home.)
  • У нас не было грошай. (We had no money.)
  • Заўтра не будзе ўрокаў. (There will be no classes tomorrow.)

3. Not having in the past and future. This is the past and future of у мяне няма: У мяне не было машыны. У нас не будзе часу.

4. People who are absent. Pronouns take their genitive form: Мяне не будзе дома. Яго не было на працы. Compare Брат не быў у Мінску, which usually means that he has never visited Minsk, with Брата не было ў Мінску, which means that he was not there at that time.

5. Masculine genitive endings. Many nouns here take -у: часу, дажджу, снегу. See masculine genitive -а or -у.

Examples (6)

  1. Учора не было часу.

    There was no time yesterday.

    Час → часу in the genitive.

  2. Заўтра не будзе дажджу.

    There will be no rain tomorrow.

    Дождж → дажджу.

  3. У мяне не было машыны.

    I didn't have a car.

    The past of у мяне няма машыны.

  4. Мамы не было дома.

    Mom was not home.

    Мама is feminine, but the verb is still было.

  5. У пятніцу мяне не будзе на працы.

    I won't be at work on Friday.

    The absent person is in the genitive: мяне.

  6. Заўтра не будзе ўрокаў.

    There will be no classes tomorrow.

    A plural noun in the genitive plural, with singular будзе.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the missing thing in the nominative.

    Заўтра не будзе дождж.
    Заўтра не будзе дажджу.

    To say that something will not be there, put it in the genitive: дождж → дажджу.

  • Making было agree with a feminine noun.

    Мамы не была дома.
    Мамы не было дома.

    In this pattern the verb is always neuter было, even when the missing person is feminine.

  • Making было agree with a plural noun.

    У нас не былі грошай.
    У нас не было грошай.

    The verb stays singular and neuter: не было, never не былі.

How It Connects

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

не было / не будзе + GenitiveLevel 3Absence in the Past and Future

Learn This First

Past and future absence need няма and быць.

Words in This Pattern

небыць