несці / насіць
Carrying: Несці and Насіць
Use несці for carrying in one direction right now: Я нясу сумку. (I am carrying a bag.) Use насіць for habits and for wearing: Яна заўсёды носіць акуляры. (She always wears glasses.)
How It Works
Belarusian has pairs of motion verbs: one for a single trip in one direction and one for everything else. You already know ісці and хадзіць. Carrying works the same way.
- несці: one trip, one direction, now or at a set time. Present: нясу, нясеш, нясе, нясём, несяце, нясуць. Past: нёс, несла, неслі. Command: нясі, нясіце.
- насіць: round trips, habits, carrying around. Present: нашу, носіш, носіць, носім, носіце, носяць. Past: насіў, насіла, насілі. Command: насі, насіце.
Watch the я form of насіць: the с changes to ш, so it is нашу, not насю. The other forms keep с: носіш, носіць. See consonant changes in verb forms.
Wearing. Only насіць means to wear something regularly: Зімой я нашу цёплую шапку. (In winter I wear a warm hat.) Putting clothes on is a different verb, апранаць / апрануць.
With prefixes. A prefix turns the pair into an ordinary aspect pair, just like прыйсці and прыходзіць: прынесці / прыносіць (to bring), вынесці / выносіць (to carry out), перанесці / пераносіць (to carry across, to move). The prefixed forms of несці are perfective: Прынясі мне, калі ласка, вады. (Please bring me some water.)
Carrying by vehicle (везці, вазіць) and leading someone (весці, вадзіць) each have a pair of their own: везці and весці.
Examples (6)
- Я нясу сумку.
I am carrying a bag.
Word by Word: I carry bag.
Right now, in one direction: несці.
- Яна заўсёды носіць акуляры.
She always wears glasses.
Word by Word: She always wears glasses.
A habit and wearing: насіць.
- Што ты нясеш?
What are you carrying?
Word by Word: What you carry?
- Бацька нёс дачку на руках.
The father was carrying his daughter in his arms.
Word by Word: Father carried daughter on arms.
Нёс is the masculine past of несці.
- Зімой я нашу цёплую шапку.
In winter I wear a warm hat.
Word by Word: In-winter I wear warm hat.
The я form of насіць is нашу.
- Прынясі мне, калі ласка, вады.
Please bring me some water.
Word by Word: Bring me, please, water.
Прынесці is the perfective bring verb built on несці.
Common Mistakes
Using несці for wearing or for a habit.
Яна заўсёды нясе акуляры.Яна заўсёды носіць акуляры.Заўсёды shows a habit, and wearing glasses is насіць. Несці pictures a single trip in one direction, which fits neither a habit nor wearing.
Using насіць for a single trip that is happening now.
Глядзі, я нашу вялікую каробку.Глядзі, я нясу вялікую каробку.Right now, in one direction, is несці. Насіць would mean carrying the box around or doing it regularly.
Forgetting the с to ш change in the я form of насіць.
Я кожны дзень насю абед на працу.Я кожны дзень нашу абед на працу.Only the я form changes: нашу, but носіш, носіць.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Carrying follows motion on foot.
Related Patterns
- ехаць / ездзіцьMotion by Vehicle: Ехаць and Ездзіць
The same split for travelling by vehicle.
Level 2 - везці / весціTransporting and Leading
Carrying by vehicle (везці) and leading (весці) each have their own one-way and repeated pair.
Level 4 - прыйсці / прыходзіцьArriving with Прыйсці and Прыходзіць
Prefixes turn motion pairs into aspect pairs, as in прынесці and прыносіць.
Level 3 - класці / ставіцьPutting Things Lying or Standing
Once you have carried something, these verbs say how you put it down.
Level 3 - Consonant Changes in Verb Forms
Explains the с to ш change in нашу.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice несці / насіць in Bubblegum
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