Indeclinable Nouns

Level 2Sounds Like nesklanâlʹnyâ nazoŭníkí

Кіно, метро, радыё and кафэ never change: Я іду ў кіно (I am going to the cinema).

How It Works

Belarusian nouns normally change their ending to show case: школа, у школе, са школы. See the six cases. A group of words borrowed from other languages does not do this. They end in a vowel and look exactly the same everywhere:

  • кіно (cinema): Я люблю кіно. Мы ў кіно.
  • метро (metro): Мы едзем на метро.
  • радыё (radio): Я слухаю радыё.
  • кафэ (café), таксі (taxi), меню (menu), піяніна (piano)

How you see the case. The noun does not show it, so the preposition and the words around it do the work. у кіно means both at the cinema (locative) and to the cinema (accusative). Adjectives still change: на старым піяніна (on the old piano).

Gender. Most indeclinable nouns for things are neuter. Adjectives, possessives and past-tense verbs take neuter forms: новае кафэ, маё таксі, Кафэ адкрылася. See neuter nouns. A few take the gender of a related word, such as авеню (avenue), which is feminine like вуліца. Words for people follow the person's sex, and animal names such as кенгуру (kangaroo) are usually masculine.

Spelling. Belarusian writes what it hears, so an unstressed final о becomes а even in a loanword: піяніна (Russian пианино). A stressed final о stays: кіно, метро. See akanye.

Plural. The same form is used for more than one: два кафэ, усе таксі. Belarusian also has its own word for a café, кавярня, which declines like any feminine noun: у кавярні.

Examples (6)

  1. Я іду ў кіно.

    I am going to the cinema.

    Word by Word: I go to cinema.

  2. Мы едзем на метро.

    We are going by metro.

    Word by Word: We ride on metro.

  3. Бабуля кожную раніцу слухае радыё.

    Grandma listens to the radio every morning.

    Word by Word: Grandma every morning listens radio.

  4. Каля нашага дома адкрылася новае кафэ.

    A new café has opened near our house.

    Word by Word: Near our house opened new café.

    Кафэ is neuter, so the adjective is новае and the verb ends in -ла.

  5. Ён добра іграе на піяніна.

    He plays the piano well.

    Word by Word: He well plays on piano.

    Піяніна is in the locative after на, but its form does not change.

  6. Я выклікаў таксі.

    I called a taxi.

    Word by Word: I called taxi.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a case ending to an indeclinable noun.

    Мы былі ў кіне.
    Мы былі ў кіно.

    Кіно never changes. The preposition у already shows the case.

  • Using a masculine adjective or possessive with an indeclinable noun for a thing.

    Гэта наш любімы кафэ.
    Гэта наша любімае кафэ.

    Кафэ is neuter, so наш becomes наша and любімы becomes любімае.

How It Connects

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

Indeclinable NounsLevel 2

Learn This First

Indeclinable nouns follow the case system.

Words in This Pattern

кінометрорадыё