Present Active Participles
Бягучы год means the current year. Forms in -учы, -ючы, -ачы, -ячы with adjective endings are limited in standard Belarusian.
How It Works
A present active participle describes someone or something that is doing an action. It is built with -уч-, -юч-, -ач-, -яч- and takes adjective endings: бягучы год (the current year), у бягучым годзе (in the current year).
Where you will meet them. Many of these words are now fixed adjectives or nouns:
- вядучы: a presenter or host (literally leading)
- бягучы: current (бягучы год, бягучы рахунак)
- лятучая мыш: a bat (literally a flying mouse)
- гаручае: fuel (literally something that burns)
- пякучы: burning, stinging (пякучы боль)
Some others, such as кіруючы (ruling), appear in news and formal writing.
What speakers usually say. Belarusian does not build these participles freely from every verb. To describe someone doing something, use a clause with які: чалавек, які чытае газету (a man who is reading the newspaper), дзеці, якія гуляюць у парку (children who are playing in the park).
Do not confuse them with adverbial participles. A form like чытаючы with no ending is an adverbial participle. It never changes and it describes what the subject of the sentence is doing: Чытаючы, ён усміхаўся. (While reading, he smiled.) It cannot describe a noun.
Examples (6)
- Вядучы прывітаў гледачоў.
The presenter greeted the audience.
Word by Word: Presenter greeted viewers.
- У бягучым годзе мы адкрылі тры новыя крамы.
This year we opened three new shops.
Word by Word: In current year we opened three new shops.
- Лятучая мыш спіць удзень.
A bat sleeps during the day.
Word by Word: Flying mouse sleeps in-daytime.
- Я адчуў пякучы боль у назе.
I felt a burning pain in my leg.
Word by Word: I felt burning pain in leg.
Said by a man. A woman says: Я адчула.
- Трэба заправіць машыну: скончылася гаручае.
We need to fill up the car: we have run out of fuel.
Word by Word: Necessary to-fuel car: ended fuel.
- Чалавек, які чытае газету, — мой сусед.
The man reading the newspaper is my neighbor.
Word by Word: Man, who reads newspaper, — my neighbor.
A які clause is the everyday way to say this.
Common Mistakes
Using an adverbial participle to describe a noun.
Я пазнаёміўся з дзяўчынай, жывучы ў Гродне.Я пазнаёміўся з дзяўчынай, якая жыве ў Гродне.Without an ending, жывучы is an adverbial participle and describes the speaker: it means "I met a girl while I was living in Grodno". To describe the girl, use a які clause.
Forgetting the case ending.
У бягучы годзе мы адкрылі тры крамы.У бягучым годзе мы адкрылі тры крамы.Бягучы declines like an adjective. After у with the locative, it becomes бягучым.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Present participles follow passive participles.
Related Patterns
- Imperfective Adverbial Participles
Uses the same suffixes but never changes and describes the subject, not a noun.
Level 4 - які in Relative ClausesRelative Clauses with Які
The usual way to say who is doing something: чалавек, які чытае.
Level 3 - Active Participles in -ўшыActive Participles in -ўшы (Recognition)
The past active participles, which are also limited and mostly bookish.
Level 6 - Adjective Case Endings
These participles take the same case endings as adjectives.
Level 3 - Participial Phrases
Explains how participles carry their own words and take commas.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice Present Active Participles in Bubblegum
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