Neuter Nouns

Level 1Sounds Like níâkí rod

Neuter nouns end in a vowel: акно (window), жыццё (life), слова (word), поле (field). They go with маё, яно and adjectives in -ае: маё новае акно.

How It Works

Four endings.

  • stressed -о: акно (window), пісьмо (letter), віно (wine)
  • stressed -ё: жыццё (life)
  • unstressed -а: слова (word), мора (sea), лета (summer), сонца (sun), сэрца (heart)
  • unstressed -е: поле (field), пытанне (question), шчасце (happiness)

The -а trap. Мора and слова end like feminine кніга, but they are neuter: цёплае мора (a warm sea), новае слова (a new word). A dictionary shows the difference: neuter nouns are listed with genitive -а (мора, -а), feminine ones with -ы or -і (кніга, -і).

Nouns in -нне. Nouns in -нне are neuter: пытанне (question), заданне (task), выданне (edition). Many of them come from verbs; see verbal nouns in -нне and -цце.

Other neuter groups. Many loanwords that end in -о, -е, -і, -у or -ё, like кіно, метро and радыё, are neuter and never change (indeclinable nouns). Words for children and young animals in -я are neuter: дзіця (child), кацяня (kitten). So is імя (name); see neuter nouns in -мя.

Not the same as Russian. Жыццё (life), святло (light) and брыво (eyebrow) are neuter in Belarusian. Яблык (apple) is masculine.

What agrees with a neuter noun.

  • маё, тваё: маё імя (мой and твой)
  • adjectives in -ае, or -ое when the ending is stressed: новае акно, маладое віно (adjective agreement)
  • the pronoun яно: Дзе пісьмо? Яно тут.
  • the past tense in -ла or -ло: святло пагасла (neuter past tense)

Examples (6)

  1. Акно адчыненае.

    The window is open.

    Word by Word: Window open.

    Акно ends in stressed -о; the adjective has the neuter ending -ае.

  2. Якое прыгожае мора!

    What a beautiful sea!

    Word by Word: What beautiful sea!

    Мора ends in -а only because of akanye. It is neuter: якое, прыгожае.

  3. Жыццё цікавае.

    Life is interesting.

    Word by Word: Life interesting.

    Жыццё ends in stressed -ё and is neuter.

  4. Гэта новае слова для мяне.

    This is a new word for me.

    Word by Word: This new word for me.

    Слова is neuter, so the adjective is новае, not новая.

  5. Сонца сёння яркае.

    The sun is bright today.

    Word by Word: Sun today bright.

    Сонца is neuter: яркае.

  6. Гэта добрае пытанне.

    That is a good question.

    Word by Word: This good question.

    Пытанне ends in unstressed -е and is neuter.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating a neuter noun in unstressed -а as feminine.

    Гэта новая слова.
    Гэта новае слова.

    Слова is neuter; its -а comes from akanye. The adjective needs the neuter ending -ае.

  • Copying the masculine gender of Russian свет.

    Святло пагас.
    Святло пагасла.

    Belarusian святло is neuter, so its past tense ends in -ла.

  • Using яна for a neuter thing.

    Дзе пісьмо? — Яна на стале.
    Дзе пісьмо? — Яно на стале.

    Пісьмо is neuter, so the pronoun is яно.

How It Connects

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Neuter NounsLevel 1

Learn This First

Neuter nouns follow the gender overview.

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Patterns that build on this one.