па- + Language
Languages with Па-
To say "in Belarusian", use па-беларуску: Я размаўляю па-беларуску (I speak Belarusian). The same shape works for other languages: па-англійску, па-польску, па-руску.
How It Works
How it is made
Take the adjective for the language (беларускі, англійскі, польскі), change the final -і to -у and put па- in front:
- беларускі → па-беларуску
- англійскі → па-англійску
- польскі → па-польску
- нямецкі → па-нямецку
- украінскі → па-ўкраінску (у becomes ў after the vowel of па-)
The official spelling rules write these adverbs with a hyphen, like other adverbs of the shape па-…-ску or па-…-цку.
Which verbs use it
размаўляць / гаварыць (speak), пісаць (write), чытаць (read), разумець (understand): Ты разумееш па-англійску?
Ask how to say a word with Як гэта будзе па-беларуску? or Як сказаць … па-беларуску?
When not to use it
With verbs of learning or knowing a language, the language is an object noun: Я вывучаю беларускую мову (I am studying Belarusian), Я ведаю польскую мову. You will also see на беларускай мове ("in the Belarusian language"), as in кніга на беларускай мове (a book in Belarusian).
Examples (6)
- Я размаўляю па-беларуску.
I speak Belarusian.
Word by Word: I speak in-Belarusian.
- Напішы, калі ласка, па-беларуску.
Please write it in Belarusian.
Word by Word: Write, please, in-Belarusian.
- Як гэта будзе па-беларуску?
How do you say that in Belarusian?
Word by Word: How this will-be in-Belarusian?
A handy question when you need a word.
- Ты разумееш па-англійску?
Do you understand English?
Word by Word: You understand in-English?
- Мая бабуля добра гаворыць па-польску.
My grandmother speaks Polish well.
Word by Word: My grandma well speaks in-Polish.
- Ён крыху размаўляе па-ўкраінску.
He speaks a little Ukrainian.
Word by Word: He a-little speaks in-Ukrainian.
After па- the letter у becomes ў: па-ўкраінску.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out the hyphen.
Я размаўляю па беларуску.Я размаўляю па-беларуску.Па-беларуску is one adverb, and the spelling rules write it with a hyphen.
Using a Russian-style ending in -і.
Вы размаўляеце па-беларускі?Вы размаўляеце па-беларуску?Russian says по-белорусски, but Belarusian adverbs of this type end in -у: па-беларуску, па-англійску.
Using the adverb as the object of "study".
Я вывучаю па-беларуску.Я вывучаю беларускую мову.Вывучаць needs a noun object: беларускую мову (the Belarusian language). Па-беларуску describes how you speak or write.
Related Patterns
- вучыцца / вывучацьLearning with Вучыцца and Вывучаць
Explains why you study беларускую мову but speak па-беларуску.
Level 2 - у / ў after a VowelУ Becomes Ў After a Vowel
Па-ўкраінску shows у turning into ў after a vowel.
Level 1 - Adverbs in -а/-еAdverbs from Adjectives
Па-беларуску is an adverb, like добра and хутка, describing how an action is done.
Level 2 - Feminine Accusative -у/-юFeminine Accusative -у and -ю
Беларускую мову, the object of вывучаць, is a feminine accusative form.
Level 1 - якQuestion Word Як
Як гэта будзе па-беларуску? combines this pattern with the question word як.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice па- + Language in Bubblegum
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