Parenthetical Words

Level 4Sounds Like pabočnyâ slovy

A parenthetical word comments on the whole sentence and sits between commas: Ён, мабыць, спазніцца (He will probably be late).

How It Works

Parenthetical words (пабочныя словы) let you comment on what you are saying. The main groups are:

  • How sure you are: вядома, канечне (of course), безумоўна (certainly), сапраўды (indeed), напэўна (most likely), мабыць, магчыма, можа (perhaps), відаць, здаецца (apparently, it seems), мусіць (probably).
  • How you feel about it: на жаль (unfortunately), на шчасце (luckily), на маё здзіўленне (to my surprise).
  • Whose idea it is: па-мойму, па-твойму (in my, your opinion), на мой погляд (in my view), як вядома (as everyone knows), як кажуць (as they say).
  • How ideas connect: па-першае, па-другое (firstly, secondly), дарэчы (by the way), між іншым (incidentally), такім чынам (so, thus).

Commas. The word is always set off, wherever it stands: На жаль, я не магу прыйсці. Ён, мабыць, ужо дома. Гэта добрая ідэя, па-мойму. Two parenthetical words in a row are separated from each other too: Па-першае, на жаль, у нас няма часу.

Same word, different job. Some of these words can also be ordinary parts of the sentence, and then they take no commas of their own:

  • Мне здаецца, што ён мае рацыю. (It seems to me that he is right.) Here здаецца is the main verb, with мне. The only comma is the one before што.
  • Адсюль добра відаць мора. (You can see the sea well from here.) Here відаць means can be seen.
  • Нарэшце прыйшоў аўтобус. (At last the bus came.) Here нарэшце tells when, so no commas.

A quick test: if you can drop the word and the sentence still states the same fact, it is parenthetical and needs commas.

Мусіць is a special case: as a verb it means must, but between commas it means probably. See мусіць meaning probably. The word маўляў (he says, as if to say) is also set off in the same way; see reported words with маўляў.

Belarusian forms. Use на жаль, not a word-for-word copy of Russian к сожалению, and write па-мойму with a hyphen, like па-беларуску.

Examples (6)

  1. На жаль, я не магу прыйсці.

    Unfortunately, I can't come.

    Word by Word: Unfortunately, I not can come.

  2. Ён, мабыць, ужо дома.

    He is probably already home.

    Word by Word: He, perhaps, already at-home.

    After the comma ужо keeps its у: ў is written only when no punctuation mark comes between it and a vowel.

  3. Гэта, па-мойму, вельмі добрая ідэя.

    In my opinion, this is a very good idea.

    Word by Word: This, in-my-opinion, very good idea.

  4. На шчасце, дождж хутка скончыўся.

    Luckily, the rain soon stopped.

    Word by Word: On luck, rain quickly ended.

  5. Дарэчы, ты ведаеш, дзе мой тэлефон?

    By the way, do you know where my phone is?

    Word by Word: By-the-way, you know, where my phone?

  6. Вядома, мы вам дапаможам.

    Of course we will help you.

    Word by Word: Of-course, we you will-help.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the commas around the parenthetical word.

    Ён мабыць ужо дома.
    Ён, мабыць, ужо дома.

    A parenthetical word is set off on both sides when it stands in the middle of a sentence. The commas also show that мабыць comments on the whole statement.

  • Copying the Russian phrase for unfortunately.

    К жалю, я не магу прыйсці.
    На жаль, я не магу прыйсці.

    Standard Belarusian says на жаль. К жалю is a word-for-word copy of Russian к сожалению.

  • Writing па-мойму as two separate words.

    Па мойму, гэта добры фільм.
    Па-мойму, гэта добры фільм.

    Па-мойму, па-твойму and па-нашаму are single words written with a hyphen, like па-беларуску.

How It Connects

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Parenthetical WordsLevel 4

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Words in This Pattern

мабыцьвідацьвядомапа-моймужальшчасце