пяць and Up + Genitive Plural

Five and Up with the Genitive Plural

Level 2Sounds Like pâcʹ í bolʹš + rodny množnaga

5, 6, 7 … 20, 25, 100 + genitive plural: пяць кніг, дзесяць гадоў, сто рублёў.

How It Works

After пяць, шэсць, сем, восем, дзевяць, дзесяць and larger numbers, the noun is in the genitive plural, unless the number ends in адзін, два, тры or чатыры (see below). It is the same form you use after шмат and колькі (genitive after quantity words):

  • пяць кніг (five books)
  • шэсць студэнтаў (six students)
  • дзесяць гадоў (ten years)
  • сто рублёў (a hundred rubles)

The endings are the ones in genitive plural endings: -аў/-яў, stressed -оў/-ёў, -ей, or no ending at all (кніг, хвілін).

Which number counts? Look at the last word of the number:

  • it ends in адзін → singular: дваццаць адзін год
  • it ends in два, тры, чатыры → plural: дваццаць два гады
  • it ends in any other number → genitive plural: дваццаць пяць гадоў, трыццаць гадоў

The numbers from 11 to 19 are single words (адзінаццаць, дванаццаць …), so they always take the genitive plural: адзінаццаць гадоў, чатырнаццаць дзён.

Чалавек. When you count people from five up, use the form чалавек: пяць чалавек (five people), дзесяць чалавек (ten people).

The verb. When a phrase like this is the subject, the verb is often neuter singular: Прыйшло пяць чалавек (Five people came). The plural is also possible; see agreement with numbers.

Only in the nominative and accusative. In the other cases the number itself changes and the noun follows that case: з пяццю сябрамі (with five friends). You will meet this later in declension of cardinal numerals.

Examples (6)

  1. У нашай групе пяць студэнтаў.

    There are five students in our group.

    Word by Word: In our group five of-students.

    студэнтаў is the genitive plural.

  2. Я чакаю ўжо дзесяць хвілін.

    I have been waiting for ten minutes.

    Word by Word: I wait already ten of-minutes.

    хвілін is a genitive plural with no ending.

  3. Маёй бабулі восемдзесят гадоў.

    My grandmother is eighty.

    Word by Word: To-my grandmother eighty of-years.

    гадоў is the genitive plural of год.

  4. На паліцы шэсць кніг.

    There are six books on the shelf.

    Word by Word: On shelf six of-books.

  5. Квіток каштуе дваццаць пяць рублёў.

    The ticket costs twenty-five rubles.

    Word by Word: Ticket costs twenty five of-rubles.

    The number ends in пяць, so the genitive plural рублёў.

  6. На сустрэчу прыйшло адзінаццаць чалавек.

    Eleven people came to the meeting.

    Word by Word: To meeting came eleven people.

    Адзінаццаць takes the genitive plural; people are counted with чалавек, and the verb is neuter singular.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative plural after пяць.

    На паліцы пяць кнігі.
    На паліцы пяць кніг.

    Only два, тры and чатыры take the nominative plural. From пяць up the noun is in the genitive plural.

  • Treating 12, 13 and 14 like два, тры, чатыры.

    Яму дванаццаць гады.
    Яму дванаццаць гадоў.

    Дванаццаць is one word ending in -наццаць, not in два. Every number from 11 to 19 takes the genitive plural.

  • Using the Russian genitive plural ending -ов.

    У групе пяць студэнтов.
    У групе пяць студэнтаў.

    The Belarusian ending is -аў (or stressed -оў), written with ў.

How It Connects

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

пяць and Up + Genitive PluralLevel 2Five and Up with the Genitive Plural

Learn This First

Five and up need two to four and the genitive plural.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

пяцьдваццаць адзінсорак тры