Doubled Consonants
A long consonant between vowels is written double: пытанне, вяселле, жыццё, збожжа. For дз, write ддз: суддзя.
How It Works
Belarusian pronounces some consonants long when they stand between two vowels, and the spelling shows this with a double letter. The consonants are ж, з, дз, л, н, с, ц, ч, ш. Long дз is written ддз.
Where you see it.
- Nouns in -нне, -лле, -ссе, -ццё, -жжа, -шша, -чча: пытанне (question), насенне (seeds), вяселле (wedding), калоссе (ears of grain), жыццё (life), збожжа (grain), зацішша (calm). Many of them are verbal nouns in -нне and -цце.
- The instrumental of feminine nouns with no ending: ноч → ноччу, соль → соллю, мыш → мышшу. See doubled consonants in the instrumental.
- Some other words: суддзя (judge), пяццю (instrumental of пяць).
Only between vowels. After a consonant nothing doubles: радасць → радасцю, смерць → смерцю.
Loanwords. Borrowed words usually lose double letters: група, клас, каса, тэрыторыя. A few keep them, such as Ганна, ванна, Жанна. See spelling loanwords.
Prefix plus root. A double letter can also appear where a prefix ends with the same letter the root begins with: аддаць (ад- + даць), беззаконне. That is simply two letters meeting, not lengthening.
For how дз and ц replaced older д and т in these words, see tsekanye and dzekanye.
Examples (6)
- Можна задаць пытанне?
May I ask a question?
Word by Word: Possible to-give question?
- У суботу ў нас вяселле!
We have a wedding on Saturday!
Word by Word: On Saturday at us wedding!
- Яна прысвяціла жыццё музыцы.
She devoted her life to music.
Word by Word: She devoted life to-music.
- Суддзя слухае сведку.
The judge is listening to the witness.
Word by Word: Judge listens-to witness.
Long дз is written ддз.
- Мы ехалі ноччу.
We traveled at night.
Word by Word: We traveled by-night.
Ноччу is the instrumental of ноч.
- Збожжа ўжо сабралі.
The grain has already been harvested.
Word by Word: Grain already they-gathered.
Common Mistakes
Writing a single letter where the consonant is long.
Можна задаць пытане?Можна задаць пытанне?The н in пытанне stands between vowels and is long, so it is written нн.
Doubling after a consonant.
Я з радасццю дапамагу.Я з радасцю дапамагу.In радасцю the ц follows с, not a vowel, so it does not double.
Keeping double letters in a loanword.
У нашай группе дзесяць студэнтаў.У нашай групе дзесяць студэнтаў.Loanwords are usually written with single letters in Belarusian: група, клас, каса.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Doubled consonants follow the instrumental ending.
Related Patterns
- Verbal Nouns in -нне/-ццеVerbal Nouns in -нне and -цце
Verbal nouns such as пытанне are the biggest group of words with doubled letters.
Level 5 - Spelling Loanwords
Loanwords usually drop double letters.
Level 4 - дж / дзThe Digraphs ДЖ and ДЗ
Explains дз, which doubles as ддз.
Level 1 - Tsekanye and Dzekanye
Why these words have ц and дз where Russian has т and д.
Level 1
Practice Doubled Consonants in Bubblegum
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