пайсці / паехаць

Setting Off with Пайсці and Паехаць

Level 3Sounds Like pajscí í paehacʹ

Ён пайшоў дадому. (He has gone home, so he is not here.) Пайсці and паехаць mark the start of a trip.

How It Works

Forms.

  • пайсці (on foot): пайду, пойдзеш, пойдзе, пойдзем, пойдзеце, пойдуць; past пайшоў, пайшла, пайшлі. The root vowel is о when stressed and а when not (akanye): пайду́ but по́йдзеш.
  • паехаць (by vehicle): паеду, паедзеш, паедзе; past паехаў, паехала, паехалі.

Left and still away. Дзе Ганна? — Яна пайшла на працу. (Where is Hanna? — She has gone to work.) Compare the round trip with хадзіць: Учора я хадзіў у кіно. (Yesterday I went to the cinema and came back.) The same holds for паехаць and ездзіць: Яны паехалі ў Гродна (they are in Hrodna or on the way) but Яны ездзілі ў Гродна (they went and are back).

Future decisions. Я пайду ў краму. (I'll go to the shop.) Летам мы паедзем на мора. (In summer we will go to the seaside.) This is the perfective future.

Other uses. With па and the accusative it means going to fetch something (fetching): Яна пайшла па ваду. With rain or snow, пайшоў means it started: Пайшоў дождж. (It started raining.)

To suggest going together, use хадзем. In casual speech people also say Пайшлі! or Паехалі! (Let's go!)

Examples (6)

  1. Ён пайшоў дадому.

    He's gone home.

    Word by Word: He set-off home.

  2. Яны паехалі ў Гродна.

    They've left for Hrodna.

    Word by Word: They set-off (by vehicle) to Hrodna.

  3. Я пайду ў краму па хлеб.

    I'll go to the shop for bread.

    Word by Word: I will-go to shop for bread.

  4. Летам мы паедзем на мора.

    In summer we will go to the seaside.

    Word by Word: In-summer we will-go (by vehicle) to sea.

  5. Раптам пайшоў дождж.

    Suddenly it started raining.

    Word by Word: Suddenly went rain.

  6. Дзе Ганна? — Яна пайшла на працу.

    Where is Hanna? — She has gone to work.

    Word by Word: Where Hanna? — She set-off to work.

Common Mistakes

  • Using хадзіў for someone who has left and is not back yet.

    Дзе Алесь? — Ён хадзіў у краму.
    Дзе Алесь? — Ён пайшоў у краму.

    Хадзіў means he went and came back, which does not answer where he is now. Пайшоў means he has left and is still away.

  • Using a Russian-style past ending.

    Ён пайшол дадому.
    Ён пайшоў дадому.

    The masculine past ends in -ў: пайшоў, прыйшоў.

  • Using the perfective for a daily habit.

    Я пайду на працу кожны дзень.
    Я хаджу на працу кожны дзень.

    Пайду means one future trip. A regular habit takes хадзіць: хаджу.

How It Connects

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

пайсці / паехацьLevel 3Setting Off with Пайсці and Паехаць

Learn This First

Setting off needs motion verbs and aspect pairs.

Words in This Pattern

пайсціпаехацьісціехаць