Ordinal Numbers
першы, другі, трэці, чацвёрты, пяты … agree like adjectives: першы дзень, трэцяя кніга, пятае месца.
How It Works
First to tenth:
- 1st першы, 2nd другі, 3rd трэці, 4th чацвёрты, 5th пяты
- 6th шосты, 7th сёмы, 8th восьмы, 9th дзявяты, 10th дзясяты
Most ordinals come from the cardinal numbers (пяць → пяты, дваццаць → дваццаты), but першы and другі have their own roots. Note the я in дзявяты and дзясяты, caused by yakanye.
Agreement. Ordinals take the endings of adjectives:
- masculine: першы дзень (the first day), другі тыдзень (the second week)
- feminine: першая кніга, другая спроба (the second try)
- neuter: першае месца (first place), другое пытанне (the second question)
- plural: першыя дні (the first days)
Трэці has a soft stem, like the soft-stem adjectives: трэці (m), трэцяя (f), трэцяе (n), трэція (pl): трэцяя кніга (the third book), трэцяе месца (third place).
Larger ordinals. 11th–19th end in -наццаты (адзінаццаты, дванаццаты). The tens are дваццаты, трыццаты, саракавы (40th), пяцідзясяты, шасцідзясяты, сямідзясяты, васьмідзясяты, дзевяносты (90th), and 100th is соты. In a longer number only the last word is an ordinal: дваццаць першы (21st), сто трыццаць сёмы (137th). Only that last word changes for case: дваццаць першага.
Where you use them: floors, grades, lessons and places in a row: на пятым паверсе (on the fifth floor). They are also used for dates and for clock times. With digits, the ending follows a hyphen: 5-ы клас (fifth grade).
Examples (6)
- Сёння першы дзень адпачынку.
Today is the first day of the vacation.
Word by Word: Today first day of-vacation.
- Я чытаю трэцюю кнігу серыі.
I am reading the third book in the series.
Word by Word: I read third book of-series.
трэцюю: the soft feminine accusative of трэці.
- Мы жывём на пятым паверсе.
We live on the fifth floor.
Word by Word: We live on fifth floor.
пятым: the locative after на, like an adjective.
- Наша каманда заняла другое месца.
Our team took second place.
Word by Word: Our team took second place.
месца is neuter, so другое.
- Мой брат вучыцца ў дзясятым класе.
My brother is in tenth grade.
Word by Word: My brother studies in tenth class.
- Праз тыдзень у яго дваццаць першы дзень нараджэння.
In a week it is his twenty-first birthday.
Word by Word: In week at him twenty first day of-birth.
Only the last word, першы, is an ordinal.
Common Mistakes
Using a cardinal number instead of an ordinal.
Я жыву на пяць паверсе.Я жыву на пятым паверсе.To say which floor, use the ordinal пяты and give it the adjective ending the case needs.
Giving трэці hard Russian-style endings.
Я чытаю трэтую кнігу.Я чытаю трэцюю кнігу.Трэці has a soft stem: трэцяя, трэцюю, трэцяе. The stem ends in ц, not т.
Turning every part of a long number into an ordinal.
Сёння дваццаты першы дзень.Сёння дваццаць першы дзень.Only the last word of the number is an ordinal. The words before it stay cardinal.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Ordinals follow cardinal numbers.
Related Patterns
- Numbers One to Ten
Most ordinals are built from the cardinal numbers.
Level 1 - Adjective Agreement
Ordinals take the same gender endings as adjectives.
Level 1 - Soft-Stem Adjectives
Трэці declines like a soft-stem adjective.
Level 3 - Saying Dates
Dates use a neuter ordinal: першае студзеня.
Level 3 - а + HourTelling the Time with А
Clock times use an ordinal: а першай гадзіне.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Ordinal Numbers in Bubblegum
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