The Six Cases

Level 1Sounds Like sklony nazoŭníkaŭ

The ending shows the noun's job: кніга (a book, the subject), кнігу (the object), без кнігі (without a book), у кнізе (in the book). Belarusian has six cases.

How It Works

The six cases of кніга (book) and стол (table).

  • назоўны (nominative): кніга, стол. The subject and dictionary form: Кніга тут. (nominative)
  • родны (genitive): кнігі, стала. Of, from, without, after няма: У мяне няма кнігі. (genitive)
  • давальны (dative): кнізе, сталу. To or for someone: Я пішу маме. (dative)
  • вінавальны (accusative): кнігу, стол. The direct object and destination: Я чытаю кнігу. (accusative)
  • творны (instrumental): кнігай, сталом. With, by means of, under: Я пішу ручкай. (instrumental)
  • месны (locative): у кнізе, на стале. Only after prepositions such as у, на, аб, па, пры: Кніга на стале. (locative)

Prepositions choose cases. The same place changes with the preposition: у Мінску (in Minsk, locative), у Мінск (to Minsk, accusative), з Мінска (from Minsk, genitive). See where, where to, where from.

Three declension types. The endings depend on the type of noun: feminine and masculine nouns in -а/-я (кніга, бацька); masculine nouns with no ending and neuter nouns (стол, акно); and feminine nouns with no ending (ноч, соль). In the plural, the dative, instrumental and locative endings are shared by almost every noun: -ам/-ям, -амі/-ямі, -ах/-ях (a few, like людзьмі and дзецьмі, are special) (plural oblique cases).

Endings, not word order, show roles. Кнігу чытае мама still means "Mom is reading the book", because -у marks the object. See word order.

The vocative. Some nouns have a special form for calling someone: браце!, сынку!, Алесю! The nominative is also correct in address: Мама, дзе ты? See the vocative form.

Examples (6)

  1. Кніга ляжыць на стале.

    The book is lying on the table.

    Word by Word: Book lies on table.

    Кніга is nominative (the subject); стале is locative after на.

  2. Я чытаю кнігу.

    I am reading a book.

    Word by Word: I read book.

    Кнігу is accusative, the direct object.

  3. У мяне няма кнігі.

    I do not have the book.

    Word by Word: At me there-is-not book.

    Кнігі is genitive after няма.

  4. Я пішу ліст маме.

    I am writing a letter to Mom.

    Word by Word: I write letter to-mom.

    Ліст is accusative (it does not change); маме is dative, the person it is for.

  5. Я пішу ручкай.

    I am writing with a pen.

    Word by Word: I write pen-with.

    Ручкай is instrumental: the tool you use.

  6. Кнігу чытае мама.

    Mom is reading the book.

    Word by Word: Book reads mom.

    The ending -у marks кнігу as the object, even though it comes first.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the dictionary form after a preposition.

    Я жыву ў Мінск.
    Я жыву ў Мінску.

    У meaning "in" needs the locative. The dictionary form is only for the subject and a few other uses.

  • Forgetting that з meaning "with" takes the instrumental.

    Кава з малако.
    Кава з малаком.

    With the meaning "together with", з takes the instrumental: малаком.

  • Using the nominative after няма.

    У мяне няма кніга.
    У мяне няма кнігі.

    Няма always takes the genitive: кнігі.

How It Connects

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The Six CasesLevel 1

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Cases build on gender.

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Patterns that build on this one.