што in Content Clauses
Content Clauses with Што
Я ведаю, што ты заняты. (I know that you are busy.) After ведаць, казаць, думаць and similar verbs, the clause starts with a comma and што.
How It Works
Verbs of knowing, saying, thinking and feeling often take a whole clause as their object: ведаць (know), думаць (think), казаць, сказаць (say), чуць (hear), бачыць (see), памятаць (remember), спадзявацца (hope). The clause starts with што, and a comma comes before it: Я думаю, што ён мае рацыю. (I think that he is right.)
Do not drop што. English can say I know you are busy. Belarusian normally keeps the linking word: Я ведаю, што ты заняты. Without што, written Belarusian uses a colon instead of a comma: Я ведаю: ты заняты.
No tense shifting. The clause keeps the tense the speaker actually used. If he said Я прыйду (I will come), you report Ён сказаў, што прыйдзе, with the future, where English says would come. See reported speech.
With тое. When the main verb needs a preposition or a particular case, put тое in that form before the comma: Мы гаварылі пра тое, што трэба ехаць. (We talked about having to go.) Я рады таму, што ты тут. (I am glad that you are here.)
Што or каб? After verbs of wanting and asking, the clause starts with каб and uses the past tense: Я хачу, каб ты прыйшоў. (I want you to come.) See indirect commands and wishes with каб.
Што or ці? A reported yes-no question uses ці instead: Я не ведаю, ці ён прыйдзе. See indirect yes-no questions.
Do not confuse this што with the relative што of relative clauses, which points back to a word in the main clause.
Examples (6)
- Я ведаю, што ты заняты.
I know that you are busy.
Word by Word: I know, that you busy.
- Ён сказаў, што прыйдзе заўтра.
He said that he would come tomorrow.
Word by Word: He said, that will-come tomorrow.
He said Я прыйду, so the future stays.
- Я думаю, што гэта добрая ідэя.
I think that it is a good idea.
Word by Word: I think, that this good idea.
- Я чула, што ў Мінску ідзе снег.
I heard that it is snowing in Minsk.
Word by Word: I heard, that in Minsk goes snow.
Said by a woman: чула. A man says чуў.
- Мы спадзяемся, што ўсё будзе добра.
We hope that everything will be fine.
Word by Word: We hope, that all will-be well.
- Я забыўся, што сёння субота.
I forgot that today is Saturday.
Word by Word: I forgot, that today Saturday.
Common Mistakes
Dropping што the way English drops that.
Я ведаю ты заняты.Я ведаю, што ты заняты.English can leave out that, but Belarusian needs што and a comma. In writing, a colon can sometimes join the clauses, but a bare clause with no link is wrong.
Turning a reported future into the conditional.
Ён сказаў, што ён прыйшоў бы.Ён сказаў, што прыйдзе.English would come is only the reported future. Прыйшоў бы is the conditional, meaning he would come if something else happened. Keep the tense he used: прыйдзе.
Using што after a verb of wanting.
Я хачу, што ты прыйшоў.Я хачу, каб ты прыйшоў.Wishes and requests about another person use каб with the past tense, not што.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Content clauses use што.
Related Patterns
- Reported Speech
Reported statements are built with што and keep the original tense.
Level 4 - Indirect Questions with ціIndirect Yes-No Questions with Ці
For a reported yes-no question, ці replaces што.
Level 3 - Indirect Questions with Question Words
Reported questions keep their question word instead of што.
Level 3 - каб + Past TenseIndirect Commands and Wishes with Каб
After wanting and asking, каб with the past tense replaces што.
Level 4 - што in Relative ClausesRelative Што
The relative што looks the same but points back to a noun.
Level 4 - Commas in Complex Sentences
Explains the comma before што.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice што in Content Clauses in Bubblegum
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