ў

The Letter Ў

Level 1

Ў is a consonant, not a vowel. It sounds like the w in English now and always follows a vowel: воўк (wolf), быў (was), аўтобус (bus).

How It Works

Ў has three main sources, and each one comes after a vowel:

  • From л. Воўк (wolf), поўны (full), and the masculine past tense of verbs whose stem ends in a vowel: ён чытаў (he read), ён быў (he was). In the feminine the л comes back: яна чытала, яна была. A stem that ends in a consonant has no ў: ён нёс (he carried), ён мог (he could). See прошлы час мужчынскага роду на -ў.
  • From в. Кроў (blood) but крыві (of blood), лаўка (bench) next to лава, кароў (of cows) from карова.
  • From у at the start of a word when the word before ends in a vowel: яна ўмее (she can), ва ўніверсітэце (at the university). See у і ў пасля галоснай.

In borrowed words, ў is written after a vowel before a consonant: аўтобус, паўза (pause), фаўна (fauna). A few words keep у, such as траур (mourning).

Ў is not written:

  • when the у is stressed: да у́рны (to the bin);
  • in borrowed words ending in -ум or -ус: прэзідыум, соус (sauce);
  • at the end of borrowed words that never change: шоу (show), ноу-хау (know-how).

Ў is never followed by an apostrophe: салаўі (nightingales).

Examples (5)

  1. У лесе жыве воўк.

    A wolf lives in the forest.

    Word by Word: In forest lives wolf.

    Воўк has ў where Russian has л (волк).

  2. Учора ён быў дома.

    Yesterday he was at home.

    Word by Word: Yesterday he was at-home.

    The masculine past tense ends in -ў: быў. The feminine is была.

  3. Я чакаю аўтобус.

    I am waiting for the bus.

    Word by Word: I wait bus.

    In borrowed words, ў comes after a vowel and before a consonant.

  4. Бабуля сядзіць на лаўцы.

    Grandma is sitting on the bench.

    Word by Word: Grandma sits on bench.

    Лаўка (bench) is related to лава; the в became ў.

  5. Шклянка поўная вады.

    The glass is full of water.

    Word by Word: Glass full of-water.

    Поўны (full) has ў where Russian has л (полный).

Common Mistakes

  • Writing л at the end of a masculine past tense verb.

    Ён чытал кнігу.
    Ён чытаў кнігу.

    In Belarusian the masculine past tense ends in -ў. The л comes back only in the other forms: чытала, чыталі.

  • Starting a sentence with ў.

    Ўчора было холадна.
    Учора было холадна.

    Ў only comes after a vowel inside a phrase. At the start of a sentence, write у.

  • Putting an apostrophe after ў.

    У садзе спяваюць салаў'і.
    У садзе спяваюць салаўі.

    Ў already separates the sounds, so no apostrophe is written after it.

How It Connects

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

ўLevel 1The Letter Ў

Learn This First

Ў is learned as part of the alphabet.