ты + -еш/-іш

Present Tense with Ты

Level 1Sounds Like ty + -eš/-íš

The ты form ends in -еш (first conjugation) or -іш (second conjugation): ты чытаеш, ты робіш.

How It Works

Use this form with ты, the informal "you" for one friend, a family member or a child.

First conjugation:

  • -еш after a vowel or a soft consonant: чытаеш (you read), працуеш (you work), ідзеш (you go), жывеш (you live). The ending stays -еш even when it is stressed, as in ідзеш. Russian has идёшь, but Belarusian writes ідзеш.
  • -эш after ж, ш, ч, р when the ending is stressed: бярэш (you take), пячэш (you bake).
  • -аш after ж, ш, ч, р when the stress is on the stem: пішаш (you write), кажаш (you say), хочаш (you want), можаш (you can). This is akanye: an unstressed е after a hard consonant is written а.

Second conjugation:

  • -іш after a soft consonant: робіш (you do), ходзіш (you walk), любіш (you love).
  • -ыш after ж, ш, ч, р: гаворыш (you speak), бачыш (you see), ляжыш (you lie).

No soft sign. Russian writes -шь, but Belarusian ш is always hard and never takes ь: ты чытаеш, ты робіш. See the soft sign.

If you are not sure whether an ending is stressed, learn the я and ты forms together from a dictionary: бяру, бярэш; пішу, пішаш.

Examples (6)

  1. Ты чытаеш па-беларуску?

    Do you read Belarusian?

    чытаеш: -еш after a vowel.

  2. Куды ты ідзеш?

    Where are you going?

    ідзеш: stressed, but still written -еш.

  3. Што ты пішаш?

    What are you writing?

    пішаш: unstressed after ш, so -аш.

  4. Ты бярэш парасон?

    Are you taking an umbrella?

    бярэш: stressed after р, so -эш.

  5. Ты добра гаворыш!

    You speak well!

    гаворыш: second conjugation, -ыш after р.

  6. Дзе ты жывеш?

    Where do you live?

    жывеш: -еш after the soft в.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a soft sign after ш, as in Russian.

    Ты чытаешь кнігу?
    Ты чытаеш кнігу?

    Belarusian ш is always hard, so the ending is -еш with no ь.

  • Writing е in an unstressed ending after ш.

    Ты пішэш ліст?
    Ты пішаш ліст?

    The stress in пішаш is on the stem, so the vowel after the hard ш is written а.

  • Writing ё in a stressed -еш ending, as in Russian.

    Куды ты ідзёш?
    Куды ты ідзеш?

    The stressed ты ending after a soft consonant is written -еш in Belarusian.

How It Connects

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ты + -еш/-ішLevel 1Present Tense with Ты

Learn This First

The ты form follows the я form.

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Words in This Pattern