у мяне ёсць
Having with У Мяне Ёсць
To say "I have", Belarusian usually says У мяне ёсць + the thing: У мяне ёсць брат (I have a brother).
How It Works
Literally, У мяне ёсць брат is "At me there is a brother". The pattern has three parts:
- у + the owner in the genitive: у мяне, у цябе, у яго, у яе, у нас, у вас, у іх. With a noun: у Ганны, у брата.
- ёсць, which never changes.
- the thing owned, in the nominative: брат, час, машына.
No н- after у. Belarusian says у яго, у яе, у іх, never with an added н-.
When ёсць drops out. If you are describing something that you obviously have, rather than saying that you have it, ёсць is usually left out: У мяне новы тэлефон (I have a new phone).
Other ways. The verb мець also means "to have": Я маю пытанне (I have a question). It is correct Belarusian and common with abstract things. The negative of у мяне ёсць is у мяне няма with the genitive. Note that у + a person can also mean "at someone's place"; see у with the genitive.
Examples (6)
- У мяне ёсць брат.
I have a brother.
Word by Word: At me is brother.
- У цябе ёсць час?
Do you have time?
- У яе ёсць сабака.
She has a dog.
No н- is added: у яе.
- У Ганны ёсць кот.
Hanna has a cat.
A noun owner is in the genitive: Ганна becomes Ганны.
- У нас ёсць машына.
We have a car.
- У мяне новы тэлефон.
I have a new phone.
Ёсць is left out when you describe what you have.
Common Mistakes
Putting the thing owned in the accusative.
У мяне ёсць брата.У мяне ёсць брат.The thing you have is the subject of ёсць, so it stays in the nominative: брат.
Leaving out у.
Мяне ёсць брат.У мяне ёсць брат.The owner always comes after the preposition у.
Adding н- after у, as in Russian.
У няго ёсць машына.У яго ёсць машына.Standard Belarusian keeps the plain pronoun after prepositions: у яго, у яе, у іх.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Having uses ёсць.
Related Patterns
- у мяне нямаNot Having with Няма
The negative: У мяне няма брата.
Level 1 - Personal Pronoun Case Forms
Lists the genitive forms мяне, цябе, яго, яе, нас, вас, іх.
Level 2 - мецьHaving with Мець
Мець is another way to say "to have".
Level 3 - у + Person in the GenitiveAt Someone's Place with У
У + a person can also mean "at that person's place".
Level 2 - Genitive Singular Endings
Shows how a noun owner such as Ганна becomes Ганны.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice у мяне ёсць in Bubblegum
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