Age in the Dative

Level 2Sounds Like uzrost u davalʹnym

Dative person + number + год / гады / гадоў: Мне дваццаць гадоў (I am twenty), Яму тры гады (He is three).

How It Works

Asking: Колькі табе гадоў? (How old are you?) and politely Колькі вам гадоў?

Answering: the person goes in the dative (see dative singular endings and pronoun forms): мне, табе, яму, ёй, нам, вам, ім; маме, брату, сястры.

Which form of год?

  • After 1 and numbers ending in 1 (except 11): год — Майму брату дваццаць адзін год.
  • After 2, 3, 4 and numbers ending in them (except 12–14): гады — Яму тры гады, Ёй дваццаць два гады. See two to four.
  • After 5 and up, and 11–14: гадоў — Мне дваццаць гадоў, Ёй пятнаццаць гадоў. See five and up.

Past and future. Add было or будзе: Калі мне было сем гадоў… (When I was seven…), Хутка ёй будзе трыццаць (She will soon be thirty).

Russian look-alike. Belarusian uses the forms of год throughout. Russian лет is not used: say дваццаць гадоў. For larger numbers, see numbers 11 to 100.

Examples (6)

  1. Колькі табе гадоў?

    How old are you?

    Word by Word: How-many to-you years?

  2. Мне дваццаць гадоў.

    I am twenty.

    Word by Word: To-me twenty years.

    After 5 and up: гадоў.

  3. Яму тры гады.

    He is three.

    Word by Word: To-him three years.

    After 2, 3 and 4: гады.

  4. Майму брату дваццаць адзін год.

    My brother is twenty-one.

    Word by Word: To-my brother twenty one year.

    After a number ending in 1: год.

  5. Маёй сястры пятнаццаць гадоў.

    My sister is fifteen.

    Word by Word: To-my sister fifteen years.

    сястры is the dative of сястра.

  6. Калі мне было сем гадоў, я жыў у вёсцы.

    When I was seven, I lived in a village.

    Word by Word: When to-me was seven years, I lived in village.

    было puts the age in the past.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative я.

    Я дваццаць гадоў.
    Мне дваццаць гадоў.

    Age is not "I am" in Belarusian. The person is in the dative: мне, табе, яму.

  • Using гадоў after два, тры or чатыры.

    Яму тры гадоў.
    Яму тры гады.

    After 2, 3 and 4 the word is гады. Гадоў comes after 5 and up.

  • Using the Russian word лет.

    Мне дваццаць лет.
    Мне дваццаць гадоў.

    Belarusian uses the forms of год: год, гады, гадоў.

How It Connects

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

Age in the DativeLevel 2

Learn This First

Age needs dative pronouns and numbers.

Words in This Pattern

годколькі