у / на + Accusative

Accusative for Destination

Level 2Sounds Like vínavalʹny kírunku u/na

у / на + accusative = where to: іду ў школу, едзем на працу, еду ў Брэст.

How It Works

Where to? Answer the question куды with у or на + accusative.

  • Я іду ў школу. (I am going to school.)
  • Мы едзем на працу. (We are going to work.)
  • Яна едзе ў Брэст. (She is going to Brest.)

The accusative forms (see feminine accusative and inanimate accusative): feminine -а → -у, -я → -ю (школа → у школу, вёска → у вёску); masculine and neuter places do not change (у Брэст, на мора, у кіно).

У or на? Use the same preposition as for location (see у + locative and на + locative): у школе → у школу, на працы → на працу. У is for buildings, cities and countries: у краму, у Мінск, у Польшчу. На is for events, open places and some fixed words: на працу, на канцэрт, на мора, на пошту, на вакзал.

У or ў? After a vowel, у is written ў: Я іду ў школу, but Мы едзем у Мінск (see у and ў).

Going to a person uses да + genitive: Я іду да сябра.

Examples (6)

  1. Я іду ў школу.

    I am going to school.

    Word by Word: I go into school.

    школа → у школу.

  2. Мы едзем на працу.

    We are going to work.

    Word by Word: We ride to work.

    праца → на працу.

  3. Яна едзе ў Брэст.

    She is going to Brest.

    Word by Word: She rides into Brest.

    Брэст is inanimate masculine, so it does not change.

  4. Летам мы паедзем на мора.

    In the summer we will go to the seaside.

    Word by Word: In-summer we will-go to sea.

  5. Хадзем у кіно!

    Let's go to the cinema!

    Word by Word: Let's-go into cinema!

    кіно never changes.

  6. Бацькі едуць у вёску.

    My parents are going to the village.

    Word by Word: Parents ride into village.

    вёска → у вёску.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the locative for where you are going.

    Я іду ў школе.
    Я іду ў школу.

    With movement toward a place, у takes the accusative: у школу. The locative у школе means "at school".

  • Using the locative for a city you are travelling to.

    Мы едзем у Мінску.
    Мы едзем у Мінск.

    У Мінску means "in Minsk". To say where you are going, use the accusative: у Мінск.

  • Choosing у where Belarusian uses на.

    Я іду ў працу.
    Я іду на працу.

    Праца takes на both for location and for direction: на працы, на працу.

How It Connects

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у / на + AccusativeLevel 2Accusative for Destination

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Destination needs location, куды and the accusative.

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