замест / акрамя

Instead of and Except

Level 3Sounds Like zamest í akramâ

Замест (instead of) and акрамя (except, besides) take the genitive: замест кавы, Усе прыйшлі, акрамя мяне.

How It Works

1. Замест: instead of. Замест takes the genitive (see genitive endings):

  • Я вып'ю гарбату замест кавы. (I will drink tea instead of coffee.)
  • Замест мяне на сход пойдзе брат. (My brother will go to the meeting instead of me.)

Before a verb, use замест таго каб + infinitive: Замест таго каб вучыцца, ён гуляў у футбол (Instead of studying, he played football). See каб with the infinitive.

2. Акрамя: except. Акрамя + genitive can leave something out of a group:

  • Усе прыйшлі, акрамя мяне. (Everyone came except me.)
  • Крама працуе кожны дзень, акрамя нядзелі. (The shop is open every day except Sunday.)

3. Акрамя: besides. Акрамя can also add something: Акрамя беларускай мовы, я ведаю польскую (Besides Belarusian, I know Polish). Words like усе, кожны and нікога usually signal the meaning except.

4. Акрамя таго. As a set phrase, акрамя таго means moreover and is set off with a comma: Акрамя таго, нам трэба купіць хлеб. (Moreover, we need to buy bread.) Апрача is a synonym of акрамя and also takes the genitive.

5. Pronouns. Use the genitive pronoun forms, with no н-: мяне, цябе, яго, яе, нас, вас, іх. See pronoun case forms.

Examples (6)

  1. Я вып'ю гарбату замест кавы.

    I will drink tea instead of coffee.

    Кава → кавы in the genitive.

  2. Замест мяне на сход пойдзе брат.

    My brother will go to the meeting instead of me.

    Я → мяне.

  3. Усе прыйшлі, акрамя мяне.

    Everyone came except me.

    Усе signals the meaning except.

  4. Крама працуе кожны дзень, акрамя нядзелі.

    The shop is open every day except Sunday.

    Нядзеля → нядзелі.

  5. Акрамя беларускай мовы, я ведаю польскую.

    Besides Belarusian, I know Polish.

    Here акрамя adds something rather than leaving it out.

  6. Замест таго каб вучыцца, ён гуляў у футбол.

    Instead of studying, he played football.

    Before a verb, use замест таго каб + infinitive.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the noun after замест in the nominative.

    Я вып'ю гарбату замест кава.
    Я вып'ю гарбату замест кавы.

    Замест takes the genitive, so кава becomes кавы.

  • Using the dative pronoun after акрамя.

    Усе прыйшлі, акрамя мне.
    Усе прыйшлі, акрамя мяне.

    Акрамя takes the genitive: мяне, not the dative мне.

How It Connects

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замест / акрамяLevel 3Instead of and Except

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Instead of and except use the genitive.

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Words in This Pattern

заместакрамя