Lithuanian Grammar List

Many affirmative verbs take an accusative direct object. Some verbs and constructions require another case.

An adjective usually comes before its noun and matches its gender and number: geras draugas (a good friend), gera draugė (a good female friend), gražus miestas (a beautiful city), graži gatvė (a beautiful street).

Ie and uo are single gliding sounds, as in pienas (milk), duona (bread) and šuo (dog). Other common diphthongs are ai, au, ei and ui.

Most feminine nouns end in -a or -ė, a smaller group ends in -is, and words that describe them take feminine endings.

Stress can fall on any syllable and can move between forms of a word: ranka (hand) is stressed on the ending, but ranką (hand, as an object) on the first syllable.

Every verb is listed by its infinitive in -ti, such as dirbti (to work). Unprefixed reflexive infinitives end in -tis, such as mokytis (to learn). The infinitive follows verbs like noriu and galiu.

The locative case, with no preposition, says where something or someone is.

Y is a long i and ū is a long u, while plain i and u are short, as in rytas (morning) and būti (to be) compared with vilkas (wolf) and upė (river).

Words for students, teachers, nationalities and many jobs come in pairs: a masculine form for a man and a feminine form for a woman.

Most masculine nouns end in -as, -is, -ys, -us or -uo, and words that describe them take masculine endings.

The letters with a hook, ą, ę, į and ų, were once nasal vowels and are now read as long vowels. They mark endings such as knygą, brolį and vyrų.

Lithuanian has no words for a and the. Context, word order and words like tas (that) show which meaning is intended.

Subjects usually use the nominative case, such as brolis (brother) or broliai (brothers).

Numbers from one to nine agree with the noun. Vienas/viena takes a singular noun. Du/dvi and keturi/keturios through devyni/devynios have masculine and feminine forms and take a plural noun, while the nominative trys is the same for both.

Plural nouns change their ending, and the new ending depends on the singular one: namas → namai, knyga → knygos, gatvė → gatvės.

In basic statements with esu, esi or yra, the noun or adjective identifying the subject is nominative.

When the he/she/they form ends in -a, the endings are -u, -i, -a, -ame, -ate: dirbu, dirbi, dirba, dirbame, dirbate. Verbs in -ia keep the i: geriu, geri, geria.

When the he/she/they form ends in -i, the endings are -iu, -i, -i, -ime, -ite: turiu, turi, turi, turime, turite. A d or t before -iu becomes dž or č.

When the he/she/they form ends in -o, the endings are -au, -ai, -o, -ome, -ote: skaitau, skaitai, skaito, skaitome, skaitote.

Put ar in front of an ordinary statement to ask a yes-no question: Tu kalbi angliškai → Ar tu kalbi angliškai? The word order stays the same, and the answer is taip (yes) or ne (no).

Before a, o and u, the letter i usually is not pronounced as a vowel. It shows that the consonant before it is soft, as in šiandien, kiaušinis and lietuvių.

Dictionaries and word tables mark the stressed syllable with the grave, the acute or the tilde, as in vìsas (all), výras (man) and nãmas (house). Normal texts do not use these marks.

The Lithuanian alphabet has 32 letters. Letters with marks are separate letters, and q, w and x appear only in foreign names.

One present tense covers both "I work" and "I am working". Verbs fall into three groups by the last vowel of the third-person form: -a, -i or -o.

Lithuanian has seven cases, and the ending of a word shows its job in the sentence.

Every noun is masculine or feminine. Endings like -as, -ys, -us and -uo are mostly masculine, -a and -ė mostly feminine, and -is can be either.

Atsiprašau means I am sorry or excuse me, as in Atsiprašau, kur yra stotis? (Excuse me, where is the station?). Atleiskite (forgive me) is a polite alternative, and atleisk is used with a friend.

Ačiū means thank you, and labai ačiū means thank you very much. Add už and the accusative to say what for: Ačiū už kavą. The formal dėkoju (I thank) takes the dative: Dėkoju jums.

Lithuanian has eight subject pronouns. Jis and ji point to things as well as people, and the pronoun is often dropped because the verb ending shows the person.

Būti has irregular present forms: esu, esi, yra, esame, esate, yra. Yra serves he, she, it and they, and it is often left out in simple descriptions.

Dz and dž are single sounds, like ds in beds and j in jam, and ch is a throaty sound like ch in Scottish loch, as in dzūkas, džiaugtis and choras.

Ir means and. It joins words (brolis ir sesuo, brother and sister), verbs (Aš dirbu ir studijuoju, I work and study) and whole sentences. No comma goes before a single ir joining words.

Irgi and taip pat both mean too or also: Aš irgi (Me too), Jis taip pat kalba lietuviškai (He also speaks Lithuanian). Irgi is more common in conversation, and taip pat is always written as two words.

The preposition iš, always followed by the genitive, means from a place, out of something, or made of a material.

Kaip sekasi? (How are you doing?) literally asks how things are going. The person goes in the dative: Kaip tau sekasi? asks a friend, Kaip jums sekasi? asks politely, and Man sekasi gerai means I am doing well.

Kas means both who and what. Use kas for the subject (Kas ten? Who is there?) and ką for the direct object (Ką darai? What are you doing?).

Kieno (whose) never changes its form, as in Kieno tai knyga? (Whose book is this?) and Kieno šitas telefonas? (Whose phone is this?). Answer with mano, tavo or the owner in the genitive: Jono.

Kuo tu vardu? and Kuo jūs vardu? ask for a name with the instrumental vardu (by name). The usual answer is Mano vardas Jonas (My name is Jonas), or simply Aš esu Jonas (I am Jonas).

Kur (where), kada (when), kaip (how) and kodėl (why) start content questions. Kur asks about a place and also about a direction: Kur gyveni? (Where do you live?) and Kur eini? (Where are you going?).

Labas (hi) greets friends, family and people you know well, at any time of day. It never changes, so you say Labas, Rūta! and Labas, vaikai! alike. With strangers and older people you do not know, say Laba diena.

Labas rytas (good morning), laba diena (good afternoon, and the general polite hello during the day) and labas vakaras (good evening) greet anyone politely. Labanakt (good night) is said when you part in the evening.

A language is named with the plural genitive of the people plus kalba: lietuvių kalba (the Lithuanian language). To say you speak it, use an adverb in -iškai: Kalbu lietuviškai (I speak Lithuanian).

To say you like something, use patinka: Man patinka Vilnius (I like Vilnius). The person who likes goes in the dative (man, tau, jam, jai), and the thing that is liked is the subject in the nominative.

Mano, tavo, jo, jos, mūsų, jūsų and jų stand before the noun and never change, whatever the noun's gender, number or case.

To say that you do not do something, put ne- in front of the verb and write it as one word: nežinau (I do not know), nekalbu (I do not speak). Lithuanian has no helper verb like English do.

"Am not" and "is not" are single words: nesu, nesi, nėra, nesame, nesate, nėra. When nėra means something is absent, the missing thing goes into the genitive.

Norėti (to want) puts the thing you want in the genitive, not the accusative: Noriu kavos (I want some coffee). The question is Ko nori? (What do you want?).

Norėti (to want), galėti (to be able to) and mokėti (to know how to) are followed by an infinitive in -ti: Noriu miegoti (I want to sleep), Ar gali padėti? (Can you help?), Moku plaukti (I can swim).

Prašau (please, literally I ask) is used when asking for something, as in Kavos, prašau (A coffee, please). Prašom or prašome is used when offering, inviting or handing something over, and as a reply to thanks, as in Prašom užeiti (Please come in).

Sveikas literally means healthy, and as a hello it agrees with the person you greet: Sveikas, Jonai! to a man, Sveika, Rūta! to a woman, and Sveiki! to a group or politely to one person. Sveiki atvykę! means Welcome!

Use tai to point at something and say what it is; the noun after tai stays in the nominative.

Say tu to family, friends and children, and jūs to strangers, older people and in formal settings. Jūs always takes the plural verb form.

Turėti (to have) goes turiu, turi, turi, turime, turite, turi. A specific object is normally accusative; an unspecified amount can be genitive, and after neturiu it is in the genitive.

Viso gero (goodbye, a wish for all good things) suits anyone. Iki (bye) is casual, and iki pasimatymo (until we meet again) is a polite goodbye. Iki also names the next meeting: iki rytojaus (see you tomorrow).

The letters č, š and ž sound like ch in church, sh in ship and s in pleasure, as in čia (here), šuo (dog) and žiema (winter).

To say that something exists somewhere, put the place first and then yra: Čia yra kavinė (There is a café here). Yra is the same for one thing or many.

Ė and e are two different vowels. Ė is long and closed, while e is open, so kėdė (chair) and medis (tree) use different sounds.

The preposition į, followed by the accusative, shows movement into a place or to a destination.

The accusative without a preposition tells when or for how long: pirmadienį (on Monday), kitą savaitę (next week), naktį (at night), Laukiau visą dieną (I waited all day).

Adjectives change their endings to match their noun in every case, following the geras, gražus or didelis pattern.

Adverbs in -ai are made from adjectives and describe how an action happens, as in greitai (quickly) and gražiai (beautifully).

With verbs like duoti, rašyti, siųsti and pirkti, the person who gets something goes in the dative, as in Duodu broliui knygą (I am giving my brother a book).

To say how someone feels, put the person in the dative and add a neuter state word: Man šalta (I am cold), Jai liūdna (She is sad), Mums įdomu (We find it interesting).

The first declension is the biggest group of masculine nouns: vyras (man), brolis (brother) and arklys (horse). Their genitive ends in -o or -io, and the three types share most endings.

Because endings show who does what, Lithuanian word order is flexible. The neutral order is subject, verb, object, new information usually comes last, and short object pronouns often come before the verb.

A negated verb puts its accusative object in the genitive: Matau namą (I see the house) but Nematau namo (I do not see the house), and Neturiu laiko (I have no time).

After daug (much, many), mažai (little, few), truputį (a little) and measure words, the noun is in the genitive: daug žmonių (many people), mažai laiko (little time), puodelis kavos (a cup of coffee).

Put the owner in the genitive before the noun: brolio namas (my brother's house), Lietuvos sostinė (the capital of Lithuania), mamos vardas (Mom's name).

Lithuanian needs no word for in order to after verbs such as eiti, ateiti and važiuoti: the infinitive alone gives the purpose, as in Einu pavalgyti (I am going to eat).

After dirbti (to work as), tapti (to become) and similar verbs, the role is in the instrumental, as in Ji dirba gydytoja (She works as a doctor), Jis tapo mokytoju (He became a teacher) and Kuo dirbi? (What do you do for a living?).

The tool or means of transport goes in the instrumental, usually without a preposition, as in Važiuoju autobusu (I go by bus) and Rašau pieštuku (I write with a pencil).

Rašiau laišką means I was writing a letter, while parašiau laišką means I wrote it and finished it; the prefix makes the action complete.

Ordinals such as pirmas (first), antras (second) and trečias (third) change for gender, number and case like adjectives, as in pirmas aukštas (the first floor) and antra diena (the second day).

Use the genitive for an unspecified amount and the accusative for the whole or a specific item: Nusipirkau duonos (I bought some bread), Išgėriau vandens (I drank some water), Nusipirkau duoną (I bought the loaf of bread).

Verbs whose third principal part ends in -o form the past with -au, -ai, -o, -ome, -ote, and -o again for they: dirbau (I worked), buvau (I was), ėjau (I went).

Verbs whose third principal part ends in -ė form the past with -iau, -ei, -ė, -ėme, -ėte, and -ė again for they: skaičiau, skaitei, skaitė. Before -iau, t and d change to č and dž.

Each personal pronoun has forms for six cases, such as mane (me, as an object), man (to me) and su manimi (with me). The genitive manęs is not the same word as the possessive mano.

Plural nouns change for case too: namai, namų, namams, namus, namais, namuose.

At- turns verbs of motion into arriving and bringing, as in ateiti (to come) and atnešti (to bring), and it also means back or undoing, as in atiduoti (to give back) and atrakinti (to unlock).

Iš- turns verbs into leaving or taking out, as in išeiti (to go out, to leave) and išvažiuoti (to depart), and it also marks a full result, as in išgerti (to drink up).

Pa- is a common way to make a verb finished, as in padaryti (to get something done), and it can also mean for a short time, as in pamiegoti (to take a nap).

Unprefixed reflexive verbs add -si or -s after the personal ending, as in mokausi (I study) and juokiasi (laughs); some verbs, like juoktis, exist only in this form.

Say your age with the dative and metai, as in Kiek tau metų? (How old are you?) and Man dvidešimt metų (I am twenty). Ages whose final number word is two to nine (not twelve to nineteen) use dveji, treji, ketveri and so on: Jam penkeri metai (He is five).

The second declension holds most feminine nouns: knyga (book) and gatvė (street), with genitives knygos and gatvės. A few such as dėdė (uncle) are masculine and take masculine adjectives.

Lithuanian women's surnames change their ending: Kazlauskas gives Kazlauskienė, Kazlauskaitė or Kazlauskė.

Each verb is learned with three principal parts: infinitive, third-person present and third-person past (skaityti, skaito, skaitė). These forms provide the stems for the other forms, with additional rules and some irregularities.

When you call or greet someone, the noun takes a vocative ending. Names in -as end in -ai, as in Labas, Tomai! (Hi, Tomas!), common nouns in -as end in -e, as in drauge (friend), and names in -a stay the same, as in Ačiū, Rūta! (Thanks, Rūta!).

Ant + genitive means on, as in ant stalo (on the table) and ant kėdės (on the chair).

Use arba for or in ordinary statements and ar for or in questions, as in Geriu kavą arba arbatą (I drink coffee or tea) and Kava ar arbata? (Coffee or tea?).

Be + genitive shows that something is missing or left out, as in kava be cukraus (coffee without sugar).

Bet (but) joins two ideas where the second one limits or goes against the first: Noriu eiti, bet neturiu laiko. Use a comma before bet between the parts it joins.

Dešimt, the numbers from vienuolika to devyniolika, the tens, šimtas and tūkstantis all take a noun in the genitive plural, as in dešimt eurų (ten euros) and vienuolika metų (eleven years).

Lithuanian chooses the verb by how you travel: eiti (eina, ėjo) on foot, važiuoti (važiuoja, važiavo) by land transport. Name the vehicle in the instrumental: važiuoju autobusu.

Gal and galbūt say maybe, while turbūt and tikriausiai say probably. Gal can also start a gentle suggestion.

Galima (one may, it is possible) and negalima (one may not) never change, and an infinitive follows them, as in Ar galima įeiti? (May I come in?).

Iki + genitive marks an end point in time or space, as in iki rytojaus (until tomorrow) and iki stoties (as far as the station).

Jau (already) and dar (still, yet) show whether something has started or is still going. In the patterns taught here, jau with a negated ongoing state means no longer, and dar with a negated completed event means not yet, as in Dar nebaigiau (I haven't finished yet).

Kad (that) starts a clause with what someone says, thinks or knows, and a comma separates it from the main clause, as in Žinau, kad jis namie (I know that he is at home).

Ask Kelinta valanda? (What time is it?) and answer with a feminine ordinal, such as Trečia valanda (It is three o'clock). To say at what time, put the ordinal in the accusative: trečią valandą (at three).

Kiek means how many or how much. When it counts a noun, that noun is in the genitive: plural for things you can count (Kiek žmonių?), singular for amounts (Kiek laiko?).

Koks (masculine) and kokia (feminine) ask about the quality or type of something and agree with the noun. They also make exclamations such as Kokia graži diena! (What a beautiful day!).

Kuris (masculine) and kuri (feminine) ask which one of several, and they agree with the noun like an adjective, as in Kuri knyga tavo? (Which book is yours?).

Put labai (very), per (too) or gana (quite) before an adjective or adverb to show how much.

Some common verbs take a genitive object: Laukiu autobuso (I am waiting for the bus), Ieškau darbo (I am looking for a job), Prašau sąskaitos (The bill, please).

Lithuanian weather verbs stand alone without a subject: Lyja (It is raining), Sninga (It is snowing), Temsta (It is getting dark). There is no word for English "it" here.

To say you need something, put yourself in the dative and use reikia (it is needed) with an infinitive (Man reikia eiti) or a noun in the genitive (Man reikia pagalbos).

Mėgti (mėgsta, mėgo) means to like something in general. Unlike patinka, the person who likes is the subject, and the thing liked is an accusative object or an infinitive: Mėgstu kavą. Mėgstu skaityti.

Use namie or namuose for being at home, namo for going home, and iš namų for leaving home.

Attach ne- to adjectives and adjective-based adverbs (neįdomus, negerai), but write ne separately in contrasts like ne greitai, o atidžiai.

Nes (because) comes after the main clause and gives its reason, with a comma before it, as in Neinu, nes sergu (I am not going because I am ill).

Lithuanian doubles its negatives: niekas, niekur, niekada and joks combine with a negated verb in full negative clauses, as in Niekas neatėjo (Nobody came), and the negation does not cancel out.

Nuo + genitive marks where or when something starts, as in nuo pirmadienio (from Monday) and nuo stalo (off the table).

To say that something or someone is not there, use nėra with the genitive, as in Čia nėra kavinės (There is no café here) and Tomo nėra namie (Tomas is not at home). The past nebuvo and the future nebus work the same way.

O compares two different people, places or times: Aš dirbu, o jis ilsisi. At the start of a question it means and: O tu? A comma comes before o inside a sentence.

Some verbs take the dative where English uses a direct object: Jis man padeda (He helps me), Dėkoju tau (Thank you) and Skambinu mamai (I am calling Mom).

Per + accusative covers movement through or across a place (per parką) and spans of time (per atostogas, per valandą).

Po + genitive means after, as in po pamokų (after classes), or later and in, as in po savaitės (a week later, in a week).

Prie + genitive places someone or something close to a thing or person, as in prie lango (by the window).

Prieš + accusative means before (prieš pamokas), ago (prieš savaitę), in front of (prieš namą) or against.

Savo is the possessive for the subject's own things. For he, she and they it is the only way to say "his own", "her own" or "their own"; jo, jos or jų would mean someone else's.

Su takes the instrumental and means together with, as in Einu su draugu (I am going with a friend) and kava su pienu (coffee with milk).

Birthday and holiday wishes use su plus the instrumental, as in Su gimtadieniu! and Su šventėmis!

Put the right form of turėti before an infinitive to say what someone must do, as in Turiu eiti (I have to go).

Už with the accusative means for, in thanks, payment and support, as in Ačiū už pagalbą.

Lithuanian has neuter forms of adjectives for weather, places and situations with no subject: šaltas → šalta, gražus → gražu. They are also used with an infinitive: Malonu susipažinti.

Šis (masculine) and ši (feminine) point to something near or current; tas and ta point to something farther away or already mentioned. Šitas and šita are a common everyday "this".

After kainuoti (cost), sverti (weigh) and verbs of covering a distance, the amount is in the accusative: vieną eurą, du kilogramus, penkis kilometrus. Ten, teens, round tens, hundreds and thousands take a genitive noun; in compound numbers the last number word decides.

The question word kas has the case forms ko, kam, ką, kuo and kame, as in Ko nori? (What do you want?), Kam skambini? (Who are you calling?) and Kuo domiesi? (What are you interested in?).

Make a command by replacing -ti with -k for one friend or -kite for polite or plural address.

Add -kime to the infinitive stem to say let's, as in Eikime namo and Pradėkime.

The comparative replaces the ending with -esnis or -esnė: geras → geresnis (better), gražus → gražesnis, didelis → didesnis (bigger). It agrees with its noun like any adjective.

To say better, faster or most slowly, replace -ai or -iai with -iau for the comparative and -iausiai for the superlative: gerai, geriau, geriausiai. Before -iau, t becomes č and d becomes dž: greitai → greičiau.

Use kaip to say that something is like something else, as in Ji dainuoja kaip paukštis (She sings like a bird). Use toks pat ... kaip for as ... as, as in Jis toks pat aukštas kaip tėvas (He is as tall as his father).

After a comparative, than is negu or nei (with the same case on both sides, usually the nominative) or už + accusative: Jonas vyresnis negu Petras = Jonas vyresnis už Petrą.

In compound numbers the last word decides the noun form: dvidešimt vienas euras (21), dvidešimt du eurai (22), but trisdešimt eurų (30) and šimtas dvylika eurų (112).

Dates put the month in the genitive and the day as a feminine ordinal, as in rugsėjo dvidešimt ketvirtoji (the 24th of September), written rugsėjo 24 d.

A bare dative says what something is meant for: Nupirkau dovaną gimtadieniui, Ruošiuosi egzaminui, Ką valgysi pusryčiams? For a noun naming what you go to get or do, use the genitive: Užeikite pietų.

Definite adjectives join the endings of jis or ji to an adjective: gerasis, geroji, naujasis, didysis. They pick out one known thing among others, refer back to something already known, and appear in names such as Didžioji Britanija.

Lithuanian uses diminutives often, for small things, children, pets, food and people you love: namelis (little house), šuniukas (puppy), sesutė (little sister), mamytė (mommy). The diminutives taught here keep the gender of its base noun.

Some reflexive verbs show that two or more people do the action to each other: susitikti (to meet), susipažinti (to get to know each other), sveikintis (to greet each other), kalbėtis (to talk). Use a plural subject, or one person plus su + instrumental.

A few common nouns grow a longer stem after the nominative: akmuo, akmens (stone), vanduo, vandens (water), šuo, šuns (dog), and the two feminine nouns sesuo, sesers (sister) and duktė, dukters (daughter).

Masculine nouns in -us and -ius, such as sūnus (son), turgus (market), skaičius (number) and Vilnius, take the genitive -aus and the locative -uje: iš Vilniaus, Vilniuje.

Form the future by dropping -ti and adding -siu, -si, -s, -sime, -site, as in dirbsiu and eisime.

Ar introduces an indirect yes-no question, like whether or if, as in Nežinau, ar jis ateis (I don't know whether he will come) and Paklausk, ar jie namie (Ask if they are at home).

To say which way someone moves, put the road, street, forest, river or stairs in the instrumental with no preposition: važiuoti keliu, eiti mišku, lipti laiptais.

Put a day, part of the day or season in the plural instrumental to say something happens regularly then. Years also take the instrumental: šiais metais, 2026 metais.

Some time words take the locative to say when something happens: ryte, vakare, vaikystėje, praeityje, ateityje, amžiuje, and phrases like mėnesio pabaigoje. Other time words use other cases.

Plural-only nouns are counted with special numbers: dveji metai (two years), trejos durys (three doors), ketveri marškiniai (four shirts). With ten, the teens and round tens, the noun goes into the genitive: dešimt metų.

Vilnietis (a man from Vilnius), kaunietė (a woman from Kaunas), europietis (a European) and užsienietis (a foreigner) are built with -ietis and -ietė. They start with a small letter, and t becomes č before -io and -iai: vilniečio, vilniečiai.

Durys (door), marškiniai (shirt), kelnės (trousers), akiniai (glasses), metai (year) and towns such as Trakai exist only in the plural. The words that agree with them are plural, and they are counted with vieneri, dveji, treji.

The prefix nu- means reaching a place away from here (nueiti, nuvažiuoti), moving down or off (nulipti, nukristi, nuimti), and in some verbs simply a completed action (nupirkti, nupiešti).

The prefix per- means crossing or passing through, doing something all the way through, or redoing it: pereiti gatvę, perskaityti knygą, perrašyti tekstą. With some verbs it means too much: pervargti.

The prefix į- means movement into something: įeiti (to go in), įvažiuoti (to drive in), įlipti (to get into a vehicle), įdėti (to put in), įpilti (to pour in). The place usually follows with the preposition į + accusative.

Verbs like rasti, randa, rado and pykti, pyksta, pyko add a sound only in the present. Learn all three principal parts together.

On a plain reflexive verb, -si or -s sits at the end: keliuosi. Add a prefix or ne-, and -si- moves inside, right after it: atsikeliu, nesikeliu. The ending then loses its reflexive part.

Kuris and kuri join a relative clause and take the case of their own role in it, as in Knyga, kurią skaitau, labai įdomi (The book I am reading is very interesting).

Vaikščioti and važinėti often describe going around or making repeated trips: vaikščioti po miestą (walk around town), važinėti į Kauną (travel to Kaunas regularly).

Reported statements use kad and keep the tense of the original words, as in Jis sakė, kad serga (He said that he was ill, literally that he is ill) and Ji rašė, kad atvažiuos (She wrote that she would come).

The superlative ends in -iausias or -iausia: geriausias draugas (best friend), gražiausia vieta (the most beautiful place). A plural comparison group can follow iš in the genitive: geriausias iš visų.

Nouns like akis (eye), naktis (night), širdis (heart) and šalis (country) have the genitive -ies. Brolis also ends in -is but has the genitive brolio, so learn each -is noun with its genitive.

Dirbti is said like dirpti, atgal like adgal and daug like dauk, but you still write dirbti, atgal and daug. The spelling shows the word family, not the sound.

In some common verbs the root vowel differs between the infinitive, the present and the past: pirkti, perka, pirko (buy); gerti, geria, gėrė (drink); imti, ima, ėmė (take). Each tense takes the vowel of its own principal part.

Say years with the definite ordinal, so 1990-aisiais is read tūkstantis devyni šimtai devyniasdešimtaisiais. Only the last number word becomes an ordinal.

Apie takes the accusative. It names what you talk, think, read or dream about, and it also means roughly or around with times, numbers and places: apie penktą valandą, apie tris valandas.

To ask for something politely, use the conditional of galėti with an infinitive: Ar galėtumėte man padėti? to someone you call jūs, and Ar galėtum …? to a friend.

Put arba before each choice to mean "either ... or", as in Gersiu arba kavą, arba arbatą (I will drink either coffee or tea).

Atrodyti means to seem or to look, as in Atrodo, kad lis (It looks like it will rain), Tu gerai atrodai (You look good) and Man atrodo, kad ... (I think that ...).

Direction adverbs in -yn show which way something moves, as in Lipk aukštyn (Climb up), žemyn (downward) and pirmyn (forward), and atgal means back.

Verbs of fear, listening and missing someone put their object in the genitive, not the accusative: bijoti tamsos, klausytis radijo, pasiilgti namų.

Some verbs, most of them reflexive, take an instrumental object instead of an accusative one: domėtis sportu, rūpintis vaikais, džiaugtis sėkme, didžiuotis sūnumi.

Dėl + genitive usually means because of: Vėlavau dėl lietaus. It also means for someone's sake and about or regarding. The dative commonly names an intended recipient or use.

Ir ..., ir ... means both ... and ..., as in Kalbu ir lietuviškai, ir angliškai (I speak both Lithuanian and English). A comma comes before the second ir.

Jei or jeigu introduces a condition. Choose each clause’s tense for what it says: Jei rytoj lis, liksime namie.

Kai (when) opens a time clause, separated by a comma. Unlike English, Lithuanian can use a future verb in the time clause: Kai grįšiu, paskambinsiu (When I get back, I will call).

Kai kas works alone like "some people". Kai kurie, kai kurios agree with a plural noun, as in kai kurie studentai (some students).

Kažkas means a real but unnamed someone or something, as in Kažkas skambino (Someone called). Kas nors means anyone or anything at all, as in Ar kas nors žino? (Does anyone know?).

Kol means while or as long as, and can also mean until, as in Kol tu miegojai, aš dirbau (While you were sleeping, I worked) and Palauk, kol grįšiu (Wait until I get back).

To say something hurts, use skauda with the person in the dative and the body part in the accusative: Man skauda galvą. Ask Kas tau skauda? (What hurts?).

Mes su broliu commonly means "my brother and I". Context can also make mes refer to a larger group. The verb is plural, and mes can be dropped.

Ne ..., o ... means not ... but ... and corrects one thing with another, as in Gyvenu ne Kaune, o Vilniuje (I live not in Kaunas but in Vilnius).

A negative command joins ne- to the verb, as in Nevėluok!, Nerūkykite and Nesijaudink.

Nebe- is written together with the verb and means no longer: Jis čia nebedirba. Third-person yra becomes nebėra. An accusative direct object becomes genitive under negation; a thing said to be absent also takes the genitive.

Nei ..., nei ... means neither ... nor ..., as in Neturiu nei brolio, nei sesers (I have neither a brother nor a sister). The verb is usually negated too.

Net means even and stands before the word it stresses, as in Net vaikai tai žino (Even children know that) and Jis net neatsisveikino (He didn't even say goodbye).

Nors means although or even though, as in Nors lijo, ėjome pasivaikščioti (Although it was raining, we went for a walk).

Norėčiau (I would like) makes requests polite, as in Norėčiau kavos and Norėčiau paklausti.

Pas takes the accusative and puts you at, or sends you to, a person: their home, their office or their company. The same phrase answers both where? and where to?

Pats and pati stress a person, as in Aš pats padariau (I did it myself) and pats direktorius (the director himself). They also mean the very, as in pats geriausias (the very best).

Po + instrumental means under: Katė miega po stalu. The same case is used for movement under something: Kamuolys nuriedėjo po lova. With the genitive, po means after.

Pradėti (to start), baigti (to finish) and nustoti (to stop) are followed by an infinitive, as in Pradėjo lyti (It started to rain), Baigiau dirbti (I finished working) and Nustok verkti (Stop crying).

The reflexive pronoun savęs refers back to the subject for every person, as in Jis galvoja tik apie save (He thinks only about himself) and Nupirkau sau dviratį (I bought myself a bike).

Tarp + genitive places something between two things or among a group. It also works for time: tarp penktos ir šeštos valandos.

Tačiau (but, however) contrasts two ideas, as in Norėjau ateiti, tačiau susirgau (I wanted to come, but I got sick). It is common in writing and careful speech.

Tik means only or just and stands before the word it limits, as in Turiu tik penkis eurus (I only have five euros) and Tik tu gali padėti (Only you can help).

Todėl (so, that is why) introduces a result, as in Lijo, todėl likome namie (It was raining, so we stayed at home).

Už + genitive places something behind or on the far side of something, whether it is there or moving there. It can also give a distance or a time from now: už penkių kilometrų, už savaitės.

Visas, kiekvienas and kitas agree like adjectives, as in visą dieną (all day), kiekvieną rytą (every morning) and kitą savaitę (next week). Viskas stands alone and means everything.

Šalia means next to or beside, and netoli means near or not far from. Both take the genitive: Sėsk šalia manęs. Gyvenu netoli centro.

A comma normally separates a subordinate clause from the main clause, often before kad, kuris, nes, kai, jei and similar words, as in Žinau, kad vėluoju (I know that I am late) and Namas, kuriame gyvenu, senas (The house I live in is old).

Drop -ti from the infinitive and add the conditional endings: važiuočiau (I would go), būtų (it would be). The third person -tų is the same for singular and plural.

Definite adjective forms are used in many names and fixed terms, as in Naujieji metai (New Year), Didžioji Britanija (Great Britain), Juodoji jūra (the Black Sea) and juodoji arbata (black tea).

Fractions such as pusė (half), trečdalis (a third) and ketvirtis (a quarter) take the genitive, as in pusė obuolio (half an apple) and du trečdaliai (two thirds). Pusantro means one and a half, and 3,5 is read trys kablelis penki.

A genitive noun before another noun can describe what kind of thing it is, as in aukso žiedas (a gold ring), sporto klubas (a sports club) and lietuvių kalbos mokytoja (a teacher of Lithuanian).

Days of the week, months, nationalities and language names are written in lowercase, as in pirmadienis (Monday), sausis (January), lietuvis (a Lithuanian) and lietuvių kalba (Lithuanian). The polite Jūs is often capitalized in letters.

The numbers from one to nine change their endings for case, just like the noun they count, as in su dviem draugais (with two friends), trims vaikams (to three children) and iš keturių (out of four).

Parenthetical words such as žinoma, be abejo, beje, be to and deja are set off with commas, as in Jis, žinoma, sutiko (He, of course, agreed) and Beje, ar girdėjai naujieną? (By the way, have you heard the news?).

Use būti in any tense with a -tas/-ta participle to say what was done to something. In the present, yra is often left out: Parduotuvė uždaryta.

Take the past stem and add -ęs (masculine) or -usi (feminine): pavargo → pavargęs, pavargusi. The plurals are -ę and -usios.

Add -dav- to the infinitive stem and the past endings -au, -ai, -o, -ome, -ote to talk about past habits, as in Vaikystėje dažnai žaisdavau lauke (As a child I often played outside).

Add -tas or -ta to the infinitive stem: parašyti → parašytas, parašyta. It agrees with its noun like an adjective.

The suffixes -tojas/-toja and -ininkas/-ininkė name people by what they do, as in mokytojas (teacher), vairuotoja (female driver), darbininkas (worker) and mokslininkas (scientist).

Ap- makes verbs of going around (apeiti, apvažiuoti), covering or wrapping (apsirengti, apkabinti) and looking something over (apžiūrėti). Before b, p and f it becomes api-, as in apibėgti.

Par- means coming back home, as in pareiti (to come home), parvažiuoti (to drive back home) and parnešti (to bring home).

Pra- makes verbs of passing (praeiti, pravažiuoti), spending or missing time (praleisti, pramiegoti) and beginning (pradėti, prasidėti). It is spelled pra-, while the matching preposition is pro.

Pri- makes verbs of approaching (prieiti, privažiuoti), attaching (pririšti, priklijuoti) and filling or adding (pripilti, pridėti). It is spelled pri-, while the matching preposition is prie.

Su- turns verbs into gathering or joining (susitikti, surinkti) and into finishing something completely (suvalgyti, sugadinti).

Už- makes verbs for dropping in (užeiti), closing (uždaryti), climbing up (užlipti) and writing down (užrašyti), and it also means behind or suddenly starting.

In Lithuanian, a prefixed verb in the present tense describes completed actions that happen regularly, general facts, or something happening right now, as in Jis kasdien perskaito laikraštį (Every day he reads the newspaper through). For a prediction, use the future with -s-: Rytoj perskaitysiu.

A verb of motion with a prefix often takes the preposition that matches it, as in įeiti į kambarį (to go into the room), išeiti iš namų (to leave the house), prieiti prie lango (to go up to the window) and nulipti nuo kėdės (to climb down from the chair).

Kas works as a relative pronoun after tas, tai and viskas, as in Tas, kas daug skaito, daug žino (Whoever reads a lot knows a lot) and Pasakyk viską, ką žinai (Tell me everything you know).

In speech, the plural endings -ame, -ate, -ime and -ite are often shortened to -am, -at, -im and -it, as in dirbam (we work), einam (we are going) and būsim (we will be). Both full and short forms are standard; choose the form to suit the style.

A reflexive verb can describe something that happens without naming who or what caused it, as in Durys atsidarė (The door opened), Parduotuvė užsidaro devintą (The shop closes at nine) and Kompiuteris išsijungė (The computer switched off).

Verbal nouns in -imas and -ymas name an action, as in skaitymas (reading), rašymas (writing) and bėgimas (running). An accusative object becomes genitive: knygų skaitymas (reading books).

Abu means both for masculine nouns and mixed groups, and abi for feminine nouns, as in abu broliai (both brothers), abi seserys (both sisters) and Abu atėjo (Both of them came).

Aplink + accusative means around, as in Vaikai sėdi aplink stalą (The children are sitting around the table). For rough numbers and times, use apie instead.

Ar ..., ar ... means whether ... or ..., often after nesvarbu (it does not matter), as in Nesvarbu, ar lyja, ar sninga, jis bėgioja (Whether it rains or snows, he goes running) and Nežinau, ar jis ateis, ar ne (I don't know whether he will come or not).

Bent means at least, as in Bent paskambink (At least give me a call) and Palauk bent valandą (Wait at least an hour). Bent jau can emphasize a minimum or point to one good thing.

Bet + a question word means any at all, as in Bet kas gali ateiti (Anyone can come), bet koks atsakymas (any answer) and Paskambink bet kada (Call any time).

The past of būti with a past active participle shows that one past event came before another, as in Kai atėjau, jis jau buvo išėjęs (When I arrived, he had already left).

Būna means is usually or happens, as in Žiemą čia būna šalta (It is usually cold here in winter) and Taip būna (That happens).

The conditional of būti plus a past active participle talks about what would have happened, as in Jei būčiau žinojęs, būčiau atėjęs (If I had known, I would have come).

Esu, esi, yra plus -ęs or -usi means "have done". The participle agrees with the subject, so a woman says esu buvusi.

English says "if I had ..., I would ...", but Lithuanian uses the conditional in both clauses: Jei turėčiau laiko, važiuočiau į Nidą.

Juk points to something the listener already knows, like after all or you know, as in Juk sakiau! (I told you so!) and Juk šiandien sekmadienis (It is Sunday, after all).

When jūs politely addresses one person, the verb is plural, but adjectives and participles are singular and show that person's gender, as in Jūs esate teisus (You are right, to a man) and Jūs buvote pavargusi (You were tired, to a woman).

Kad with the conditional tells why someone does something (Atėjau, kad padėčiau), what someone wants or asks another person to do (Mama prašo, kad grįžtum anksti), and a wish (Kad tik nelytų!).

Kadangi means since or because. It often opens the sentence with a reason, as in Kadangi lijo, likome namie (Since it was raining, we stayed at home).

Kai tik means as soon as, as in Kai tik grįšiu, paskambinsiu (As soon as I get back, I will call). With a wish word it can also mean whenever.

Put kas before a time word in the accusative to say how often something happens, as in kas savaitę (every week), kas rytą (every morning) and kas antrą dieną (every other day).

Keli and kelios mean several and agree with the noun, as in keli draugai (several friends). Keletas means a few and takes the genitive plural, as in keletas draugų (a few friends).

Kuo with a comparative means as ... as possible, as in Ateik kuo greičiau (Come as soon as possible) and Ieškau kuo pigesnio buto (I am looking for as cheap an apartment as possible).

Kuo ..., tuo ... with two comparatives links two changes, as in Kuo daugiau skaitai, tuo daugiau žinai (The more you read, the more you know).

Ką tik means just now or a moment ago, as in Ką tik grįžau (I have just come back) and Traukinys ką tik išvažiavo (The train has just left).

Lyg and tarsi mean as if. They can introduce a clause with the conditional, as in Jis kalba taip, lyg viską žinotų (He talks as if he knew everything).

Say who lacks something in the dative and what is missing in the genitive, as in Man trūksta laiko (I don't have enough time) and Ko tau trūksta? (What are you missing?).

Ne tik ..., bet ir ... means not only ... but also, as in Jis moka ne tik lietuviškai, bet ir latviškai (He speaks not only Lithuanian but also Latvian).

Net jei (or net jeigu) means even if: the result stays the same whatever happens, as in Net jei lis, eisime (Even if it rains, we will go).

Nė means not even (one) and goes with a negated verb, as in Nė vienas neatėjo (Not a single person came) and Nemačiau jo nė karto (I haven't seen him even once).

Pagal + accusative means according to or following, as in pagal planą (according to the plan) and Kepiau pagal receptą (I baked following the recipe).

Po with the accusative means moving all around a place, as in Vaikščiojome po miestą (We walked around the town), or so many each, as in Vaikai gavo po du obuolius (The children got two apples each).

Po to, kai means after before a clause, as in Po to, kai baigiau darbą, nuėjau namo (After I finished work, I went home).

Prieš tai, kai (before) introduces a clause about a later event, as in Prieš tai, kai išvažiavau, paskambinau mamai (Before I left, I called my mom).

Use pro with the accusative to go past something, as in Pravažiavome pro bažnyčią (We drove past the church), or through an opening, as in Žiūriu pro langą (I am looking out of the window).

Half past is counted toward the next hour, as in pusė trijų (half past two, literally half of three). Minutes before the hour use be, as in be penkiolikos trys (a quarter to three), and minutes after use po, as in dešimt po dviejų (ten past two).

Reikėtų + infinitive means should. Put the person in the dative, as in Tau reikėtų pailsėti (You should rest); without a person it is general advice, as in Reikėtų paskambinti (Someone should call).

Tas pats and ta pati mean the same one, and both parts agree with the noun, as in Tai ta pati knyga (It is the same book) and Gyvename tame pačiame name (We live in the same building).

Tebe- written together with a verb means still, as in Jis tebegyvena Kaune (He still lives in Kaunas) and Parduotuvė tebėra atidaryta (The shop is still open). Its opposite is nebe- (no longer).

Tegul (or tegu) with the third-person present tense lets or asks someone else to do something, as in Tegul jis ateina rytoj (Let him come tomorrow) and Tegu vaikai žaidžia (Let the children play).

Verta (worth it) takes an infinitive or a genitive, as in Verta pamatyti (It is worth seeing) and Tai verta dėmesio (That deserves attention).

Vienas kitą (each other) is made of two words. Vienas agrees with the subject, and kitas changes case for its role, as in Jie myli vienas kitą (They love each other) and Mes padedame vieni kitiems (We help each other).

Virš + genitive means above or over, as in Lempa kabo virš stalo (The lamp hangs above the table). It also marks a level, as in virš nulio (above zero).

Vis with a comparative means more and more, as in Darosi vis šilčiau (It is getting warmer and warmer) and Jam sekasi vis geriau (He is doing better and better).

Vis dėlto means nevertheless or after all, as in Vis dėlto jis atėjo (He came after all). Vis tiek means anyway, as in Man vis tiek (It is all the same to me).

Suffixes such as -umas, -ybė and -ystė make abstract nouns, as in gerumas (kindness), galimybė (possibility), vaikystė (childhood) and draugystė (friendship).

The suffix -ingas means having a lot of something, as in laimingas (happy) and turtingas (rich), and -uotas or -otas means having or covered with, as in debesuotas (cloudy) and barzdotas (bearded).

The suffix -inis makes adjectives of material or relation, as in medinis stalas (a wooden table) and rytinis traukinys (the morning train), and -iškas means typical of, as in vaikiškas (childish) and draugiškas (friendly).

The doer of a passive action is in the genitive, as in Knyga parašyta žinomo rašytojo (The book was written by a well-known writer). For pronouns use mano, tavo, jo, jos, mūsų, jūsų, jų.

Suffixes such as -inti, -dinti and -yti make verbs meaning to make someone do something, as in juokinti (to make laugh), valgydinti (to feed) and migdyti (to put to sleep).

Everyday speech often drops final vowels, as in būt for būti, daryt for daryti, eit for eiti and reik for reikia. Learners should recognize them but use the full standard forms in writing.

A gerund phrase can have its own subject, and that subject is in the dative: Man grįžus, visi jau miegojo (When I got back, everyone was already asleep).

Participles have definite forms, like vadinamasis (so-called), minėtasis (the aforementioned) and būsimasis (future). You meet them in fixed terms, formal writing and as nouns such as sužeistieji (the injured).

Stressed long syllables contrast two accents, traditionally called falling and rising. Dictionaries mark them, as in výras (man) and nãmas (house); ordinary writing usually does not.

Many foreign names get Lithuanian endings so that they can decline, as in Džonas or Johnas (John), Paryžius (Paris) and Londone (in London). An apostrophe goes after a silent final letter, as in Shakespeare'as.

The future active participle, formed with -siantis and -sianti, describes someone by a future action: dalyvausiantys žmonės (the people who will take part). It belongs mainly to formal and written Lithuanian.

When the verb means arriving, gathering, appearing or being there, the subject can be in the genitive to mean some or a number of, as in Atėjo svečių (Some guests came), Susirinko žmonių (Some people gathered) and Atsirado problemų (Some problems came up).

After verbs of motion such as eiti, bėgti and važiuoti, the genitive shows the goal of the trip, either alone, as in Nuėjau duonos (I went to get bread), or with an infinitive, as in Atėjau knygos pasiimti (I came to pick up the book).

A genitive phrase made of an adjective and a noun describes a quality of someone or something, as in aukšto ūgio vyras (a tall man) and mėlynų akių mergaitė (a blue-eyed girl), or a state after būti, as in Ji šiandien geros nuotaikos (She is in a good mood today).

Gerunds in -ant (at the same time) and -us (before) describe the background to the main action, as in Temstant uždegėme šviesą (As it was getting dark, we turned on the light) and Sutemus grįžome namo (We came home after dark).

Group numbers such as dvejetas, trejetas and penketas take the genitive plural, as in dvejetas vaikų (two children), and dviese and trise mean as a group of two or three, as in Ėjome dviese (The two of us went).

-damas adds a background action done by the same person at the same time, as in Ji dirba dainuodama (She sings while she works). It agrees with the subject in gender and number.

Choose -damas when both actions share one subject (Eidamas namo, sutikau draugą) and a gerund with a dative subject when they do not (Man einant namo, pradėjo lyti).

Neuter participles in -ta and -ma say that something is done without naming who does it, as in Buvo nuspręsta (It was decided), Čia nerūkoma (No smoking here) and Parduodama (For sale).

Add -tinas to the infinitive stem for something that should be done, as in skaitytina knyga (a book worth reading) and nevartotinas žodis (a word to avoid). It belongs mostly to careful and written style.

A few borrowed nouns never change for case, such as taksi (taxi), kakao (cocoa), meniu (menu) and interviu (interview), as in Važiuosiu taksi (I will go by taxi).

The suffix -telėti or -terėti describes one short, quick action, as in šūktelėti (to give a shout), žvilgtelėti (to glance) and stuktelėti (to give a knock).

A participle phrase usually comes before the noun it describes, as in prie lango stovintis vyras (the man standing by the window) and vakar nupirkta duona (the bread bought yesterday). After the noun it needs commas.

Suffixes such as -ykla, -inė and -uvė name places, as in valgykla (canteen), kirpykla (hair salon), kavinė (café), vaistinė (pharmacy) and parduotuvė (shop).

The present active participle ends in -antis and -anti, or -intis and -inti for verbs in -i, and describes someone doing something at the relevant time or habitually, as in dirbantis žmogus (a working person) and skaitanti mergaitė (a girl who is reading).

Add -mas or -ma to the third-person present to say what is being done to something, as in Namas statomas (The house is being built). It also works as an adjective: mylimas žmogus (a loved person).

Nouns and participles made from reflexive verbs keep -si, as in mokymasis (learning), besimokantis studentas (a student who is studying) and nusiprausęs (having washed). Leaving it out can change the meaning.

The reported mood swaps the verb for a participle, as in Sako, kad jis esąs turtingas (They say he is supposedly rich). It marks second-hand news and is the classic voice of folk tales: Gyvenęs kartą karalius.

Te- attached to a third-person present form makes a wish or gives permission, as in Tegyvuoja Lietuva! (Long live Lithuania!) and Teateina (Let him come). Everyday speech usually says tegul instead.

Anot takes the genitive and tells whose words or view you are passing on, as in Anot jo, viskas gerai (According to him, everything is fine) and anot tyrėjų (according to researchers); pasak means the same.

Argi and nejaugi start questions that show surprise or doubt, as in Argi tu nežinojai? (Didn't you know?) and Nejaugi jau vakaras? (Is it really evening already?).

Buvau beeinąs means I was just about to go, or had just set off, as in Buvau beeinąs, kai paskambino telefonas (I was just about to leave when the phone rang). It is bookish; speech prefers other ways to say this.

Būsiu, būsi, bus plus a past active participle forms the future perfect: Kai grįši, būsiu baigęs darbą (When you get back, I will have finished the work).

Būtent means namely or exactly, as in Būtent tai ir norėjau pasakyti (That is exactly what I wanted to say).

Esą shows that information comes from someone else, as in Ministras esą atsistatydins (The minister will reportedly resign). It is common in the news and when you retell what people said.

The particle gi adds emphasis or urgency and can attach to a question word, as in Ateik gi! (Do come!), Kurgi jis? (Where on earth is he?) and Aš gi sakiau (But I told you).

Išskyrus takes the accusative and names what is left out of a whole group, as in Visi atėjo, išskyrus Tomą (Everyone came except Tomas); the išskyrus phrase is set off with commas.

Jog (that) introduces a content clause: Jis pareiškė, jog atsistatydina (He announced that he was resigning). It is a more formal alternative to kad, common in news and reports.

Juo labiau means all the more or especially, as in Nenoriu eiti, juo labiau kad lyja (I don't want to go, all the more because it is raining).

Kad ir with a question word, often with the conditional, means whatever or however, as in Kad ir kas atsitiktų, būsiu šalia (Whatever happens, I will be there) and Kad ir kaip stengiausi, nepavyko (However hard I tried, it did not work).

Kaip tik means just, exactly or right, as in Atėjai kaip tik laiku (You came just in time) and Kaip tik apie tai galvojau (I was just thinking about that).

Kažin expresses doubt or wondering, as in Kažin, ar jis ateis (I wonder whether he will come) and Kažin kur jis dabar (I wonder where he is now).

Kiek (as far as) with a verb of knowing limits a statement, as in Kiek žinau, jis dar nevedęs (As far as I know, he is not married yet) and kiek prisimenu (as far as I remember).

Kita vertus introduces a contrasting point, as in Butas brangus, bet, kita vertus, labai patogus (The apartment is expensive, but on the other hand it is very convenient).

Koks ..., toks ... links two things of the same kind: the koks part names the model and the toks part names what matches it, as in Koks tėvas, toks sūnus (Like father, like son) and Kokios pastangos, tokie ir rezultatai (The results match the effort).

Questions like Ką man daryti? (What should I do?) and Kur mums eiti? (Where should we go?) use a dative for the person and an infinitive for the action. They ask for advice or show doubt.

Laikyti and vadinti take the person or thing in the accusative and put what it is considered or called in the instrumental, as in Laikau jį geru draugu (I consider him a good friend) and Draugai jį vadina Petriuku (His friends call him Petriukas).

Lyg ir softens a statement, meaning sort of or apparently, as in Lyg ir supratau (I sort of understood) and Jis lyg ir sutiko (He seems to have agreed).

Tekti with a dative and an infinitive says that circumstances made someone do something or gave them the chance: Man teko laukti dvi valandas (I had to wait two hours).

Mat adds an explanation, like you see or because, as in Vėluoju, mat autobusas neatvažiavo (I'm late, you see, the bus didn't come).

Nebent introduces an exception: Jis niekur neina, nebent į parduotuvę (He doesn’t go anywhere, except perhaps to the shop). Before a clause it means unless.

Nepaisant takes the genitive and names an obstacle that did not stop something, as in Nepaisant lietaus, žaidėme lauke (Despite the rain, we played outside); before a whole clause, say nepaisant to, kad.

Nors ir strengthens a concession, as in Nors ir pavargęs, jis dirbo toliau (Even though he was tired, he kept working).

Priešais takes the accusative and places something across from or facing something else, as in Kavinė yra priešais stotį (The café is opposite the station) and Jis atsisėdo priešais mane (He sat down across from me).

Taigi and vadinasi both mean so when you draw a conclusion: Jis neatėjo, vadinasi, serga (He didn’t come, so he must be ill). Taigi also sums up or moves on: Taigi pradėkime (So, let’s begin).

Tiek ..., tiek ... puts tiek before each of two equal items to say that something is true of both, as in Tai svarbu tiek vaikams, tiek suaugusiems (This matters for both children and adults); a comma goes before the second tiek.

Tuo tarpu (meanwhile) links two things happening at the same time: Aš ruošiau vakarienę, o vaikai tuo tarpu žaidė. For a plain contrast, o is a simple choice.

Užuot introduces the action that did not happen in place of the one that did: Užuot dirbęs, jis miegojo (Instead of working, he slept). It goes with verb forms, not with nouns.

Vietoj and the longer form vietoje take the genitive and name the thing or person being replaced, as in Vietoj kavos išgėriau arbatos (Instead of coffee, I drank some tea) and Vietoj manęs eis Jonas (Jonas will go instead of me).

Vos means barely or only just, and vos tik means as soon as, as in Vos spėjau į traukinį (I barely caught the train) and Vos tik jis atėjo, pradėjo lyti (As soon as he arrived, it started to rain).

Vos with a negated verb means almost, as in Vos nenukritau (I almost fell) and Vos nepavėlavome (We were nearly late).

Šioks toks (feminine šiokia tokia) means some, a modest amount of, or some kind of, and both parts take the gender, number and case of the noun, as in šiokia tokia pažanga (some progress) and Turiu šiokių tokių klausimų (I have a few questions).

<b>Šis kambarys gerėlesnis.</b> means <i>This room is a little better.</i>

Lithuanian dictionaries use <b>1, 2, 3 and 4</b> to identify accent paradigms. The number helps you predict where stress goes as a noun changes case.

<b>Oras gerėja.</b> means <i>The weather is getting better.</i> The weather changes; nobody is named as making it better.

<b>Beržynas</b> is <i>a birch grove</i>, from beržas, a birch tree.

<b>Laikraštis</b> means <i>newspaper</i>; it brings together bases related to laikas and raštas.

An old dual number for exactly two survives mainly in pronouns, such as mudu (we two, male or mixed), mudvi (we two, female), judu and judvi (you two). Dual verb and noun forms like einava (we two go) or du vyru (two men) belong to dialects and older texts.

The būdinys in -te repeats a verb's own root to make it stronger, as in Jis bėgte bėgo (He ran as fast as he could) and Ji tylėte tylėjo (She kept completely silent).

<b>Visiems susirinkti aikštėje.</b> means <i>Everyone is to gather in the square.</i>

<b>Pietauti</b> means <i>to have lunch</i>, and <b>vairuoti</b> means <i>to drive</i>. Their noun partners are pietūs and vairas.

Older direction cases survive in fixed adverbs and poetry: the illative in -n, as in laukan (outside), vidun (inside) and šalin (away), and the allative in -op, as in vakarop (toward evening) and rudenop (toward autumn).

Folk songs and poetry often place an adjective or possessive after its noun, as in sesute mano (my dear sister) and Lietuva brangi (dear Lithuania), the title of a well-known song.

<b>Valgomas grybas</b> can mean <i>an edible mushroom</i>, not only a mushroom that is being eaten.

Speech, songs and poetry often shorten locative endings, as in Lietuvoj (in Lithuania, for Lietuvoje), gatvėj (in the street, for gatvėje) and namuos (at home, for namuose). Careful writing uses the full forms.

Short sound words can stand in for a verb to show a sudden action, as in Katė strykt ant stalo (The cat hopped onto the table) and Durys trinkt ir užsidarė (The door banged shut).

The supine in -tų shows purpose after verbs of motion in older texts, folk speech and a few set phrases, as in eiti gultų (to go to bed). Modern standard usage prefers the infinitive: eiti gulti.

<b>Vakar einu gatve ir sutinku seną draugą.</b> means <i>Yesterday I am walking down the street and meet an old friend.</i> The events are past despite the present forms.

<b>Abipus kelio auga medžiai.</b> means <i>Trees grow on both sides of the road.</i>

Anas and ana point to something far away in space or time or contrast, as in anoje pusėje (on that other side) and anais laikais (in those days).

<b>Atsižvelgiant į orą, kelionė atidėta.</b> means <i>Taking the weather into account, the trip has been postponed.</i>

The neuter participle būta with a genitive states a conclusion drawn from evidence, as in Čia būta vilkų (Wolves have evidently been here), or a surprising discovery, as in Jo būta protingo žmogaus (He turned out to be a clever man).

Old forms such as esmi (I am), eimi (I go) and duomi (I give) appear in folk songs, hymns and older poetry; the modern forms are esu, einu and duodu.

<b>Rudenį čia dažnai esti rūko.</b> means <i>There is often fog here in autumn.</i> In everyday language, <b>būna</b> is a close alternative.

<b>Gerbiamasis pone Jonai!</b> means <i>Dear Mr. Jonas!</i> Use feminine <b>Gerbiamoji</b> when addressing a woman.

<b>Kalbėjo tyliai, idant niekas neišgirstų.</b> means <i>They spoke quietly so that no one would hear.</i>

<b>Jei ne tu, būčiau pasiklydęs.</b> means <i>If it had not been for you, I would have got lost.</i>

<b>Juo toliau, juo sunkiau.</b> means <i>The further, the harder.</i> It is a literary counterpart of <b>kuo ..., tuo ...</b>.

<b>Neturiu laiko sau, ką jau kalbėti apie atostogas.</b> means <i>I have no time for myself, let alone for a holiday.</i>

<b>Ėjome upės link.</b> means <i>We walked toward the river.</i>

<b>Lyginant su praėjusiais metais, kainos išaugo.</b> means <i>Compared with last year, prices have risen.</i>

Definite possessives such as manasis, tavasis and savasis sound literary or affectionate, as in savuoju keliu (in one's own way) and manoji tėvynė (my homeland).

<b>Tai ne kas kita, kaip apgaulė.</b> means <i>That is nothing other than a deception.</i>

<b>Negaliu nesijuokti.</b> means <i>I cannot help laughing.</i> The two negatives do not say that no laughing happens.

<b>Jis neva sirgo.</b> means <i>He was supposedly ill.</i> The speaker presents an attributed claim rather than simply confirming it.

<b>Nieko nematyti.</b> means <i>Nothing can be seen.</i> It does not need a nominative person doing the seeing.

<b>Ėjome palei upę.</b> means <i>We walked along the river.</i>

<b>Stiklinė pilna vandens.</b> means <i>The glass is full of water.</i>

<b>Kaina keičiasi priklausomai nuo sezono.</b> means <i>The price changes depending on the season.</i>

<b>Remiantis tyrimais, parengta ataskaita.</b> means <i>A report has been prepared based on research.</i>

<b>Siekiant sumažinti išlaidas, pakeistas planas.</b> means <i>The plan has been changed to reduce costs.</i>

<b>Sutinku su sąlyga, kad tu padėsi.</b> means <i>I agree on condition that you help.</i>

<b>Jis kalbėjo, tartum viską žinotų.</b> means <i>He spoke as if he knew everything.</i>

<b>Sustok ties sankryža.</b> means <i>Stop at the intersection.</i>

<b>Tuo atveju, jei lis, renginys vyks salėje.</b> means <i>If it rains, the event will take place in the hall.</i>

<b>Butas mažas, užtat pigus.</b> means <i>The apartment is small, but it is cheap.</i>