Abstract Nouns: -umas, -ybė, -ystė
Abstract Nouns
Three suffixes turn words into abstract nouns. -umas names a quality: geras → gerumas (good → kindness). -ybė names a quality or state: galimas → galimybė (possible → possibility). -ystė names a relationship or a time of life: draugas → draugystė (friend → friendship), vaikas → vaikystė (child → childhood).
How It Works
-umas: a quality (masculine)
- geras → gerumas (kindness), sunkus → sunkumas (difficulty)
- atviras → atvirumas (openness), jautrus → jautrumas (sensitivity)
-ybė: a quality or state (feminine)
- galimas → galimybė (possibility), lygus → lygybė (equality)
- vienas → vienybė (unity), asmuo → asmenybė (personality)
-ystė: a relationship or a time of life (feminine)
- draugas → draugystė (friendship), kaimynas → kaimynystė (being neighbours)
- vaikas → vaikystė (childhood), jaunas → jaunystė (youth)
Times of life take the locative
To say in my childhood, put the noun in the locative: Vaikystėje gyvenau kaime. (As a child I lived in the countryside.) See Locative of Time.
Learn established words
An adjective can have more than one related noun, with differences in meaning or use. Common forms include: gražus → grožis (beauty), aukštas → aukštis (height). Action nouns made from verbs commonly use -imas, -ymas; see Verbal Nouns in -imas.
Examples (6)
- Ačiū už jūsų gerumą.
Thank you for your kindness.
Word by Word: Thanks for your kindness.
- Tai puiki galimybė pasimokyti.
This is a great chance to learn something.
Word by Word: This excellent possibility to-learn-a-bit.
- Vaikystėje gyvenau kaime.
As a child I lived in the countryside.
Word by Word: In-childhood I-lived in-village.
- Mūsų draugystė prasidėjo mokykloje.
Our friendship began at school.
Word by Word: Our friendship began at-school.
- Didžiausias sunkumas buvo kalba.
The biggest difficulty was the language.
Word by Word: Biggest difficulty was language.
- Jaunystėje jis daug keliavo.
He travelled a lot when he was young.
Word by Word: In-youth he much travelled.
Common Mistakes
Treating an -umas noun as feminine.
Tai buvo didelė sunkumas.Tai buvo didelis sunkumas.Nouns in -umas are masculine, so the adjective is masculine too: didelis sunkumas.
Using the nominative for a time of life.
Mano vaikystė aš gyvenau kaime.Vaikystėje aš gyvenau kaime.In my childhood is expressed with the locative: vaikystėje.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Abstract suffixes form nouns with distinct masculine and feminine declensions.
Related Patterns
- Locative of Time
Vaikystėje and jaunystėje use the locative of time.
Level 3 - Adjectives: -ingas, -uotasAdjectives in -ingas and -uotas
Adjectives such as naudingas give -umas nouns: naudingumas.
Level 5 - Verbal Nouns: -imas, -ymasVerbal Nouns in -imas
Common suffixes for action nouns made from verbs.
Level 4 - Two Noun Genders
The suffix tells you the gender: -umas masculine, -ybė and -ystė feminine.
Level 1 - Person Nouns: -tojas, -ininkasPeople Named by What They Do
Other noun-building suffixes, for people.
Level 4 - Place Nouns: -ykla, -inė, -uvėNouns for Places
Other noun-building suffixes, for places.
Level 5
Practice Abstract Nouns: -umas, -ybė, -ystė in Bubblegum
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