Commas Before Subordinate Clauses

Level 4

In Lithuanian, subordinate clauses are normally separated from the main clause by a comma. Common opening words are kad, kuris, nes, kai, jei, kol, nors, ar and question words: Žinau, kad vėluoju. (I know that I am late.)

How It Works

Clause at the end

  • Žinau, kad vėluoju. (I know that I am late.)
  • Neatėjau, nes sirgau. (I did not come because I was ill.)
  • Nežinau, ar jis ateis. (I do not know whether he will come.)

Clause in the middle
Use a comma on both sides: Namas, kuriame gyvenu, senas. (The house I live in is old.) See Relative Clauses With Kuris.

Clause at the start
The comma comes after the clause: Kai grįšiu, paskambinsiu. (When I get back, I will call.) Jei lis, liksime namie. (If it rains, we will stay at home.) See When Clauses With Kai and Real Conditions With Jei.

Two-word linkers
Linkers like po to, kai (after) and dėl to, kad (because) can have the comma inside them when the first words belong to the main clause: Grįžau po to, kai visi išėjo. (I came back after everyone had left.) See After With Po To, Kai.

When not to add a comma
Two parallel subordinate clauses joined by a single ir are not separated from each other by a comma: Žinau, kad vėluoju ir kad tu pyksti. A simple comparison phrase does not need a comma: baltas kaip sniegas (white as snow). See Like and As With Kaip.

Examples (6)

  1. Žinau, kad vėluoju.

    I know that I am late.

    Word by Word: I-know, that I-am-late.

  2. Namas, kuriame gyvenu, senas.

    The house I live in is old.

    Word by Word: House, in-which I-live, old.

    The clause sits in the middle, so it has commas on both sides.

  3. Kai grįšiu, paskambinsiu.

    When I get back, I will call.

    Word by Word: When I-will-return, I-will-call.

  4. Neatėjau, nes sirgau.

    I did not come because I was ill.

    Word by Word: I-did-not-come, because I-was-ill.

  5. Jei lis, liksime namie.

    If it rains, we will stay at home.

    Word by Word: If will-rain, we-will-stay at-home.

  6. Nežinau, ar jis ateis.

    I do not know whether he will come.

    Word by Word: I-don't-know, whether he will-come.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the comma before kad, as English does before that.

    Žinau kad vėluoju.
    Žinau, kad vėluoju.

    Here the kad clause follows the main clause Žinau, so a comma separates them.

  • Forgetting the second comma after a clause in the middle.

    Namas, kuriame gyvenu senas.
    Namas, kuriame gyvenu, senas.

    When the main sentence continues, the clause must be closed with a second comma.

  • Leaving out the comma after a clause at the start.

    Kai grįšiu paskambinsiu.
    Kai grįšiu, paskambinsiu.

    The comma marks where the kai clause ends and the main clause begins.

How It Connects

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

Commas Before Subordinate ClausesLevel 4

Learn This First

Subordinate clauses normally require marked comma boundaries in Lithuanian.