Compound Words
Laikraštis means newspaper; it brings together bases related to laikas and raštas.
How It Works
Two bases. Gimtadienis, birthday, joins a base related to gimti with diena. Juodaplaukis, black-haired, combines juodas and plaukas with a linking a.
One inflected word. A compound noun takes its own case ending: laikraštis → laikraštį. Do not decline each internal component separately.
Meaning and agreement. A compound adjective agrees with its noun: juodaplaukis berniukas, juodaplaukė mergaitė. Some meanings are easy to infer, but others are established vocabulary. Not every two-word phrase is written as a compound.
Examples (4)
- Skaitau laikraštį.
I am reading a newspaper.
- Rytoj mano gimtadienis.
Tomorrow is my birthday.
- Įėjo juodaplaukė mergaitė.
A black-haired girl came in.
- Tai mano bendraklasis.
That is my classmate.
Common Mistakes
Writing the established compound newspaper as two independent words.
Skaitau laiką raštį.Skaitau laikraštį.Laikraštis is one established word. Its accusative is laikraštį.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Compounds combine lexical elements and inflect as whole words.
Related Patterns
- Adjective Agreement
Compound adjectives still agree with their nouns.
Level 1 - Collections and Places: -ynasGroves and Stands in -ynas
Suffixation also creates new vocabulary, using a different structure.
Level 6 - Noun-Derived Verbs: -auti, -uotiVerbs from Nouns in -auti and -uoti
Verbs can be derived from nouns by suffixation.
Level 6
Practice Compound Words in Bubblegum
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