o
Contrast with O
O puts two different things side by side: Aš dirbu, o jis ilsisi. (I am working, while he is resting.) At the start of a question it means and: O tu? (And you?)
How It Works
Two things side by side
O joins two sentences that say something about two different people, places or times. English often uses and or while here:
- Aš dirbu, o jis ilsisi. (I am working, while he is resting.)
- Vakar lijo, o šiandien šilta. (Yesterday it rained, and today it is warm.)
When the verb would be repeated, it is often left out and replaced by a dash: Rūta gyvena Vilniuje, o Tomas – Kaune. (Rūta lives in Vilnius, and Tomas in Kaunas.)
Follow-up questions
At the start of a question, o turns the topic to someone or something new: O tu? (And you?) Man patinka kava. O tau? (I like coffee. And you?) O kur tavo brolis? (And where is your brother?)
O, ir or bet?
- Ir just adds more: Aš dirbu ir mokausi. (I work and study.)
- O compares two different things.
- Bet says that something goes against what you expect: Noriu eiti, bet neturiu laiko.
O can sometimes mean but too. It is also the usual word after a correcting negation: ne kava, o arbata (not coffee but tea). See Not This but That.
The comma
Inside a sentence, a comma comes before o, just like before bet. At the start of a sentence, as in O tu?, there is no comma.
Examples (6)
- Aš dirbu, o jis ilsisi.
I am working, while he is resting.
Word by Word: I work, and he rests.
Two different people, set side by side.
- O tu?
And you?
Word by Word: And you?
o turns the question to the other person.
- Man patinka kava, o tau?
I like coffee, and you?
Word by Word: To-me pleases coffee, and to-you?
The follow-up keeps the dative: tau.
- Rūta gyvena Vilniuje, o Tomas – Kaune.
Rūta lives in Vilnius, and Tomas in Kaunas.
Word by Word: Rūta lives in-Vilnius, and Tomas – in-Kaunas.
The dash stands for the verb gyvena, which is not repeated.
- Vakar lijo, o šiandien šilta.
Yesterday it rained, and today it is warm.
Word by Word: Yesterday rained, and today warm.
Two different days are compared.
- Brolis dirba banke, o sesuo – mokykloje.
My brother works at a bank, and my sister at a school.
Word by Word: Brother works at-bank, and sister – at-school.
Two people and two places.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out the comma before o.
Aš dirbu o jis ilsisi.Aš dirbu, o jis ilsisi.A comma comes before o when it joins two sentences, as it does before bet.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- betContrast with Bet
Bet is the usual but when something goes against expectations.
Level 2 - irJoining with Ir
Ir simply adds, without comparing.
Level 1 - ne ..., o ...Not This but That
O is the word used after a correcting negation.
Level 3 - irgi / taip patToo and Also
Irgi says the same is true, while o sets up a difference.
Level 1 - tuo tarpuMeanwhile and Whereas
A later, more formal way to say meanwhile or whereas.
Level 5
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice o in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Lithuanian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
