iš + genitive
From with Iš
Iš means "from" or "out of" and is followed by the genitive: Aš iš Lietuvos (I am from Lithuania), Iš kur tu esi? (Where are you from?), Jis išėjo iš namų (He left the house).
How It Works
Genitive forms after iš
- -as → -o: Kaunas → iš Kauno, darbas → iš darbo.
- -a → -os: Lietuva → iš Lietuvos. -ė → -ės: kuprinė → iš kuprinės.
- First-declension -is, -ys → -io: brolis → iš brolio. Third-declension -is → -ies: pilis → iš pilies.
- -us → -aus: turgus → iš turgaus. -ius → -iaus: Vilnius → iš Vilniaus.
- Plural nouns take -ų: namai → iš namų, Trakai → iš Trakų.
Main meanings
- Origin: Aš esu iš Lietuvos. In speech, esu is often dropped: Aš iš Lietuvos. The question is Iš kur tu esi? or, politely, Iš kur jūs esate?
- Out of: Išimu telefoną iš kuprinės. (I take my phone out of my backpack.)
- Coming back from: Grįžtu iš darbo. (I am coming back from work.)
- Made of: Stalas padarytas iš medžio. (The table is made of wood.)
- One of a group: vienas iš mūsų (one of us).
Verbs with iš-
Verbs with the prefix iš- often repeat the same idea with the preposition: išeiti iš namų (to leave the house). See Prefixes Paired With Prepositions.
Iš or nuo?
Iš means out of the inside of something, or from a place of origin. Nuo means off a surface or from a starting point, such as a time: nuo stalo (off the table), nuo pirmadienio (from Monday).
Examples (6)
- Aš iš Lietuvos.
I am from Lithuania.
Word by Word: I from Lithuania.
Lietuva becomes Lietuvos, and esu is left out.
- Iš kur tu esi?
Where are you from?
Word by Word: From where you are?
- Jis išėjo iš namų.
He left the house.
Word by Word: He out-went from home.
The plural noun namai becomes namų.
- Išimu telefoną iš kuprinės.
I take my phone out of my backpack.
Word by Word: Out-take phone from backpack.
- Grįžtu iš darbo.
I am coming back from work.
Word by Word: Return from work.
- Šis stalas padarytas iš medžio.
This table is made of wood.
Word by Word: This table made from wood.
Iš can name the material something is made of.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the noun after iš in the dictionary form.
Aš iš Lietuva.Aš iš Lietuvos.Iš always takes the genitive. Lietuva becomes Lietuvos.
Using the locative after iš, mixing up "from" with "in".
Grįžtu iš darbe.Grįžtu iš darbo.Darbe means "at work" and is only for location. After iš, use the genitive: iš darbo.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Iš introduces a source with a genitive noun; the entry supplies the needed genitive forms.
Related Patterns
- į + accusativeInto and to with Į
Į means into or to, the opposite direction of iš.
Level 1 - Locative of Place
The locative says where something is, while iš says where it comes from.
Level 1 - nuo + genitiveFrom and Since with Nuo
Nuo also means from, but off a surface or from a starting time.
Level 2 - Prefix iš-The Prefix Iš-
Verbs with the prefix iš- often express moving out, and often pair with iš.
Level 2 - Prefixes Paired With Prepositions
Išeiti iš namų pairs the prefix iš- with the preposition iš.
Level 4 - People From Places: -ietis, -ietėPeople from Places
Another way to say where someone is from is a word like vilnietis.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
- ant + genitiveOn with AntLevel 2
- be + genitiveWithout with BeLevel 2
- iki + genitiveUntil and as Far as with IkiLevel 2
- po + genitiveAfter with PoLevel 2
- prie + genitiveBy and at with PrieLevel 2
- dėl + genitiveBecause of and for the Sake of with DėlLevel 3
- tarp + genitiveBetween and Among with TarpLevel 3
- už + genitiveBehind with UžLevel 3
And 5 more in the full list.
Words in This Pattern
Practice iš + genitive in Bubblegum
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