Genitive After Quantity Words

Level 2

Quantity words like daug, mažai and truputį are followed by the genitive: daug žmonių (many people), truputį cukraus (a little sugar).

How It Works

1. Quantity words.

  • daug (much, many): daug draugų, daug darbo
  • mažai (little, few): mažai laiko, mažai žmonių
  • truputį (a little): truputį cukraus
  • daugiau, mažiau (more, less): daugiau pinigų
  • per daug (too much): per daug darbo

The question word kiek (how much, how many) works the same way, and so do the numbers ten to nineteen and the round tens (see ten and up with the genitive). For keli and keletas, see several.

2. Measure and container nouns. A noun of measure is followed by the genitive of what is measured: puodelis kavos (a cup of coffee), butelis vandens (a bottle of water), kilogramas obuolių (a kilo of apples), litras pieno (a litre of milk), gabalas pyrago (a piece of cake). The measure noun takes whatever case the sentence needs, and the genitive stays: Išgėriau puodelį kavos (I drank a cup of coffee), su puodeliu kavos (with a cup of coffee).

3. As a subject. When the quantity phrase is the subject, the verb is in the third person: Parke buvo daug žmonių (There were many people in the park), Atėjo mažai svečių (Few guests came).

Examples (6)

  1. Parke buvo daug žmonių.

    There were many people in the park.

    Žmonės → žmonių, the plural genitive.

  2. Šiandien turiu mažai laiko.

    I have little time today.

    Laikas cannot be counted, so it takes the singular genitive laiko.

  3. Įdėk truputį cukraus.

    Put in a little sugar.

    Cukrus → cukraus.

  4. Išgėriau puodelį kavos.

    I drank a cup of coffee.

    Puodelį is the object, and kavos stays genitive.

  5. Nupirk kilogramą obuolių.

    Buy a kilo of apples.

    Obuoliai → obuolių after the measure word.

  6. Kiek kainuoja litras pieno?

    How much does a litre of milk cost?

    Pienas → pieno after litras.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the noun in the nominative after daug.

    Parke buvo daug žmonės.
    Parke buvo daug žmonių.

    Daug is always followed by the genitive: žmonės → žmonių.

  • Using the singular genitive for things you can count.

    Turiu daug knygos.
    Turiu daug knygų.

    Books can be counted, so use the plural genitive knygų. The singular genitive is for things like water or time.

  • Putting the measured thing in the same case as the measure word.

    Išgėriau puodelį kavą.
    Išgėriau puodelį kavos.

    Only puodelis changes with the sentence. The coffee stays in the genitive: kavos.

How It Connects

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Genitive After Quantity WordsLevel 2

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Quantity expressions govern a genitive counted or measured noun.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

daugmažaitruputis