Years With Definite Ordinals

Level 3

2026-aisiais = du tūkstančiai dvidešimt šeštaisiais = in 2026. The last word is a definite ordinal, like "the twenty-sixth".

How It Works

Only the last word is an ordinal. Read everything before it as ordinary compound numbers, and make only the final word a definite ordinal:

  • 1990 → tūkstantis devyni šimtai devyniasdešimtaisiais
  • 2026 → du tūkstančiai dvidešimt šeštaisiais
  • 2000 → dutūkstantaisiais (one word)

Why these endings? Metai is plural-only, even for one year. So the ordinal takes the masculine plural of the definite forms: pirmieji, antrieji, šeštieji.

The three forms you need most.

  • In which year? Use the instrumental -aisiais, as with other time words: Gimiau 2005-aisiais. The question is Kuriais metais?
  • Of that year. Before vasarą, pradžioje or pabaigoje, use the genitive -ųjų: 2026-ųjų vasarą (in the summer of 2026), iki 2030-ųjų (until 2030).
  • The year as a subject. Use the nominative -ieji: 2000-ieji buvo keliamieji metai. (2000 was a leap year.)

How to write it. When the word metai is left out, write the ending after a hyphen: 1990-aisiais, 2026-ųjų. With the word written out or shortened to m., the digits usually stand alone: 1990 metais, 2026 m. Either way, you still read the number as an ordinal. The same goes for full dates: 2026 m. rugsėjo 25 d.

One year, not a decade. 1990-aisiais means the single year 1990, not "the nineties". Careful writing names a decade with dešimtmetis instead.

Examples (6)

  1. 1990-aisiais Lietuva atkūrė nepriklausomybę.

    In 1990, Lithuania restored its independence.

    Read: tūkstantis devyni šimtai devyniasdešimtaisiais.

  2. Gimiau 2005-aisiais.

    I was born in 2005.

    Read: du tūkstančiai penktaisiais.

  3. 2026-ųjų vasarą važiuosime į Nidą.

    In the summer of 2026 we will go to Nida.

    Word by Word: Of-2026 summer we-will-go to Nida.

    Read: du tūkstančiai dvidešimt šeštųjų vasarą. The year describes vasarą, so it is genitive.

  4. – Kuriais metais baigei mokyklą? – 2018-aisiais.

    "Which year did you finish school?" "In 2018."

    Read: du tūkstančiai aštuonioliktaisiais.

  5. 2000-ieji buvo keliamieji metai.

    2000 was a leap year.

    Read: dutūkstantieji. Here the year is the subject, so it is nominative.

  6. Mano senelis gimė 1938 metais.

    My grandfather was born in 1938.

    With metais written out, no ending is added to the digits, but you still read tūkstantis devyni šimtai trisdešimt aštuntaisiais.

Common Mistakes

  • Reading the year as a cardinal number.

    Gimiau du tūkstančiai penki metais.
    Gimiau du tūkstančiai penktaisiais metais.

    A year is "the fifth year" of the century, so the last word must be an ordinal: penktaisiais.

  • Using the "in which year" form before another time word.

    2026-aisiais vasarą važiuosime į Nidą.
    2026-ųjų vasarą važiuosime į Nidą.

    To make the year modify vasarą, use the genitive: 2026-ųjų vasarą. The instrumental can instead be a separate time phrase, so the original wording is not inherently ungrammatical.

  • Making every number word an ordinal.

    Gimiau du tūkstantaisiais penktaisiais.
    Gimiau du tūkstančiai penktaisiais.

    Only the last word becomes an ordinal. The rest stays an ordinary number: du tūkstančiai.

How It Connects

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

Years With Definite OrdinalsLevel 3

Learn This First

Year expressions use definite plural ordinals and take the required case.

Words in This Pattern

metaioji