-ов / -ва / -во / -ве
The Near Article
The near article turns the into this … here: книгата (the book) → книгава (this book here).
How It Works
The forms:
- Masculine: градот → градов (this city), телефонот → телефонов
- Feminine: книгата → книгава (this book), чантата → чантава
- Neuter: селото → селово (this village), детето → детево
- Plural in -и: куќите → куќиве (these houses)
- Plural in -а: децата → децава (these children)
- луѓе takes -то, so: луѓето → луѓево (these people)
With adjectives: the article goes on the first word, as always (членот на првиот збор). A masculine adjective adds -и- first, as in новиот: новиов телефон (this new phone), убавава куќа (this beautiful house).
Meaning and style: the near article points to something close to you, or to something you are dealing with right now: Во писмово ти ги праќам сликите. (In this letter I am sending you the pictures.) It is very common in speech and in informal writing. книгава and оваа книга usually mean the same; see овој; тој; оној.
Time words: the same article turns time words into "this": утрово (this morning), годинава (this year). That use has its own entry: утрово; вечерва; годинава.
Examples (6)
- Книгава е многу интересна.
This book is very interesting.
Word by Word: Book-this is very interesting.
- Колку чини чантава?
How much is this bag?
Word by Word: How-much costs bag-this?
A natural question in a shop while holding or pointing at the bag.
- Селово е познато по виното.
This village is known for its wine.
Word by Word: Village-this is known by wine-the.
- Луѓево чекаат веќе еден час.
These people have been waiting for an hour already.
Word by Word: People-these wait already one hour.
- Новиов телефон е многу брз.
This new phone is very fast.
Word by Word: New-this phone is very fast.
The article sits on the adjective, which comes first.
- Во писмово ти ги праќам сликите.
In this letter I am sending you the pictures.
Word by Word: In letter-this to-you them I-send pictures-the.
Common Mistakes
Using the masculine -ов on a feminine noun.
Книгаов е интересна.Книгава е интересна.Книга is feminine, so the near article is -ва, matching книгата.
Using -ве on a plural that ends in -а.
Децаве се во дворот.Децава се во дворот.Plurals in -а take -та in the ordinary article (децата), so they take -ва in the near article.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The near article follows the three-article system.
Related Patterns
- -он / -на / -но / -неThe Far Article
The far article is the opposite: that … over there.
Level 3 - овој / тој / онојThis and That
Овој + noun often means the same as the near article.
Level 2 - -от / -та / -то / -теThe Definite Article
The near article is built from the ordinary one by changing т to в.
Level 1 - утрово / вечерва / годинаваThis Morning and This Year
The near article on time words means "this morning", "this year" and so on.
Level 3 - -те / -таArticles in the Plural
The plural choice carries over: -те becomes -ве, and -та becomes -ва.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice -ов / -ва / -во / -ве in Bubblegum
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