быць
Belarusian
Etymology
From Old Belarusian быти (byti), from Old East Slavic бꙑти (byti), from Proto-Slavic *byti, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *bū́ˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [bɨt͡sʲ]
Audio (file)
Verb
быць • (bycʹ) impf
- to be
- (auxiliary, future tense) used to form the future tense of imperfect verbs
- (auxiliary, past tense) used to form the pluperfect tense of perfect verbs
- Ён пайшо́ў быў куды́сьці ― He had gone somewhere
Usage notes
- It is omitted in the present tense except in the third-person singular ёсць, which is used either to emphasise the existence of the subject, a predicate meaning “there is” or to express possession (English verb "to have").
- Ёсць які́-не́будзь стары́, што да вайны́ тут жыў? ― Joscʹ jakí-njébudzʹ starý, što da vajný tut žyŭ? ― Is there anyone old that lived here before the war?
- У мяне́ ёсць пыта́нне. ― U mjanjé joscʹ pytánnje. ― I have a question.
- It is usually expressed in the present tense as a pause, represented in the written language by a dash after nouns (but not after pronouns). It is not used if the predicate is an adjective.
- Мой ся́бар — белару́с, а ты украі́нец. ― Moj sjábar — bjelarús, a ty ukraínjec. ― My friend is Belarusian and you are Ukrainian.
- Хло́пчык ве́льмі гало́дны. ― Xlópčyk vjélʹmi halódny. ― The young man is very hungry.
- However, the dash is not written in third person impersonal adverbial phrases.
- Ця́жка вы́вучыць но́вую мо́ву. ― Cjážka vývučycʹ nóvuju móvu. ― It is difficult to learn a new language.
- Other verbs such as быва́ць (byvácʹ) and стаць (stacʹ) can also be used instead.
Conjugation
Conjugation of быць
imperfective aspect | ||
---|---|---|
infinitive | быць (bycʹ) | |
adverbial | present tense | past tense |
бу́дучы (búdučy) | — | |
present tense | future tense | |
1st singular (я (ja)) | — | бу́ду (búdu) |
2nd singular (ты (ty)) | — | бу́дзеш (búdzješ) |
3rd singular (ён (jon)/яна́ (janá)/яно́ (janó)) | ёсць (joscʹ) | бу́дзе (búdzje) |
1st plural (мы (my)) | — | бу́дзем (búdzjem) |
2nd plural (вы (vy)) | — | бу́дзеце (búdzjecje) |
3rd plural (яны́ (janý)) | — | бу́дуць (búducʹ) |
imperative | singular | plural |
будзь (budzʹ) | бу́дзьце (búdzʹcje) | |
past tense | singular | plural (мы (my), вы (vy), яны́ (janý)) |
masculine (я (ja), ты (ty), ён (jon)) | быў (byŭ) | былі́ (bylí) |
feminine (я (ja), ты (ty), яна́ (janá)) | была́ (bylá) | |
neuter (яно́ (janó)) | было́ (byló) |
References
- “быць” in Belarusian-Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org
Further reading
- I. I. Nosovič, editor (1870), “бы́тый”, in Slovarʹ bělorusskago narěčija (in Russian), volume 1–2, Saint Petersburg: The Imperial Academy of Sciences, page 75