Understanding Belarusian Cardinal Numbers
Belarusian cardinal numbers are used to count things and tell how many of something there are. They are like the numbers you use every day, such as one, two, and three. In Belarusian, these numbers have special forms and rules.
Important Points
- From 1 to 10, the numbers are: адзін, два, тры, чатыры, пяць, шэсць, сем, восем, дзевяць, дзесяць.
- From 11 to 19, the numbers follow a pattern similar to English, combining ten with the units: адзінаццаць, дванаццаць, трынаццаць, and so on.
- Tens are formed by adding -дзясят to the root of the number: дваццаць (20), трыццаць (30), сорак (40), and so forth.
- Hundreds are formed by adding -сот to the root: сто (100), дзвесце (200), трыста (300).
When you use numbers in Belarusian, they can change depending on the gender and case of the noun they are counting. This is a bit like how in English we might say 'one apple' or 'two apples.'
Examples
- Адзін дом (one house - masculine)
- Адна кніга (one book - feminine)
- Адно акно (one window - neuter)
Special Cases in Counting
Important Points
- The number two has different forms: два (masculine/neuter) and дзве (feminine).
- Numbers from 5 and above do not change with gender but follow rules for cases.
- For numbers like 21, 31, 41, etc., use the same form as the number one: дваццаць адзін, трыццаць адна, сорак адно.
Examples
- У мяне два браты (I have two brothers - masculine/neuter)
- У мяне дзве сёстры (I have two sisters - feminine)
- У нас дваццаць адзін вучань у класе (We have twenty-one students in class)
Important Points
- Practice by counting everyday objects in Belarusian.
- Listen to Belarusian speakers to hear how numbers are used in sentences.
- Use flashcards to memorize the basic numbers and their gender forms.