What does "it" mean in Lithuanian?
English "it" is the pronoun for a thing, an animal or an idea: Where is the key? It is here. English also uses "it" as an empty subject that stands for nothing, because every English sentence needs one: it is raining, it is cold, it seems that…, it is important that…
Lithuanian has no single word for "it". It has no neuter gender for nouns. Every noun is either masculine or feminine, so a thing is called jis ("he") or ji ("she") according to the gender of its noun. Raktas (key) is masculine, so the key is jis: Kur raktas? Jis čia. "Where is the key? It is here." Knyga (book) is feminine, so the book is ji: Kur knyga? Ji ant stalo. "Where is the book? It is on the table."
Where English uses an empty "it", Lithuanian uses no word at all. The verb or the predicate word stands alone: Lyja. "It is raining." Šalta. "It is cold." Atrodo, kad… "It seems that…" Svarbu, kad… "It is important that…" (you met svarbu, kad in Lesson 9). Words like šalta, karšta, svarbu and gražu are the neuter forms of adjectives (bevardė giminė). Neuter survives in Lithuanian adjectives and pronouns even though nouns have lost it, and these forms are used exactly where English says "it is…".
The third way to say "it" is tai, the neuter demonstrative from Lesson 9. Tai points at something not yet named, or at a whole situation: Kas tai? "What is it?" Tai mano knyga. "It is my book." Tai tiesa. "It is true."
To choose between them, ask whether the "it" refers to a thing already named. If it does, use jis or ji by the noun's gender. If the thing is not yet named, or is a whole situation, use tai. If the "it" refers to nothing at all (weather, time, "it seems", "it is necessary"), use no word.
Etymology: jis and ji come from the Indo-European pronoun stem \i- / \yo-, the same stem as Latin is, ea, id and Old Church Slavonic i, ja, je. The old neuter of this pronoun has disappeared from Lithuanian. Tai is the neuter form of tas ("that").
Orthographic points: the accusative forms carry the ogonek (nosinė): masculine jį, feminine ją. The ogonek now marks a long vowel, not a nasal one. Writing ji for jį, or ja for ją, is a spelling error and also a grammatical one: ja is a different case (instrumental).
FAQ: How do you say "it" in Lithuanian? For a thing already mentioned, use jis if its noun is masculine and ji if feminine: Mano telefonas neveikia – jis sugedo. "My phone doesn't work – it broke." To point at something unnamed, use tai: Kas tai? "What is it?" For weather and other empty "it" sentences, use no pronoun: Lyja. "It is raining." Šiandien šalta. "It is cold today."
FAQ: Does Lithuanian have a neuter "it" like German es? No. Nouns are only masculine or feminine. The neuter survives only in adjectives (šalta, gražu), in the demonstrative tai, and in some participles.
- A named thing is jis (masculine noun) or ji (feminine noun), never a separate "it" word. - Weather and empty "it" take no subject: Lyja. Sninga. Šalta. Atrodo, kad… - tai = "it / that" pointing at something unnamed or at a situation: Kas tai? Tai tiesa. - "It" as an object is jį (masc.) or ją (fem.). After a negated verb the object goes into the genitive: jo / jos. - Pronouns that are clear from context are often dropped: Radai raktą? – Radau. "Did you find the key? – I found it."
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The IPA in this lesson is a broad transcription of standard Lithuanian. The stressed syllable is marked ˈ. Short a is written /ɐ/ and long a/ą /aː/. Short e is /ɛ/, long e/ę /æː/, ė /eː/. Short i is /ɪ/; y and į are /iː/. o is /oː/, short u /ʊ/, ū/ų /uː/. The diphthongs are ie /iɛ/, uo /uɔ/, ai /ɐɪ/, ei /ɛɪ/, au /ɐʊ/. A consonant before a front vowel, or before a silent i (as in čia, veikia), is palatalised, written ʲ. Palatalisation is not marked after j, š, ž, č, which are always soft.
- jis /jɪs/ — "he / it (masc.)"; short /ɪ/, like English is with a y in front. - ji /jɪ/ — "she / it (fem.)". - jį /jiː/ — accusative masculine; the ogonek makes the vowel long: "yee". - ją /jaː/ — accusative feminine; long /aː/, as in father. - jo /joː/, jos /joːs/ — genitive; pure long /oː/, not the English glide in go. - tai /tɐɪ/ — as in English tie, with a dental t. - lyja /ˈliːjɐ/ — "it is raining"; long /iː/ in the first syllable. - šalta /ˈʃaːltɐ/ — "it is cold"; stress and length on the first syllable.
Lithuanian t and d are dental (the tongue touches the back of the upper teeth), and l before a back vowel is dark /ɫ/ (broadly transcribed /l/ here). Final voiced consonants devoice: snigs is pronounced /snʲɪks/.
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Duplex Method. Line a: every Lithuanian word in bold, followed by its meaning in italic. Line b: the same words with IPA and grammatical glosses. Where English needs "it" but Lithuanian has no word, the gloss on the verb or adjective carries it, e.g. rains.3.PRES = "it rains". Abbreviations: NOM GEN DAT ACC INST LOC VOC = cases; M F N = gender; SG PL; PRES PAST FUT; IMP = imperative; NEG = negative; Q = question particle; DEM = demonstrative.
10.1a Lauke outside lyja it-rains
10.1b Lauke /lɐʊˈkʲɛ/ outside.LOC.SG lyja /ˈliːjɐ/ rains.3.PRES
10.2a Kas what tai it
10.2b Kas /kɐs/ what.NOM tai /tɐɪ/ it.DEM.N
10.3a Tai it mano my knyga book
10.3b Tai /tɐɪ/ it.DEM.N mano /ˈmaːnoː/ my knyga /knʲiːˈɡɐ/ book.F.NOM.SG
10.4a Kur where raktas key Jis it čia here
10.4b Kur /kʊr/ where raktas /ˈraːktɐs/ key.M.NOM.SG Jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG čia /tʃɛ/ here
10.5a Šiandien today šalta it-is-cold
10.5b Šiandien /ˈʃɛndʲiɛn/ today šalta /ˈʃaːltɐ/ cold.N
10.6a Kur where knyga book Ji it ant on stalo table
10.6b Kur /kʊr/ where knyga /knʲiːˈɡɐ/ book.F.NOM.SG Ji /jɪ/ it.F.NOM.SG ant /ɐnt/ on stalo /ˈstaːloː/ table.M.GEN.SG
10.7a Mano my telefonas phone neveikia not-works jis it sugedo broke
10.7b Mano /ˈmaːnoː/ my telefonas /tʲɛlʲɛˈfoːnɐs/ phone.M.NOM.SG neveikia /nʲɛˈvʲɛɪkʲɛ/ NEG-works.3.PRES jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG sugedo /sʊˈɡʲæːdoː/ broke.3.PAST
10.8a Radau I-found raktą key bet but jis it netinka not-fits
10.8b Radau /rɐˈdɐʊ/ found.1SG.PAST raktą /ˈraːktaː/ key.M.ACC.SG bet /bʲɛt/ but jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG netinka /nʲɛˈtʲɪŋkɐ/ NEG-fits.3.PRES
10.9a Ar Q matei you-saw mano my kepurę cap Aš I jos it neradau not-found
10.9b Ar /ɐr/ Q matei /mɐˈtʲɛɪ/ saw.2SG.PAST mano /ˈmaːnoː/ my kepurę /kʲɛˈpʊrʲæː/ cap.F.ACC.SG Aš /ɐʃ/ I.NOM jos /joːs/ it.F.GEN.SG neradau /nʲɛrɐˈdɐʊ/ NEG-found.1SG.PAST
10.10a Šis this namas house senas old bet but jis it labai very gražus beautiful
10.10b Šis /ʃɪs/ this.M.NOM.SG namas /ˈnaːmɐs/ house.M.NOM.SG senas /ˈsʲæːnɐs/ old.M.NOM.SG bet /bʲɛt/ but jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG labai /lɐˈbɐɪ/ very gražus /ɡrɐˈʒʊs/ beautiful.M.NOM.SG
10.11a Man to-me patinka pleases ši this daina song ji it tokia so graži beautiful
10.11b Man /mɐn/ I.DAT patinka /pɐˈtʲɪŋkɐ/ pleases.3.PRES ši /ʃɪ/ this.F.NOM.SG daina /dɐɪˈnɐ/ song.F.NOM.SG ji /jɪ/ it.F.NOM.SG tokia /toːˈkʲɛ/ such.F.NOM.SG graži /ɡrɐˈʒɪ/ beautiful.F.NOM.SG
10.12a Atrodo it-seems kad that rytoj tomorrow vėl again snigs it-will-snow
10.12b Atrodo /ɐˈtroːdoː/ seems.3.PRES kad /kɐd/ that rytoj /riːˈtoːj/ tomorrow vėl /vʲeːl/ again snigs /snʲɪks/ snow.3.FUT
10.13a Svarbu important ne not tai that kiek how-much jis it kainuoja costs o but tai that kaip how jis it veikia works
10.13b Svarbu /svɐrˈbʊ/ important.N ne /nʲɛ/ not tai /tɐɪ/ that.DEM.N kiek /kʲiɛk/ how-much jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG kainuoja /kɐɪˈnuɔjɐ/ costs.3.PRES o /oː/ but-rather tai /tɐɪ/ that.DEM.N kaip /kɐɪp/ how jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG veikia /ˈvʲɛɪkʲɛ/ works.3.PRES
10.14a Vakare in-the-evening sutemo it-grew-dark ir and pasidarė it-became labai very šalta cold
10.14b Vakare /vɐkɐˈrʲɛ/ evening.M.LOC.SG sutemo /sʊˈtʲæːmoː/ grew-dark.3.PAST ir /ɪr/ and pasidarė /pɐsʲɪˈdaːrʲeː/ became.3.PAST labai /lɐˈbɐɪ/ very šalta /ˈʃaːltɐ/ cold.N
10.15a Kalk strike geležį iron kol while karšta it-is-hot
10.15b Kalk /kɐlk/ strike.2SG.IMP geležį /ˈɡʲælʲɛʒiː/ iron.F.ACC.SG kol /koːl/ while karšta /ˈkɐrʃtɐ/ hot.N
(10.15 is a traditional Lithuanian proverb, recorded in the Lithuanian Literature and Folklore Institute's collection of proverbs, Lietuvių patarlės ir priežodžiai; the longer form continues …paskui neįveiksi, "…afterwards you will not manage it". Examples 10.1–10.14 are pedagogical sentences built from verified vocabulary and patterns.)
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10.1 Lauke lyja. → "It is raining outside."
10.2 Kas tai? → "What is it?"
10.3 Tai mano knyga. → "It is my book."
10.4 Kur raktas? Jis čia. → "Where is the key? It is here."
10.5 Šiandien šalta. → "It is cold today."
10.6 Kur knyga? Ji ant stalo. → "Where is the book? It is on the table."
10.7 Mano telefonas neveikia – jis sugedo. → "My phone doesn't work – it has broken."
10.8 Radau raktą, bet jis netinka. → "I found the key, but it doesn't fit."
10.9 Ar matei mano kepurę? Aš jos neradau. → "Have you seen my cap? I couldn't find it."
10.10 Šis namas senas, bet jis labai gražus. → "This house is old, but it is very beautiful."
10.11 Man patinka ši daina – ji tokia graži. → "I like this song – it is so beautiful."
10.12 Atrodo, kad rytoj vėl snigs. → "It looks as if it will snow again tomorrow."
10.13 Svarbu ne tai, kiek jis kainuoja, o tai, kaip jis veikia. → "What matters is not how much it costs, but how it works."
10.14 Vakare sutemo ir pasidarė labai šalta. → "In the evening it grew dark, and it turned very cold."
10.15 Kalk geležį, kol karšta. → "Strike the iron while it is hot."
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10.1 Lauke lyja.
10.2 Kas tai?
10.3 Tai mano knyga.
10.4 Kur raktas? Jis čia.
10.5 Šiandien šalta.
10.6 Kur knyga? Ji ant stalo.
10.7 Mano telefonas neveikia – jis sugedo.
10.8 Radau raktą, bet jis netinka.
10.9 Ar matei mano kepurę? Aš jos neradau.
10.10 Šis namas senas, bet jis labai gražus.
10.11 Man patinka ši daina – ji tokia graži.
10.12 Atrodo, kad rytoj vėl snigs.
10.13 Svarbu ne tai, kiek jis kainuoja, o tai, kaip jis veikia.
10.14 Vakare sutemo ir pasidarė labai šalta.
10.15 Kalk geležį, kol karšta.
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These are the grammar rules for "it" in Lithuanian:
1. "It" for a named thing: jis or ji, by grammatical gender
The pronoun follows the gender of the noun, not whether the thing is alive. A key, a house or a phone is "he". A book, a song, a car or a cap is "she".
- Masculine nouns (usually in -as, -is, -ys, -us): raktas → jis, namas → jis, telefonas → jis, skėtis (umbrella) → jis - Feminine nouns (usually in -a, -ė): knyga → ji, daina → ji, mašina (car) → ji, kepurė → ji - Nouns in -is can be either gender, e.g. pilis (castle) and širdis (heart) are feminine. Learn the gender with the noun.
2. The declension of jis and ji
Singular, masculine / feminine: Nominative: jis / ji Genitive: jo / jos Dative: jam / jai Accusative: jį / ją Instrumental: juo / ja Locative: jame / joje
Plural, masculine / feminine: Nominative: jie / jos Genitive: jų / jų Dative: jiems / joms Accusative: juos / jas Instrumental: jais / jomis Locative: juose / jose
The accusative is the everyday object "it": Radau raktą ir jį paėmiau. "I found the key and took it." Ta knyga gera – perskaityk ją. "That book is good – read it."
3. The genitive of negation: "I didn't find it" = jo / jos
When a transitive verb is negated, its direct object goes into the genitive. The rule applies to pronouns too: Radau jį "I found it (masc.)" but Neradau jo "I didn't find it". Radau ją but Neradau jos (10.9). This is one of the firmest rules of Lithuanian syntax.
4. The empty "it": no subject at all
English needs a subject in every sentence and so says "it" even when "it" means nothing. Lithuanian has no such rule. Three kinds of sentence have no subject:
- Weather verbs: Lyja. "It is raining." Sninga. "It is snowing." Snigs. "It will snow." Temsta. "It is getting dark." Sutemo. "It has got dark." Nebelyja. "It has stopped raining." - The neuter form of an adjective as predicate: Šalta. "It is cold." Karšta. "It is hot." Šilta. "It is warm." Gražu. "It is beautiful." Svarbu, kad… "It is important that…" Buvo šalta. "It was cold." Bus šilta. "It will be warm." Adjectives in -as form the neuter in -a (šaltas → šalta); adjectives in -us form it in -u (gražus → gražu, svarbus → svarbu). With a person the neuter takes the dative: Man šalta. "I am cold" (literally "to me it is cold"). - Certain verbs used impersonally: Atrodo, kad… "It seems that…" Reikia… "It is necessary…" Sakoma, kad… "It is said that…"
Never put jis or tai in front of these. Jis lyja means "he is raining" and is nonsense.
5. Tai: "it" pointing at the unnamed
Tai (Lesson 9) introduces or identifies something not yet named: Kas tai? "What is it?" Tai mano knyga. "It is my book." It also sums up a situation: Tai tiesa. "It is true." Tai buvo seniai. "It was long ago." After tai the verb yra is often left out.
The choice matters. Kur knyga? – Ji ant stalo. The book has been named, so it is ji. Kas ant stalo? – Tai knyga. The thing is only now being identified, so it is tai.
6. Dropping the pronoun
When the verb ending and the context make the referent clear, Lithuanian often leaves out the subject pronoun, and sometimes the object pronoun too: Kur telefonas? – Sugedo. "Where's the phone? – It's broken." Radai raktus? – Radau. "Did you find the keys? – Yes, I found them." The pronoun is kept for contrast or clarity, or when there is a new subject, as in 10.7.
Common Mistakes
- Mistake: translating English empty "it". Jis lyja for "it is raining", Jis šalta for "it is cold". Correct: Lyja. Šalta. - Mistake: using tai for a thing already named. Kur knyga? Tai ant stalo. Correct: Kur knyga? Ji ant stalo. - Mistake: choosing the pronoun by English logic. Kur mašina? Jis prie namo. A car is feminine: Ji prie namo. - Mistake: accusative after a negative. Aš neradau ją. Correct: Aš neradau jos. - Mistake: dropping the ogonek. Mačiau ji ("I saw she") for Mačiau ją ("I saw it/her"); ja is instrumental, not accusative. - Mistake: using the masculine adjective for the empty "it". Šiandien šaltas. Correct: Šiandien šalta. (Šaltas needs a masculine noun: šaltas vėjas, "a cold wind".)
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A language without "it"
Lithuanian speakers do not feel that anything is missing. A thing is simply jis or ji, as it is in French, Spanish or Italian, and the gender of the noun settles the matter. Learners from English often find it strange at first to call a key "he" and a book "she", but this carries no personification. It is grammar, and native speakers hear no more "person" in it than an English speaker hears in the "it" of it is raining.
The weather sentence
Lithuanian weather talk shows the subjectless sentence most clearly. The Baltic climate supplies plenty to talk about, and a large family of subjectless verbs describes it: lyja (it rains), sninga (it snows), šąla (it freezes), temsta (it gets dark), šviesėja (it gets light), žaibuoja (there is lightning). A short weather exchange is the normal Lithuanian small talk: Šalta šiandien, ar ne? "Cold today, isn't it?"
The neuter in proverbs
The neuter predicate is common in Lithuanian proverbs, where it gives a general statement without a subject: Kalk geležį, kol karšta (10.15). The collection of the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore records the longer form: Kalk geležį, kol karšta, paskui neįveiksi; mokyk vaiką, kol mažas, paskui nepriveiksi. "Strike the iron while it is hot, or afterwards you will not manage it; teach a child while he is small, or afterwards you will not prevail."
Register
Jis and ji for things are neutral in every register. Tai for "it" is frequent in speech (Tai gerai! "That's good!") and in formal definitions (Tai yra… "It is…"). In writing, a subject pronoun that the context makes obvious is usually left out, especially in lists of actions. Repeating jis… jis… jis sounds like a learner.
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Source: Kristijonas Donelaitis (1714–1780), Metai ("The Seasons"), Part I, Pavasario linksmybės ("The Joys of Spring"), lines 1–4. Written c. 1765–1775; first published by Ludwig Rhesa, Königsberg, 1818. Text as given in Lithuanian Wikisource (Vikišaltiniai) and in the Eilėraščių skrynelė anthology (ltvirtove.lt), which agree word for word.
Context: Metai is the first great work of Lithuanian poetry, written in hexameters by a Lutheran pastor in Lithuania Minor (East Prussia). It follows the peasant year through four seasons. The famous opening shows exactly what this lesson teaches: the sun (saulelė, feminine) and the snow (sniegs, masculine) are the subjects of their verbs, with gender agreement where English would say "it". The language is eighteenth-century: svietą ("world", a Slavic loan) where modern Lithuanian says pasaulį, the short forms juokės for juokėsi, sniegs for sniegas and putodams for putodamas.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Jau already saulelė the-sun vėl again atkopdama climbing-up budino was-waking svietą the-world
F.1b Jau /jɐʊ/ already saulelė /sɐʊˈlʲælʲeː/ sun.DIM.F.NOM.SG vėl /vʲeːl/ again atkopdama /ɐtˈkoːpdɐmɐ/ climbing-up.HALF-PTCP.F.SG budino /ˈbʊdʲɪnoː/ woke.3.PAST svietą /ˈsvʲiɛtaː/ world.M.ACC.SG
F.2a Ir and žiemos winter's šaltos cold triūsus labours pargriaudama overthrowing juokės it-laughed
F.2b Ir /ɪr/ and žiemos /ʒiɛˈmoːs/ winter.F.GEN.SG šaltos /ʃɐlˈtoːs/ cold.F.GEN.SG triūsus /ˈtrʲuːsʊs/ labour.M.ACC.PL pargriaudama /pɐrˈɡrʲɐʊdɐmɐ/ overthrowing.HALF-PTCP.F.SG juokės /ˈjuɔkʲeːs/ laughed.3.PAST.REFL
F.3a Šalčių of-the-frosts pramonės contrivances su with ledais ice sugaišti to-perish pagavo began
F.3b Šalčių /ʃɐlˈtʃuː/ frost.M.GEN.PL pramonės /ˈpraːmoːnʲeːs/ contrivance.F.NOM.PL su /sʊ/ with ledais /lʲɛˈdɐɪs/ ice.M.INST.PL sugaišti /sʊˈɡɐɪʃtʲɪ/ perish.INF pagavo /pɐˈɡaːvoː/ began.3.PAST
F.4a Ir and putodams foaming sniegs snow visur everywhere į into nieką nothing pavirto it-turned
F.4b Ir /ɪr/ and putodams /pʊˈtoːdɐms/ foaming.HALF-PTCP.M.SG sniegs /snʲiɛks/ snow.M.NOM.SG visur /vʲɪˈsʊr/ everywhere į /iː/ into nieką /ˈnʲiɛkaː/ nothing.ACC pavirto /pɐˈvʲɪrtoː/ turned.3.PAST
F-B: Original Text with Translation
Jau saulelė vėl atkopdama budino svietą Ir žiemos šaltos triūsus pargriaudama juokės. Šalčių pramonės su ledais sugaišti pagavo, Ir putodams sniegs visur į nieką pavirto.
"Already the sun, climbing up again, was waking the world, and, overthrowing the labours of the cold winter, it laughed. The contrivances of the frosts began to perish with the ice, and the foaming snow everywhere turned into nothing."
F-C: Original Text Only
Jau saulelė vėl atkopdama budino svietą Ir žiemos šaltos triūsus pargriaudama juokės. Šalčių pramonės su ledais sugaišti pagavo, Ir putodams sniegs visur į nieką pavirto.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- saulelė … juokės: English must say "it laughed" (or, poetically, "she laughed"). Lithuanian repeats no subject. The feminine subject saulelė is carried through two lines by the feminine half-participles atkopdama and pargriaudama. The sun is "she" throughout, by grammar and by folk tradition: in Baltic mythology Saulė is a goddess. - Half-participles (pusdalyviai) in -dama / -damas: atkopdama, pargriaudama, putodams describe an action done by the subject of the main verb at the same time ("while climbing", "while overthrowing", "foaming"). They agree with that subject in gender and number, feminine -dama with saulelė, masculine -dams (modern -damas) with sniegs. So even when the subject is not repeated, the ending tells the reader what "it" is. - sniegs … pavirto: sniegas is masculine, so if the snow had been mentioned again it would be jis: Sniegas ištirpo – jis pavirto į nieką. "The snow melted – it turned into nothing." - sugaišti pagavo: pagauti ("to catch") + infinitive is an old construction meaning "began to". Modern Lithuanian would say pradėjo nykti. - Diminutive saulelė: from saulė with the suffix -elė. Donelaitis, like the dainos, uses diminutives for tenderness, not for size.
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An exchange of text messages between Rūta and her brother Tomas on a rainy morning. The umbrella (skėtis) is masculine, so it is jis / jį. The car (mašina) is feminine, so it is ji. The rain, the cold and the distance take no subject at all.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
10.16a Tomai Tomas kur where mano my skėtis umbrella Lauke outside smarkiai heavily lyja it-rains
10.16b Tomai /ˈtoːmɐɪ/ Tomas.VOC kur /kʊr/ where mano /ˈmaːnoː/ my skėtis /ˈskʲeːtʲɪs/ umbrella.M.NOM.SG Lauke /lɐʊˈkʲɛ/ outside.LOC.SG smarkiai /ˈsmɐrkʲɛɪ/ heavily lyja /ˈliːjɐ/ rains.3.PRES
10.17a Jis it mašinoje in-the-car Vakar yesterday jį it ten there palikau I-left
10.17b Jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG mašinoje /mɐʃɪnoːˈjɛ/ car.F.LOC.SG Vakar /ˈvaːkɐr/ yesterday jį /jiː/ it.M.ACC.SG ten /tʲɛn/ there palikau /pɐlʲɪˈkɐʊ/ left.1SG.PAST
10.18a O and kur where mašina the-car
10.18b O /oː/ and kur /kʊr/ where mašina /mɐʃɪˈnɐ/ car.F.NOM.SG
10.19a Ji it prie by parduotuvės the-shop Raktai the-keys ant on spintelės the-cabinet
10.19b Ji /jɪ/ it.F.NOM.SG prie /prʲiɛ/ by parduotuvės /pɐrduɔˈtʊvʲeːs/ shop.F.GEN.SG Raktai /rɐkˈtɐɪ/ key.M.NOM.PL ant /ɐnt/ on spintelės /ˈspʲɪntʲɛlʲeːs/ cabinet.F.GEN.SG
10.20a Raktus the-keys radau I-found Ar Q toli far eiti to-walk
10.20b Raktus /rɐkˈtʊs/ key.M.ACC.PL radau /rɐˈdɐʊ/ found.1SG.PAST Ar /ɐr/ Q toli /toːˈlʲɪ/ far eiti /ˈɛɪtʲɪ/ go.INF
10.21a Ne no netoli not-far Bet but palauk wait ar Q dar still lyja it-rains
10.21b Ne /nʲɛ/ no netoli /nʲɛtoːˈlʲɪ/ not-far Bet /bʲɛt/ but palauk /pɐˈlɐʊk/ wait.2SG.IMP ar /ɐr/ Q dar /dɐr/ still lyja /ˈliːjɐ/ rains.3.PRES
10.22a Lyja it-rains ir and labai very šalta cold Be without skėčio umbrella neisiu I-will-not-go
10.22b Lyja /ˈliːjɐ/ rains.3.PRES ir /ɪr/ and labai /lɐˈbɐɪ/ very šalta /ˈʃaːltɐ/ cold.N Be /bʲɛ/ without skėčio /ˈskʲeːtʃoː/ umbrella.M.GEN.SG neisiu /ˈnʲɛɪsʲʊ/ NEG-go.1SG.FUT
10.23a Gerai all-right aš I jį it atnešiu will-bring
10.23b Gerai /ɡʲɛˈrɐɪ/ well aš /ɐʃ/ I.NOM jį /jiː/ it.M.ACC.SG atnešiu /ɐtnʲɛˈʃʊ/ bring.1SG.FUT
10.24a Tik only nežinau I-don't-know ar whether jis it dar still geras good vakar yesterday vėjas the-wind jį it sulaužė broke
10.24b Tik /tʲɪk/ only nežinau /nʲɛʒɪˈnɐʊ/ NEG-know.1SG.PRES ar /ɐr/ whether jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG dar /dɐr/ still geras /ˈɡʲæːrɐs/ good.M.NOM.SG vakar /ˈvaːkɐr/ yesterday vėjas /ˈvʲeːjɐs/ wind.M.NOM.SG jį /jiː/ it.M.ACC.SG sulaužė /sʊˈlɐʊʒeː/ broke.3.PAST
10.25a Nieko nothing tokio such Geriau better sulaužytas broken skėtis umbrella negu than jokio none
10.25b Nieko /ˈnʲiɛkoː/ nothing.GEN tokio /ˈtoːkʲoː/ such.M.GEN.SG Geriau /ɡʲɛˈrʲɛʊ/ better sulaužytas /sʊˈlɐʊʒiːtɐs/ broken.PTCP.M.NOM.SG skėtis /ˈskʲeːtʲɪs/ umbrella.M.NOM.SG negu /nʲɛˈɡʊ/ than jokio /ˈjoːkʲoː/ no.M.GEN.SG
10.26a Štai here-is jis it Paimk take jį it ir and eik go
10.26b Štai /ʃtɐɪ/ here-is jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG Paimk /pɐˈɪmk/ take.2SG.IMP jį /jiː/ it.M.ACC.SG ir /ɪr/ and eik /ɛɪk/ go.2SG.IMP
10.27a Ačiū thank-you O oh žiūrėk look jau already nebelyja it-no-longer-rains
10.27b Ačiū /ˈaːtʃuː/ thanks O /oː/ oh žiūrėk /ʒuːˈrʲeːk/ look.2SG.IMP jau /jɐʊ/ already nebelyja /nʲɛbʲɛˈliːjɐ/ NEG-anymore-rains.3.PRES
10.28a Matai you-see Dabar now jis it tau to-you nebereikalingas no-longer-needed
10.28b Matai /mɐˈtɐɪ/ see.2SG.PRES Dabar /dɐˈbɐr/ now jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG tau /tɐʊ/ you.DAT.SG nebereikalingas /nʲɛbʲɛrʲɛɪkɐˈlʲɪŋɡɐs/ NEG-anymore-needed.M.NOM.SG
10.29a Tegul let būna it-be mano my rankinėje in-handbag Niekada never nežinai you-not-know kada when vėl again lis it-will-rain
10.29b Tegul /tʲɛˈɡʊl/ let būna /ˈbuːnɐ/ be.3.PRES mano /ˈmaːnoː/ my rankinėje /rɐŋˈkʲɪnʲeːjɛ/ handbag.F.LOC.SG Niekada /nʲiɛkɐˈdɐ/ never nežinai /nʲɛʒɪˈnɐɪ/ NEG-know.2SG.PRES kada /kɐˈdɐ/ when vėl /vʲeːl/ again lis /lʲɪs/ rain.3.FUT
10.30a Tai that tiesa true Juk after-all tai it Lietuva Lithuania
10.30b Tai /tɐɪ/ that.DEM.N tiesa /tʲiɛˈsɐ/ truth.F.NOM.SG Juk /jʊk/ after-all tai /tɐɪ/ it.DEM.N Lietuva /lʲiɛtʊˈvɐ/ Lithuania.F.NOM.SG
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Part B: Messages with Idiomatic Translation
10.16 Rūta: Tomai, kur mano skėtis? Lauke smarkiai lyja. → "Tomas, where's my umbrella? It's pouring outside."
10.17 Tomas: Jis mašinoje. Vakar jį ten palikau. → "It's in the car. I left it there yesterday."
10.18 Rūta: O kur mašina? → "And where's the car?"
10.19 Tomas: Ji prie parduotuvės. Raktai ant spintelės. → "It's by the shop. The keys are on the cabinet."
10.20 Rūta: Raktus radau. Ar toli eiti? → "Found the keys. Is it far to walk?"
10.21 Tomas: Ne, netoli. Bet palauk – ar dar lyja? → "No, it's not far. But wait – is it still raining?"
10.22 Rūta: Lyja ir labai šalta. Be skėčio neisiu. → "It is, and it's very cold. I'm not going without the umbrella."
10.23 Tomas: Gerai, aš jį atnešiu. → "All right, I'll bring it."
10.24 Tomas: Tik nežinau, ar jis dar geras: vakar vėjas jį sulaužė. → "Only I don't know if it's any good now: the wind broke it yesterday."
10.25 Rūta: Nieko tokio. Geriau sulaužytas skėtis negu jokio. → "Never mind. Better a broken umbrella than none."
10.26 Tomas: Štai jis. Paimk jį ir eik. → "Here it is. Take it and go."
10.27 Rūta: Ačiū! O, žiūrėk – jau nebelyja. → "Thanks! Oh, look – it's stopped raining."
10.28 Tomas: Matai? Dabar jis tau nebereikalingas. → "See? Now you don't need it anymore."
10.29 Rūta: Tegul būna mano rankinėje. Niekada nežinai, kada vėl lis. → "Let it stay in my handbag. You never know when it will rain again."
10.30 Tomas: Tai tiesa. Juk tai Lietuva! → "That's true. It's Lithuania, after all!"
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Part C: Messages in Lithuanian Only
Rūta: Tomai, kur mano skėtis? Lauke smarkiai lyja.
Tomas: Jis mašinoje. Vakar jį ten palikau.
Rūta: O kur mašina?
Tomas: Ji prie parduotuvės. Raktai ant spintelės.
Rūta: Raktus radau. Ar toli eiti?
Tomas: Ne, netoli. Bet palauk – ar dar lyja?
Rūta: Lyja ir labai šalta. Be skėčio neisiu.
Tomas: Gerai, aš jį atnešiu.
Tomas: Tik nežinau, ar jis dar geras: vakar vėjas jį sulaužė.
Rūta: Nieko tokio. Geriau sulaužytas skėtis negu jokio.
Tomas: Štai jis. Paimk jį ir eik.
Rūta: Ačiū! O, žiūrėk – jau nebelyja.
Tomas: Matai? Dabar jis tau nebereikalingas.
Rūta: Tegul būna mano rankinėje. Niekada nežinai, kada vėl lis.
Tomas: Tai tiesa. Juk tai Lietuva!
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Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- Jis / jį for the umbrella, ji for the car. Skėtis is masculine, so it is jis as subject (10.17, 10.24, 10.26, 10.28) and jį as object (10.17, 10.23, 10.24, 10.26). Mašina is feminine, so it is ji (10.19). The pronoun changes because the noun changes. - Subjectless weather. Lyja (10.16, 10.21, 10.22), nebelyja "it no longer rains" (10.27, from ne- "not" + be- "any more" + lyja), and lis, the future of lyti "to rain" (10.29). The English "it" has no Lithuanian counterpart in any of them. - Neuter predicates. Labai šalta "it's very cold" (10.22), Ar toli eiti? "Is it far to walk?" (10.20): toli and netoli are adverbs used like neuter predicates, again with no subject. - Dropped pronouns. Raktus radau (10.20) and palikau (10.17) need no aš: the ending -au already means "I". In 10.29, Tegul būna ("let [it] be") leaves the umbrella unmentioned; the context is enough. - Be + genitive. Be skėčio "without the umbrella" (10.22): be always takes the genitive (skėtis → skėčio; the t becomes č before the ending -io). - Nieko tokio "never mind, it's nothing" (10.25) is a genitive of negation that has become a fixed phrase. Geriau … negu jokio repeats negu "than" from Lesson 8; jokio ("none") is genitive, as it is in the everyday pattern geriau toks, negu jokio "better that than none": the genitive is the genitive of the absent thing (nėra jokio, "there is none"). - Tai tiesa. Juk tai Lietuva! (10.30): tai twice, first summing up what Rūta said ("that's true"), then presenting a whole situation ("it's Lithuania"). Juk is a particle meaning "after all, you know". - Vocative. Tomai (10.16) is the vocative of Tomas: masculine names in -as take -ai when addressed directly.
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- The full pronoun set: jis /jɪs/, jo /joː/, jam /jɐm/, jį /jiː/, juo /juɔ/, jame /jɐˈmʲɛ/; ji /jɪ/, jos /joːs/, jai /jɐɪ/, ją /jaː/, ja /jɐ/, joje /joːˈjɛ/. The ogonek in jį, ją marks a long vowel. It is what separates the accusative ją /jaː/ from the instrumental ja /jɐ/. - Letters with diacritics in this lesson: ą ę į ų (ogonek, nosinė: long vowel), ė (dot above: close long /eː/), ū (macron: long /uː/), š ž č (háček: /ʃ ʒ tʃ/). Every one of them is a separate letter and must be written: jį, kepurę, geležį, skėtis, ačiū. - y is a long /iː/, a separate letter from i: lyja /ˈliːjɐ/, rytoj /riːˈtoːj/. - Soft sign i: after a consonant and before another vowel, i is often not a vowel of its own but a mark of palatalisation: čia /tʃɛ/, veikia /ˈvʲɛɪkʲɛ/, skėčio /ˈskʲeːtʃoː/, geriau /ɡʲɛˈrʲɛʊ/. - Final devoicing: snigs /snʲɪks/, sniegs /snʲiɛks/; the written letter stays g. - Punctuation: a comma always comes before kad, ar ("whether"), kol and kada when they introduce a clause (10.12, 10.15, 10.24, 10.29). The dash (–) is used freely in messages and in speech to mark a pause or an explanation (10.7, 10.21, 10.27). - Capitals: Lietuva and personal names take capitals. Names of languages and nationalities do not: lietuvių kalba, "the Lithuanian language".
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)