What does "that" mean in Lithuanian, as in "that house", "the book that you gave me", "I know that you're tired"?
English "that" does three different jobs with one word. It points (that house, that girl). It joins a description to a noun (the book that you gave me). And it introduces a reported fact or thought (I know that you're tired). English can even leave it out in the last two: the book you gave me, I know you're tired.
Lithuanian uses three different words for these three jobs, and it never leaves any of them out:
- tas (masculine) / ta (feminine) is the pointing word, "that": tas namas "that house", ta mergaitė "that girl". It declines like an adjective and agrees with its noun in gender, number and case: Duok man tą knygą. "Give me that book." - kuris (masculine) / kuri (feminine) is the relative pronoun, "that, which, who": knyga, kurią man davei "the book (that) you gave me". It takes the gender and number of the noun it refers to, but its case comes from its own clause. - kad is the conjunction, "that": Žinau, kad tu pavargęs. "I know (that) you're tired." It never changes.
You have already met the neuter tai "that, this, it" in Lesson 10 (Tai tiesa. "That's true."). Tai stands for a whole situation, and tas / ta point at a particular thing or person.
Lithuanian also distinguishes distances. šis / ši (colloquially šitas / šita) means "this, here, near me". tas / ta means "that, there, the one we mean". A third word, anas / ana, "that one over there, yonder", is rare in speech today.
Etymology: tas is one of the oldest words in the language. It continues the Indo-European demonstrative stem \to-, which also gives Sanskrit tad, Greek τό, Latvian tas and English that and the. Kuris is built on the question stem ku- (kur "where", kas "who, what"), and it is still used as a question word: Kuri?* "Which one?"
Orthographic points: the accusative singular tą (both genders) and the genitive plural tų keep their ogonek, and so do kurį, kurią, kurių. Without it they are different words: tą "that (acc.)" vs ta "that (fem. nom.)". A relative clause and a kad-clause are always separated by commas: Ta knyga, kurią man davei, labai įdomi.
FAQ: How do you say "that" in Lithuanian? Pointing at something: tas (m.) / ta (f.), declined: tas vyras "that man", ta moteris "that woman", to vyro "of that man". Joining a clause to a noun: kuris / kuri. After "say, know, think": kad.
FAQ: How do you say "the same" in Lithuanian? tas pats (m.), ta pati (f.): tas pats žmogus "the same person", ta pati knyga "the same book". Both words decline: to paties žmogaus, tą pačią knygą.
FAQ: Can I leave out "that" as in English? No. Žinau, kad tu pavargęs, never Žinau tu pavargęs. Knyga, kurią man davei, never knyga man davei.
- Pointing "that" = tas / ta, declined and agreeing with its noun: tas namas, tą knygą, tie žmonės. - Relative "that, which, who" = kuris / kuri. Gender and number from the noun, case from its own clause: knyga, kurią man davei (accusative, because daviau ką?). - "That" after "say, know, think" = kad, with a comma before it: Mama sakė, kad grįš vėlai. - Lithuanian never drops any of these words, and it never strands a preposition: žmonės, su kuriais dirbu "the people I work with". - tas pats / ta pati = "the same"; šis / šitas = "this"; tai = "that" for a whole situation.
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The IPA follows the broad transcription used in this course (see Lesson 10): short a /ɐ/, long a/ą /aː/, ė /eː/, y/į /iː/, o /oː/, short u /ʊ/, ū/ų /uː/, ie /iɛ/, uo /uɔ/. Palatalised consonants are marked ʲ. The stressed syllable is marked ˈ.
- tas /tɐs/, ta /tɐ/ — short vowel in both. The t is hard: the tongue touches the back of the upper teeth, without the English puff of air. - tą /taː/ — the ogonek makes the vowel long: ta /tɐ/ "that (f. nom.)", tą /taː/ "that (acc.)". - to /toː/, tos /toːs/, tų /tuː/ — long vowels. - tie /tʲiɛ/, tiems /tʲiɛms/ — before ie the t is soft. - tuo /tuɔ/, tuos /tuɔs/ — the diphthong uo, "too-o" in one syllable. - tame /tɐˈmʲɛ/, toje /toːˈjɛ/, tuose /tuɔˈsʲɛ/ — the locatives are stressed on the ending. - kuris /kʊˈrʲɪs/, kuri /kʊˈrʲɪ/ — stress on the second syllable, soft r. In kurią /kʊˈrʲaː/, kurio /kʊˈrʲoː/, kuriuos /kʊˈrʲuɔs/ the i is not a vowel. It only softens the r. - kad /kɐt/ — final d is pronounced /t/ (final devoicing), but it is always written d. - šis /ʃɪs/, ši /ʃɪ/ — "this"; š is English sh.
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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. Abbreviations: NOM GEN DAT ACC INST LOC VOC = cases; M F N = gender; SG PL; PRES PAST FUT; IMP = imperative; DEM = demonstrative; REL = relative pronoun; CONJ = conjunction; INT = interrogative; PTCP = participle; ACT = active; REFL = reflexive; NEG = negative; Q = question particle.
13.1a Tas that namas house didelis big
13.1b Tas /tɐs/ that.DEM.M.NOM.SG namas /ˈnaːmɐs/ house.M.NOM.SG didelis /ˈdʲɪdʲɛlʲɪs/ big.M.NOM.SG
13.2a Kas who ta that mergaitė girl
13.2b Kas /kɐs/ who.INT.NOM ta /tɐ/ that.DEM.F.NOM.SG mergaitė /mʲɛrˈɡɐɪtʲeː/ girl.F.NOM.SG
13.3a Duok give man me tą that knygą book
13.3b Duok /duɔk/ give.2SG.IMP man /mɐn/ I.DAT tą /taː/ that.DEM.F.ACC.SG knygą /ˈknʲiːɡaː/ book.F.ACC.SG
13.4a Tai that tas the pats same žmogus person
13.4b Tai /tɐɪ/ that.DEM.N tas /tɐs/ that.DEM.M.NOM.SG pats /pɐts/ same.M.NOM.SG žmogus /ˈʒmoːɡʊs/ person.M.NOM.SG
13.5a Žinau I-know kad that tu you pavargęs tired
13.5b Žinau /ʒɪˈnɐʊ/ know.1SG.PRES kad /kɐt/ that.CONJ tu /tʊ/ you.NOM.SG pavargęs /pɐˈvɐrɡʲæːs/ tire.PAST.ACT.PTCP.M.NOM.SG
13.6a Ar Q matai you-see tą that žmogų man kuris who stovi stands prie by durų the-door
13.6b Ar /ɐr/ Q matai /mɐˈtɐɪ/ see.2SG.PRES tą /taː/ that.DEM.M.ACC.SG žmogų /ˈʒmoːɡuː/ person.M.ACC.SG kuris /kʊˈrʲɪs/ who.REL.M.NOM.SG stovi /ˈstoːvʲɪ/ stand.3.PRES prie /prʲiɛ/ by durų /dʊˈruː/ door.F.GEN.PL
13.7a Ta the knyga book kurią that man to-me davei you-gave labai very įdomi interesting
13.7b Ta /tɐ/ that.DEM.F.NOM.SG knyga /knʲiːˈɡɐ/ book.F.NOM.SG kurią /kʊˈrʲaː/ which.REL.F.ACC.SG man /mɐn/ I.DAT davei /dɐˈvʲɛɪ/ give.2SG.PAST labai /lɐˈbɐɪ/ very įdomi /iːdoːˈmʲɪ/ interesting.F.NOM.SG
13.8a Mama Mum sakė said kad that vakare in-the-evening grįš she-will-return vėlai late
13.8b Mama /ˈmaːmɐ/ mother.F.NOM.SG sakė /ˈsaːkʲeː/ say.3.PAST kad /kɐt/ that.CONJ vakare /vɐkɐˈrʲɛ/ evening.M.LOC.SG grįš /ɡrʲiːʃ/ return.3.FUT vėlai /vʲeːˈlɐɪ/ late
13.9a Tuo at-that metu time aš I gyvenau lived Kaune in-Kaunas
13.9b Tuo /tuɔ/ that.DEM.M.INST.SG metu /mʲɛˈtʊ/ time.M.INST.SG aš /ɐʃ/ I.NOM gyvenau /ɡʲiːvʲɛˈnɐʊ/ live.1SG.PAST Kaune /kɐʊˈnʲɛ/ Kaunas.M.LOC.SG
13.10a Tie the žmonės people su with kuriais whom dirbu I-work labai very draugiški friendly
13.10b Tie /tʲiɛ/ that.DEM.M.NOM.PL žmonės /ˈʒmoːnʲeːs/ person.M.NOM.PL su /sʊ/ with kuriais /kʊˈrʲɛɪs/ who.REL.M.INST.PL dirbu /ˈdʲɪrbʊ/ work.1SG.PRES labai /lɐˈbɐɪ/ very draugiški /drɐʊɡʲɪʃˈkʲɪ/ friendly.M.NOM.PL
13.11a Nemanau I-don't-think kad that tas that filmas film tau to-you patiks will-please
13.11b Nemanau /nʲɛmɐˈnɐʊ/ NEG-think.1SG.PRES kad /kɐt/ that.CONJ tas /tɐs/ that.DEM.M.NOM.SG filmas /ˈfʲɪlʲmɐs/ film.M.NOM.SG tau /tɐʊ/ you.DAT.SG patiks /pɐˈtʲɪks/ please.3.FUT
13.12a Tas he kuris who daug much skaito reads daug much žino knows
13.12b Tas /tɐs/ that.DEM.M.NOM.SG kuris /kʊˈrʲɪs/ who.REL.M.NOM.SG daug /dɐʊk/ much skaito /ˈskɐɪtoː/ read.3.PRES daug /dɐʊk/ much žino /ˈʒʲɪnoː/ know.3.PRES
13.13a Ar Q prisimeni you-remember tą that vasarą summer kai when lijo it-rained kiekvieną every dieną day
13.13b Ar /ɐr/ Q prisimeni /prʲɪˈsʲɪmʲɛnʲɪ/ remember.2SG.PRES.REFL tą /taː/ that.DEM.F.ACC.SG vasarą /ˈvaːsɐraː/ summer.F.ACC.SG kai /kɐɪ/ when lijo /ˈlʲɪjoː/ rain.3.PAST kiekvieną /kʲiɛkˈvʲiɛnaː/ every.F.ACC.SG dieną /ˈdʲiɛnaː/ day.F.ACC.SG
13.14a Gydytojas the-doctor pasakė said kad that tie the vaistai medicines kuriuos which gėriau I-took man me netinka don't-suit
13.14b Gydytojas /ˈɡʲiːdʲiːtoːjɐs/ doctor.M.NOM.SG pasakė /pɐˈsaːkʲeː/ say.3.PAST kad /kɐt/ that.CONJ tie /tʲiɛ/ that.DEM.M.NOM.PL vaistai /vɐɪsˈtɐɪ/ medicine.M.NOM.PL kuriuos /kʊˈrʲuɔs/ which.REL.M.ACC.PL gėriau /ˈɡʲeːrʲɛʊ/ drink.1SG.PAST man /mɐn/ I.DAT netinka /nʲɛˈtʲɪŋkɐ/ NEG-suit.3.PRES
13.15a Kas what per too daug much tas that nesveika unhealthy
13.15b Kas /kɐs/ what.REL.NOM per /pʲɛr/ too daug /dɐʊk/ much tas /tɐs/ that.DEM.M.NOM.SG nesveika /nʲɛˈsvʲɛɪkɐ/ NEG-healthy.N
(13.15 is a Lithuanian folk proverb, Kas per daug, tas nesveika, as given in the proverb collection at mintys.lt (Patarlės ir priežodžiai) and widely used as a headline in the Lithuanian press. A variant begins Ko per daug…. Examples 13.1–13.14 are pedagogical sentences built from verified vocabulary and patterns.)
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13.1 Tas namas didelis. → "That house is big."
13.2 Kas ta mergaitė? → "Who's that girl?"
13.3 Duok man tą knygą. → "Give me that book."
13.4 Tai tas pats žmogus. → "That's the same person."
13.5 Žinau, kad tu pavargęs. → "I know you're tired."
13.6 Ar matai tą žmogų, kuris stovi prie durų? → "Do you see that man standing by the door?"
13.7 Ta knyga, kurią man davei, labai įdomi. → "The book you gave me is very interesting."
13.8 Mama sakė, kad vakare grįš vėlai. → "Mum said she'll be back late this evening."
13.9 Tuo metu aš gyvenau Kaune. → "At that time I was living in Kaunas."
13.10 Tie žmonės, su kuriais dirbu, labai draugiški. → "The people I work with are very friendly."
13.11 Nemanau, kad tas filmas tau patiks. → "I don't think you'll like that film."
13.12 Tas, kuris daug skaito, daug žino. → "He who reads a lot knows a lot."
13.13 Ar prisimeni tą vasarą, kai lijo kiekvieną dieną? → "Do you remember that summer when it rained every day?"
13.14 Gydytojas pasakė, kad tie vaistai, kuriuos gėriau, man netinka. → "The doctor said that the medicine I was taking doesn't suit me."
13.15 Kas per daug, tas nesveika. → "Too much of anything is bad for you."
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13.1 Tas namas didelis.
13.2 Kas ta mergaitė?
13.3 Duok man tą knygą.
13.4 Tai tas pats žmogus.
13.5 Žinau, kad tu pavargęs.
13.6 Ar matai tą žmogų, kuris stovi prie durų?
13.7 Ta knyga, kurią man davei, labai įdomi.
13.8 Mama sakė, kad vakare grįš vėlai.
13.9 Tuo metu aš gyvenau Kaune.
13.10 Tie žmonės, su kuriais dirbu, labai draugiški.
13.11 Nemanau, kad tas filmas tau patiks.
13.12 Tas, kuris daug skaito, daug žino.
13.13 Ar prisimeni tą vasarą, kai lijo kiekvieną dieną?
13.14 Gydytojas pasakė, kad tie vaistai, kuriuos gėriau, man netinka.
13.15 Kas per daug, tas nesveika.
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These are the grammar rules for "that" in Lithuanian:
1. The declension of tas, ta
Tas declines like a noun or adjective, through all seven cases.
Masculine singular: tas, to, tam, tą, tuo, tame Masculine plural: tie, tų, tiems, tuos, tais, tuose Feminine singular: ta, tos, tai, tą, ta, toje Feminine plural: tos, tų, toms, tas, tomis, tose (Order: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative.)
Neuter: tai "that (thing, situation)" (Lesson 10).
Watch the forms that look alike. Tai is both the neuter "that" and the feminine dative "to that (woman, thing)". Tas is both the masculine nominative singular and the feminine accusative plural. Tos is both the feminine genitive singular and the nominative plural. The noun beside it tells you which: tos knygos "of that book" or "those books", depending on the sentence.
2. tas agrees with its noun
Tas stands before its noun and takes the same gender, number and case: tas namas (13.1), ta mergaitė (13.2), tą knygą (13.3), tuo metu (13.9), tie žmonės (13.10), tie vaistai (13.14). Without a noun it means "that one, the one": Ta, kuri stovi ant stalo "The one standing on the table" (Genre Section).
3. tas pats, ta pati "the same"
Pats ("self, the very") declines together with tas: tas pats žmogus (13.4), ta pati knyga, to paties žmogaus, tą pačią knygą. Both words change.
4. The relative pronoun kuris, kuri
Masculine singular: kuris, kurio, kuriam, kurį, kuriuo, kuriame Masculine plural: kurie, kurių, kuriems, kuriuos, kuriais, kuriuose Feminine singular: kuri, kurios, kuriai, kurią, kuria, kurioje Feminine plural: kurios, kurių, kurioms, kurias, kuriomis, kuriose
The rule that matters: gender and number from the noun, case from the relative clause. - žmogų, kuris stovi (13.6): žmogų is accusative, but kuris is nominative, because it is the subject of stovi. - knyga, kurią man davei (13.7): knyga is nominative, but kurią is accusative, because it is the object of davei. - žmonės, su kuriais dirbu (13.10): instrumental plural after su "with". - vaistai, kuriuos gėriau (13.14): accusative plural, object of gėriau. - knygą, kurios močiutė ieškojo (Genre Section): genitive, because ieškoti "to look for" takes the genitive.
5. No dropped "that", no stranded preposition
English says the book you gave me and the people I work with. Lithuanian always has the relative pronoun, and the preposition always goes in front of it: žmonės, su kuriais dirbu (13.10), literally "the people with whom I work".
6. tas, kuris… and kas…, tas…
A demonstrative and a relative often work as a pair: - Tas, kuris daug skaito, daug žino (13.12), "He who reads a lot knows a lot". - Kas per daug, tas nesveika (13.15), "What is too much, that is unhealthy". With kas ("who, what") as the relative, the main clause picks it up again with tas (or tam, to…). This is the classic shape of Lithuanian proverbs. - After a neuter or a word like viskas, tai, the relative is kas: tai, ką sakei "what you said", viskas, ko reikia "everything that is needed" (Lesson 11, 11.29).
7. The conjunction kad
After verbs of saying, knowing, thinking and feeling, "that" is kad: Žinau, kad… (13.5), Mama sakė, kad… (13.8), Nemanau, kad… (13.11), Gydytojas pasakė, kad… (13.14). Kad never changes and is never left out, and a comma always stands before it.
There is no change of tense in reported speech. Mum said Grįšiu vėlai "I'll be back late", and it is reported as Mama sakė, kad grįš vėlai (13.8), keeping the future. English moves it back ("she would be back").
8. "That" of time: tuo metu, tą dieną, kai…
A demonstrative in the accusative or instrumental makes a time expression: tuo metu "at that time" (13.9), tą vasarą "that summer" (13.13), tą dieną "that day". A clause about that time follows with kai "when", not kuris: tą vasarą, kai lijo… (13.13).
Common Mistakes
- Mistake: leaving out kad. Žinau tu pavargęs. Correct: Žinau, kad tu pavargęs. - Mistake: kad as a relative pronoun. Knyga, kad man davei. Correct: Knyga, kurią man davei. - Mistake: the relative in the case of the noun. Knyga, kuri man davei. Correct: kurią (object of davei). - Mistake: an English stranded preposition. Žmonės, kuriuos dirbu su. Correct: Žmonės, su kuriais dirbu. - Mistake: kas after a noun. Žmogus, kas stovi prie durų. This is heard in speech, but the standard language uses kuris: Žmogus, kuris stovi prie durų. - Mistake: tas not agreeing. tas knyga, tas žmonės. Correct: ta knyga, tie žmonės. - Mistake: forgetting the ogonek. Duok man ta knygą. Correct: tą knygą. - Mistake: no comma. Ta knyga kurią man davei labai įdomi. Correct: Ta knyga, kurią man davei, labai įdomi. The relative clause is closed off by a comma at both ends.
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This, that and yonder
Standard Lithuanian has three degrees of distance: šis "this (here)", tas "that (there, or the one we have in mind)", and anas "that (over there, far off)". In everyday speech šitas ("this one here") is more common than šis, which sounds a little bookish, and anas survives mostly in set phrases such as anuomet "in those days" and in dialects. Tas is the workhorse: it points not only in space but in the conversation, to something already mentioned.
Words built on tas
Several common words are built on the same t- stem as tas: tada "then", taip "so, yes", tiek "so much". Others are frozen case forms of it: todėl "therefore" (to + dėl, "because of that", Lesson 11, 11.9), tam tikras "a certain", tuo labiau "all the more". Ir tiek! "And that's that!" ends an argument.
Emphatic tasai, toji
Older and poetic Lithuanian has longer forms, tasai (m.) and toji (f.). They are the same pronoun with extra weight, and you will meet them in folk songs and in nineteenth-century writing. In modern prose they sound elevated.
kad in speech
Kad is one of the most frequent words in the language. Besides "that" it also means "so that" with the conditional (Lesson 12, 12.12), and with tik it opens a wish: Kad tik nelytų! "If only it doesn't rain!"
Proverbs
The kas…, tas… frame (13.15) builds many proverbs. Another in the same collection is Kas skaito, rašo – tas knygų prašo, "Whoever reads and writes asks for books."
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Source: Vincas Kudirka (1858–1899), Tautiška giesmė ("National Song"), final stanza. Words and music by Kudirka, first printed with the music in the newspaper Varpas, no. 6, 1898. It is the state anthem of the Republic of Lithuania (Law on the State Anthem, 29 October 1991; Constitution of 1992, Article 16). Text as published by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (lrs.lt). Lithuanian Wikisource (Vikišaltiniai) gives the same stanza word for word, except that its first line reads Lietuvos for the Seimas text's Lietuvoj.
Context: Kudirka, a doctor and the editor of Varpas, wrote the song in the years when printing Lithuanian in the Latin alphabet was banned in the Russian Empire, and Varpas was printed in East Prussia and smuggled in. The last stanza is a chain of wishes: sun, light, truth and love for Lithuania. Its final line turns back to everything said before with a single demonstrative: "in the name of that Lithuania". The anthem is sung at every state occasion.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Tegul let saulė the-sun Lietuvoj in-Lithuania tamsumas the-darkness prašalina drive-away
F.1b Tegul /tʲɛˈɡʊl/ let saulė /ˈsɐʊlʲeː/ sun.F.NOM.SG Lietuvoj /lʲiɛtʊˈvoːj/ Lithuania.F.LOC.SG tamsumas /tɐmsʊˈmɐs/ darkness.F.ACC.PL prašalina /prɐˈʃaːlʲɪnɐ/ remove.3.PRES
F.2a Ir both šviesa light ir and tiesa truth mūs our žingsnius steps telydi let-accompany
F.2b Ir /ɪr/ both šviesa /ʃvʲɛˈsɐ/ light.F.NOM.SG ir /ɪr/ and tiesa /tʲiɛˈsɐ/ truth.F.NOM.SG mūs /muːs/ we.GEN žingsnius /ʒʲɪŋkˈsʲnʲʊs/ step.M.ACC.PL telydi /tʲɛˈlʲiːdʲɪ/ PERM-accompany.3.PRES
F.3a Tegul let meilė the-love Lietuvos of-Lithuania dega burn mūsų our širdyse in-hearts
F.3b Tegul /tʲɛˈɡʊl/ let meilė /ˈmʲɛɪlʲeː/ love.F.NOM.SG Lietuvos /lʲiɛtʊˈvoːs/ Lithuania.F.GEN.SG dega /ˈdʲæːɡɐ/ burn.3.PRES mūsų /ˈmuːsuː/ we.GEN širdyse /ʃɪrdʲiːˈsʲɛ/ heart.F.LOC.PL
F.4a Vardan in-the-name-of tos that Lietuvos Lithuania vienybė unity težydi let-blossom
F.4b Vardan /vɐrˈdɐn/ in-the-name-of tos /toːs/ that.DEM.F.GEN.SG Lietuvos /lʲiɛtʊˈvoːs/ Lithuania.F.GEN.SG vienybė /vʲiɛˈnʲiːbʲeː/ unity.F.NOM.SG težydi /tʲɛˈʒʲiːdʲɪ/ PERM-blossom.3.PRES
F-B: Original Text with Translation
Tegul saulė Lietuvoj Tamsumas prašalina, Ir šviesa, ir tiesa Mūs žingsnius telydi. Tegul meilė Lietuvos Dega mūsų širdyse, Vardan tos Lietuvos Vienybė težydi!
"Let the sun in Lithuania drive away the darkness, and may light and truth go with our steps. Let the love of Lithuania burn in our hearts; in the name of that Lithuania may unity blossom!"
(Our translation, following the Lithuanian closely.)
F-C: Original Text Only
Tegul saulė Lietuvoj Tamsumas prašalina, Ir šviesa, ir tiesa Mūs žingsnius telydi. Tegul meilė Lietuvos Dega mūsų širdyse, Vardan tos Lietuvos Vienybė težydi!
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- tos Lietuvos (F.4): tos is the feminine genitive singular of ta, agreeing with Lietuvos. Both are genitive because vardan "in the name of, for the sake of" governs the genitive. The demonstrative does not point at a place. It points back at the Lithuania the stanza has just described, sunlit, truthful and loved. This "that" refers back in the text, as in tą vasarą, kai… (13.13). - Lietuvos twice, two different jobs (F.3, F.4): in meilė Lietuvos it is a genitive of the object, "love of (for) Lithuania"; in vardan tos Lietuvos it is governed by the preposition. - Tegul… prašalina, …dega (F.1, F.3): tegul + present tense = "let…, may…", the wish form you met in Lesson 10 (Tegul būna). - telydi, težydi (F.2, F.4): the same wish expressed by the old prefix te- on the verb, as in teklauso (Lesson 11, 11.15). Lydi "accompanies", žydi "blossoms". The anthem alternates the two forms, tegul and te-, and both mean the same. - Ir šviesa, ir tiesa (F.2): ir…, ir… = "both… and…". The two nouns rhyme inside the line. - Lietuvoj, mūs (F.1, F.2): shortened forms of verse and speech, for Lietuvoje (locative) and mūsų (genitive). Line 6 has the full mūsų. The short forms keep the lines to the metre. - tamsumas (F.1): accusative plural of tamsuma "darkness". The plural can suggest every kind of darkness, ignorance as well as night. - Vienybė (F.4): "unity", from vienas "one". The last line is one of the most quoted lines in the language.
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Rūta and Tomas (from Lessons 10–12) are looking for a birthday present for their grandmother at a Sunday flea market. Shopping is pointing: this one, that one, the one on the table, the same one. The stall-holder (pardavėjas) speaks to them with the polite plural jūs. Direct speech opens with a dash, and each numbered line is spoken by the next speaker in turn: Rūta, Tomas, Rūta, Tomas, the stall-holder, Rūta, the stall-holder, Tomas, Rūta, the stall-holder, Tomas, Rūta, Tomas, Rūta, the stall-holder.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
13.16a Tomai Tomas žiūrėk look ta that lempa lamp graži pretty
13.16b Tomai /ˈtoːmɐɪ/ Tomas.VOC žiūrėk /ʒʲuːˈrʲeːk/ look.2SG.IMP ta /tɐ/ that.DEM.F.NOM.SG lempa /ˈlʲɛmpɐ/ lamp.F.NOM.SG graži /ɡrɐˈʒʲɪ/ beautiful.F.NOM.SG
13.17a Kuri which Žalioji the-green-one ar or ta the-one kuri that stovi stands ant on stalo the-table
13.17b Kuri /kʊˈrʲɪ/ which.INT.F.NOM.SG Žalioji /ʒɐˈlʲoːjɪ/ green.F.NOM.SG.DEF ar /ɐr/ or ta /tɐ/ that.DEM.F.NOM.SG kuri /kʊˈrʲɪ/ which.REL.F.NOM.SG stovi /ˈstoːvʲɪ/ stand.3.PRES ant /ɐnt/ on stalo /ˈstaːloː/ table.M.GEN.SG
13.18a Ta the-one kuri that ant on stalo the-table Manau I-think kad that močiutei to-Grandma ji it patiks will-please
13.18b Ta /tɐ/ that.DEM.F.NOM.SG kuri /kʊˈrʲɪ/ which.REL.F.NOM.SG ant /ɐnt/ on stalo /ˈstaːloː/ table.M.GEN.SG Manau /mɐˈnɐʊ/ think.1SG.PRES kad /kɐt/ that.CONJ močiutei /moːˈtʃʊtʲɛɪ/ grandmother.F.DAT.SG ji /jɪ/ it.F.NOM.SG patiks /pɐˈtʲɪks/ please.3.FUT
13.19a Bet but ar Q ji it veikia works Paklausk ask to that pardavėjo stall-holder
13.19b Bet /bʲɛt/ but ar /ɐr/ Q ji /jɪ/ it.F.NOM.SG veikia /ˈvʲɛɪkʲɛ/ work.3.PRES Paklausk /pɐˈklɐʊsk/ ask.2SG.IMP to /toː/ that.DEM.M.GEN.SG pardavėjo /pɐrdɐˈvʲeːjoː/ seller.M.GEN.SG
13.20a Veikia it-works veikia it-works Tą that lempą lamp dar back-then mano my senelis grandfather pirko bought
13.20b Veikia /ˈvʲɛɪkʲɛ/ work.3.PRES veikia /ˈvʲɛɪkʲɛ/ work.3.PRES Tą /taː/ that.DEM.F.ACC.SG lempą /ˈlʲɛmpaː/ lamp.F.ACC.SG dar /dɐr/ still, already mano /ˈmaːnoː/ my senelis /sʲɛˈnʲælʲɪs/ grandfather.M.NOM.SG pirko /ˈpʲɪrkoː/ buy.3.PAST
13.21a O and kiek how-much ji it kainuoja costs
13.21b O /oː/ and kiek /kʲiɛk/ how-much ji /jɪ/ it.F.NOM.SG kainuoja /kɐɪˈnuɔjɐ/ cost.3.PRES
13.22a Dvidešimt twenty eurų euros O and tas that veidrodis mirror kuris which kabo hangs šalia next-to-it dešimt ten
13.22b Dvidešimt /ˈdvʲɪdʲɛʃɪmt/ twenty eurų /ɛʊˈruː/ euro.M.GEN.PL O /oː/ and tas /tɐs/ that.DEM.M.NOM.SG veidrodis /ˈvʲɛɪdroːdʲɪs/ mirror.M.NOM.SG kuris /kʊˈrʲɪs/ which.REL.M.NOM.SG kabo /ˈkaːboː/ hang.3.PRES šalia /ʃɐˈlʲɛ/ beside dešimt /ˈdʲæːʃɪmt/ ten
13.23a Tas that veidrodis mirror Jis it senas old ir and įskilęs cracked
13.23b Tas /tɐs/ that.DEM.M.NOM.SG veidrodis /ˈvʲɛɪdroːdʲɪs/ mirror.M.NOM.SG Jis /jɪs/ it.M.NOM.SG senas /ˈsʲænɐs/ old.M.NOM.SG ir /ɪr/ and įskilęs /iːˈskʲɪlʲæːs/ crack.PAST.ACT.PTCP.M.NOM.SG
13.24a Imsime we'll-take tą that lempą lamp Ar Q galite you-can ją it supakuoti to-wrap
13.24b Imsime /ˈɪmsʲɪmʲɛ/ take.1PL.FUT tą /taː/ that.DEM.F.ACC.SG lempą /ˈlʲɛmpaː/ lamp.F.ACC.SG Ar /ɐr/ Q galite /ˈɡaːlʲɪtʲɛ/ can.2PL.PRES ją /jaː/ it.F.ACC.SG supakuoti /sʊpɐˈkuɔtʲɪ/ pack.INF
13.25a Žinoma of-course Matau I-see kad that jūs you geri good anūkai grandchildren
13.25b Žinoma /ˈʒʲɪnoːmɐ/ of-course Matau /mɐˈtɐʊ/ see.1SG.PRES kad /kɐt/ that.CONJ jūs /juːs/ you.NOM.PL geri /ɡʲɛˈrʲɪ/ good.M.NOM.PL anūkai /ɐˈnuːkɐɪ/ grandchild.M.NOM.PL
13.26a Palauk wait Ar Q prisimeni you-remember tą that knygą book kurios which močiutė Grandma vis kept ieškojo looking-for
13.26b Palauk /pɐˈlɐʊk/ wait.2SG.IMP Ar /ɐr/ Q prisimeni /prʲɪˈsʲɪmʲɛnʲɪ/ remember.2SG.PRES.REFL tą /taː/ that.DEM.F.ACC.SG knygą /ˈknʲiːɡaː/ book.F.ACC.SG kurios /kʊˈrʲoːs/ which.REL.F.GEN.SG močiutė /moːˈtʃʊtʲeː/ grandmother.F.NOM.SG vis /vʲɪs/ continually ieškojo /iɛʃˈkoːjoː/ seek.3.PAST
13.27a Tą that seną old receptų recipe knygą book Žinoma of-course prisimenu I-remember
13.27b Tą /taː/ that.DEM.F.ACC.SG seną /ˈsʲæːnaː/ old.F.ACC.SG receptų /rʲɛtsʲɛpˈtuː/ recipe.M.GEN.PL knygą /ˈknʲiːɡaː/ book.F.ACC.SG Žinoma /ˈʒʲɪnoːmɐ/ of-course prisimenu /prʲɪˈsʲɪmʲɛnʊ/ remember.1SG.PRES.REFL
13.28a Manau I-think kad that tai that ji it Žiūrėk look ant on viršelio the-cover tas the pats same paveikslėlis picture
13.28b Manau /mɐˈnɐʊ/ think.1SG.PRES kad /kɐt/ that.CONJ tai /tɐɪ/ that.DEM.N ji /jɪ/ it.F.NOM.SG Žiūrėk /ʒʲuːˈrʲeːk/ look.2SG.IMP ant /ɐnt/ on viršelio /vʲɪrˈʃælʲoː/ cover.M.GEN.SG tas /tɐs/ that.DEM.M.NOM.SG pats /pɐts/ same.M.NOM.SG paveikslėlis /pɐvʲɛɪkˈslʲeːlʲɪs/ picture.DIM.M.NOM.SG
13.29a Tai that tikrai really ta the pati same knyga book Imame we-take ir also ją it
13.29b Tai /tɐɪ/ that.DEM.N tikrai /tʲɪkˈrɐɪ/ really ta /tɐ/ that.DEM.F.NOM.SG pati /pɐˈtʲɪ/ same.F.NOM.SG knyga /knʲiːˈɡɐ/ book.F.NOM.SG Imame /ˈɪmɐmʲɛ/ take.1PL.PRES ir /ɪr/ also ją /jaː/ it.F.ACC.SG
13.30a Tą that knygą book atiduodu I-give-away dovanai as-a-gift Perduokite pass-on linkėjimų greetings močiutei to-your-grandmother
13.30b Tą /taː/ that.DEM.F.ACC.SG knygą /ˈknʲiːɡaː/ book.F.ACC.SG atiduodu /ɐtʲɪˈduɔdʊ/ give-away.1SG.PRES dovanai /doːvɐˈnɐɪ/ gift.F.DAT.SG Perduokite /pʲɛrˈduɔkʲɪtʲɛ/ pass-on.2PL.IMP linkėjimų /lʲɪŋˈkʲeːjɪmuː/ greeting.M.GEN.PL močiutei /moːˈtʃʊtʲɛɪ/ grandmother.F.DAT.SG
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Part B: Dialogue with Idiomatic Translation
13.16 – Tomai, žiūrėk, ta lempa graži. → "Tomas, look, that lamp's pretty."
13.17 – Kuri? Žalioji ar ta, kuri stovi ant stalo? → "Which one? The green one, or the one on the table?"
13.18 – Ta, kuri ant stalo. Manau, kad močiutei ji patiks. → "The one on the table. I think Grandma will like it."
13.19 – Bet ar ji veikia? Paklausk to pardavėjo. → "But does it work? Ask the man at the stall."
13.20 – Veikia, veikia! Tą lempą dar mano senelis pirko. → "It works, it works! My grandfather bought that lamp, back in his day."
13.21 – O kiek ji kainuoja? → "And how much is it?"
13.22 – Dvidešimt eurų. O tas veidrodis, kuris kabo šalia, – dešimt. → "Twenty euros. And that mirror hanging next to it is ten."
13.23 – Tas veidrodis? Jis senas ir įskilęs. → "That mirror? It's old and cracked."
13.24 – Imsime tą lempą. Ar galite ją supakuoti? → "We'll take the lamp. Could you wrap it?"
13.25 – Žinoma. Matau, kad jūs geri anūkai. → "Of course. I can see you're good grandchildren."
13.26 – Palauk! Ar prisimeni tą knygą, kurios močiutė vis ieškojo? → "Wait! Do you remember that book Grandma was always looking for?"
13.27 – Tą seną receptų knygą? Žinoma, prisimenu. → "That old recipe book? Of course I do."
13.28 – Manau, kad tai ji. Žiūrėk, ant viršelio – tas pats paveikslėlis. → "I think this is it. Look, the same picture on the cover."
13.29 – Tai tikrai ta pati knyga! Imame ir ją. → "It really is the same book! We'll take that too."
13.30 – Tą knygą atiduodu dovanai. Perduokite linkėjimų močiutei! → "The book is yours, free. Give my regards to your grandmother!"
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Part C: Dialogue in Lithuanian Only
– Tomai, žiūrėk, ta lempa graži.
– Kuri? Žalioji ar ta, kuri stovi ant stalo?
– Ta, kuri ant stalo. Manau, kad močiutei ji patiks.
– Bet ar ji veikia? Paklausk to pardavėjo.
– Veikia, veikia! Tą lempą dar mano senelis pirko.
– O kiek ji kainuoja?
– Dvidešimt eurų. O tas veidrodis, kuris kabo šalia, – dešimt.
– Tas veidrodis? Jis senas ir įskilęs.
– Imsime tą lempą. Ar galite ją supakuoti?
– Žinoma. Matau, kad jūs geri anūkai.
– Palauk! Ar prisimeni tą knygą, kurios močiutė vis ieškojo?
– Tą seną receptų knygą? Žinoma, prisimenu.
– Manau, kad tai ji. Žiūrėk, ant viršelio – tas pats paveikslėlis.
– Tai tikrai ta pati knyga! Imame ir ją.
– Tą knygą atiduodu dovanai. Perduokite linkėjimų močiutei!
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Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- tas / ta through the cases. ta lempa (13.16, nominative), tą lempą (13.20, 13.24, accusative), to pardavėjo (13.19, genitive), tas veidrodis (13.22, 13.23, masculine nominative), tą knygą (13.26, 13.30). The demonstrative always matches its noun. - ta without a noun = "the one". ta, kuri stovi ant stalo (13.17), "the one that is standing on the table". English needs "one". Lithuanian does not. - Kuri? as a question (13.17): the same word as the relative pronoun, used to ask "which (of several)?". Kuris? for a masculine noun. - The definite adjective. Žalioji (13.17) is the "pronominal" form of žalia "green": it means "the green one", a particular one already in view. Lithuanian marks definiteness on the adjective, not with an article. You will meet these forms again. - The relative takes its own case. knygą, kurios močiutė vis ieškojo (13.26): the book is accusative (object of prisimeni), but kurios is genitive, because ieškoti "to look for" takes the genitive (as in 12.29, ieškoti kostiumo). - paklausti + genitive. Paklausk to pardavėjo (13.19): you ask someone in the genitive, paklausti ko. - Ellipsis of "is". Ta, kuri ant stalo (13.18) leaves out stovi. O tas veidrodis… – dešimt (13.22) and ant viršelio – tas pats paveikslėlis (13.28) leave out kainuoja and yra, and the dash marks the gap (as in 12.26). - tai + noun or pronoun = "that is…". Manau, kad tai ji (13.28) "I think that's it"; Tai tikrai ta pati knyga (13.29) "That really is the same book". Neuter tai introduces; it does not agree (Lesson 10). - tas pats, ta pati. tas pats paveikslėlis (13.28, masculine), ta pati knyga (13.29, feminine). - kad after verbs of thinking and seeing. Manau, kad… (13.18, 13.28), Matau, kad… (13.25). - Genitive of quantity. dvidešimt eurų (13.22): after twenty, the counted noun is genitive plural (Lesson 11). receptų knyga (13.27) "book of recipes": a genitive in front of the noun is the usual Lithuanian compound. - dar mano senelis pirko (13.20): dar "still, even" here means "as long ago as": "my grandfather bought it, back then". - Polite plural. The stall-holder says jūs and Perduokite (13.25, 13.30); the brother and sister say tu: žiūrėk, paklausk, palauk. - Perduokite linkėjimų (13.30): "give (some of my) greetings", with a partitive genitive plural. Linkėjimai! alone is also used, as a sign-off. - atiduodu dovanai (13.30): "I give it away as a gift". The dative dovanai expresses purpose.
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- The key forms: tas /tɐs/, ta /tɐ/, tą /taː/, to /toː/, tos /toːs/, tam /tɐm/, tuo /tuɔ/, tie /tʲiɛ/, tų /tuː/, tuos /tuɔs/; kuris /kʊˈrʲɪs/, kuri /kʊˈrʲɪ/, kurį /kʊˈrʲiː/, kurią /kʊˈrʲaː/, kurios /kʊˈrʲoːs/, kuriuos /kʊˈrʲuɔs/, kuriais /kʊˈrʲɛɪs/; kad /kɐt/. - The ogonek lengthens: ta /tɐ/ vs tą /taː/; kuri /kʊˈrʲɪ/ vs kurį /kʊˈrʲiː/. In modern Lithuanian the ogonek marks length, not a nasal sound, but it tells you the case, so it must always be written. - Softening i: in kurio, kurią, kuriuos, kuriais the i is not a vowel of its own. It softens the r: kurią has two syllables, ku-rią. - Final devoicing: kad /kɐt/, daug /dɐʊk/. The spelling keeps d and g. - Commas: a relative clause is enclosed in commas (Ta knyga, kurią man davei, labai įdomi, 13.7; Tie žmonės, su kuriais dirbu, labai draugiški, 13.10). A comma always stands before kad (13.5, 13.8, 13.11, 13.14) and before kai "when" (13.13). In proverbs a comma separates the kas-clause from the tas-clause (13.15). - Dash: a dash stands where a verb is left out (13.22, 13.28), and it opens direct speech in dialogue.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)