What does "he" mean in Lithuanian, as in "He is my brother", "Do you know him?", "That's his book", "I'll go with him"?
English "he" is the pronoun for a man, a boy or a male animal already mentioned or obvious from the situation. It has three forms: he as subject (He is here), him as object (I saw him, with him, about him) and his as possessive (his book).
Lithuanian says jis. You have already met jis in Lesson 10 as "it" for a masculine thing (Kur raktas? Jis čia. "Where's the key? It's here."). The same word, with the same forms, is "he" for a person. What English does with three forms, Lithuanian does with its six cases:
- jis "he" (subject): Jis mano brolis. "He is my brother." - jį "him" (direct object, and after apie "about", pas "to (someone's place)", į, už): Ar pažįsti jį? "Do you know him?" - jam "to him, for him" (dative): Paskambink jam. "Call him." Jam patinka. "He likes it." - jo "his, of him" (genitive): jo knyga "his book"; and after a negated verb: Nemačiau jo. "I didn't see him." - juo "him" after su "with" (instrumental): su juo "with him". - jame "in him" (locative): rare for persons.
Two things will surprise an English speaker. First, the possessive jo "his" never changes: jo brolis, jo sesuo, jo knygos, su jo draugu. Second, when "his" means the subject's own, Lithuanian does not say jo at all but savo "(his) own": Jis myli savo mamą. "He loves his (own) mother." Jis myli jo mamą would mean another man's mother.
Etymology: jis comes from the Indo-European pronoun stem \i- / \yo-, the same stem as Latin is "he, that one" (Lesson 10). The plural is jie "they" (men, or a mixed group).
Orthographic points: the accusative jį is written with an ogonek (nosinė) on the i. It marks a long vowel /iː/, and it is the only thing that tells the object jį "him" from the feminine subject ji "she" on the page. Jo and juo are different cases: jo /joː/ is genitive, juo /juɔ/, with the diphthong uo, is instrumental.
FAQ: How do you say "he" in Lithuanian? jis. As object "him": jį; "to him": jam; "with him": su juo; "his": jo (or savo when it is the subject's own).
FAQ: How do you say "his" in Lithuanian? jo, which never changes: jo tėvas "his father", jo mama "his mother". But if "he" is the subject of the same clause, use savo: Jis kalba apie savo tėvą. "He talks about his (own) father."
FAQ: Do you have to say "he"? No. The verb ending already tells you it is the third person: Dirba ligoninėje. "(He) works at a hospital." But the third-person ending is the same for "he", "she" and "they", so jis is kept more often than aš or tu, whenever it is needed to make clear who is meant.
- jis "he" declines: jis, jo, jam, jį, juo, jame. - jo "his" is the genitive and never changes: jo brolis, jo sesuo. - savo replaces jo when "his" means the subject's own: Jis myli savo mamą. - After a negated verb "him" is the genitive jo: Mačiau jį but Nemačiau jo. - Talk about an older man with jis; speak to him with the polite Jūs.
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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.
- jis /jɪs/ — "he": short /ɪ/, like English is with a y in front. - jo /joː/ — "his, of him": a pure long /oː/, not the English glide in go. - jam /jɐm/ — "to him": short, like English yum. - jį /jiː/ — "him": the ogonek makes the vowel long, "yee". - juo /juɔ/ — "(with) him": the diphthong uo, gliding from /u/ to /ɔ/. - jame /jɐˈmʲɛ/ — "in him": stress on the ending. - jie /jiɛ/ — "they": the diphthong ie, gliding from /i/ to /ɛ/. - savo /ˈsaːvoː/ — "(one's) own": stress and length on the first syllable.
Lithuanian j is always the English y of yes, never the j of jam. So jam sounds like English "yum", and jis like "yiss".
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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 COND; IMP = imperative; INF = infinitive; PFV = perfective prefix; REFL = reflexive; NEG = negative; Q = question particle; DEM = demonstrative; INT = interrogative; REL = relative pronoun; CONJ = conjunction; PREP+GEN / PREP+ACC = preposition governing the genitive / accusative.
16.1a Jis he čia here
16.1b Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG čia /tʃʲɛ/ here
16.2a Kas who jis he
16.2b Kas /kɐs/ who.INT.NOM jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG
16.3a Jis he mano my brolis brother
16.3b Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG mano /ˈmaːnoː/ my brolis /ˈbroːlʲɪs/ brother.M.NOM.SG
16.4a Ar Q pažįsti you-know jį him
16.4b Ar /ɐr/ Q pažįsti /pɐˈʒʲiːsʲtʲɪ/ know.2SG.PRES jį /jiː/ he.M.ACC.SG
16.5a Tai that jo his knyga book
16.5b Tai /tɐɪ/ that.DEM.N jo /joː/ he.M.GEN.SG knyga /knʲiːˈɡɐ/ book.F.NOM.SG
16.6a Paskambink call jam to-him vakare in-the-evening
16.6b Paskambink /pɐsˈkɐmbʲɪŋk/ PFV-call.2SG.IMP jam /jɐm/ he.M.DAT.SG vakare /vɐkɐˈrʲɛ/ evening.M.LOC.SG
16.7a Vakar yesterday mačiau I-saw jį him parduotuvėje in-the-shop
16.7b Vakar /ˈvaːkɐr/ yesterday mačiau /mɐˈtʃʲɛʊ/ see.1SG.PAST jį /jiː/ he.M.ACC.SG parduotuvėje /pɐrduɔˈtʊvʲeːjɛ/ shop.F.LOC.SG
16.8a Jis he dirba works ligoninėje in-a-hospital ir and gyvena lives Kaune in-Kaunas
16.8b Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG dirba /ˈdʲɪrbɐ/ work.3.PRES ligoninėje /lʲɪˈɡoːnʲɪnʲeːjɛ/ hospital.F.LOC.SG ir /ɪr/ and gyvena /ɡʲiːˈvʲæːnɐ/ live.3.PRES Kaune /kɐʊˈnʲɛ/ Kaunas.M.LOC.SG
16.9a Ar Q eisi you-will-go su with juo him į to kiną the-cinema
16.9b Ar /ɐr/ Q eisi /ˈɛɪsʲɪ/ go.2SG.FUT su /sʊ/ with.PREP+INST juo /juɔ/ he.M.INST.SG į /iː/ into.PREP+ACC kiną /ˈkʲɪnaː/ cinema.M.ACC.SG
16.10a Mes we daug a-lot apie about jį him kalbėjome we-talked
16.10b Mes /mʲɛs/ we.NOM daug /dɐʊk/ much apie /ɐˈpʲiɛ/ about.PREP+ACC jį /jiː/ he.M.ACC.SG kalbėjome /kɐlʲˈbʲeːjoːmʲɛ/ talk.1PL.PAST
16.11a Tomas Tomas sako says kad that jis he rytoj tomorrow neateis won't-come
16.11b Tomas /ˈtoːmɐs/ Tomas.M.NOM.SG sako /ˈsaːkoː/ say.3.PRES kad /kɐt/ that.CONJ jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG rytoj /riːˈtoːj/ tomorrow neateis /nʲɛɐˈtʲɛɪs/ NEG-come.3.FUT
16.12a Kai when jis he buvo was mažas little jo his šeima family gyveno lived prie by jūros the-sea
16.12b Kai /kɐɪ/ when jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG buvo /ˈbʊvoː/ be.3.PAST mažas /ˈmaːʒɐs/ small.M.NOM.SG jo /joː/ he.M.GEN.SG šeima /ʃɛɪˈmɐ/ family.F.NOM.SG gyveno /ɡʲiːˈvʲæːnoː/ live.3.PAST prie /prʲiɛ/ by.PREP+GEN jūros /ˈjuːroːs/ sea.F.GEN.SG
16.13a Jis he dažnai often kalba talks apie about savo his-own tėvą father kurio whom niekada never nematė he-didn't-see
16.13b Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG dažnai /dɐʒˈnɐɪ/ often kalba /ˈkɐlbɐ/ talk.3.PRES apie /ɐˈpʲiɛ/ about.PREP+ACC savo /ˈsaːvoː/ own.REFL.POSS tėvą /ˈtʲeːvaː/ father.M.ACC.SG kurio /kʊˈrʲoː/ which.REL.M.GEN.SG niekada /nʲiɛkɐˈdɐ/ never nematė /nʲɛˈmaːtʲeː/ NEG-see.3.PAST
16.14a Mokytojas the-teacher jam him padėkojo thanked nes because jis he padėjo helped visiems everyone
16.14b Mokytojas /moːˈkʲiːtoːjɐs/ teacher.M.NOM.SG jam /jɐm/ he.M.DAT.SG padėkojo /pɐdʲeːˈkoːjoː/ thank.3.PAST nes /nʲɛs/ because jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG padėjo /pɐˈdʲeːjoː/ help.3.PAST visiems /vʲɪˈsʲiɛms/ all.M.DAT.PL
16.15a Tas that-man jį him pasiuntė sent į into laukus the-fields kiaulių pigs ganyti to-herd
16.15b Tas /tɐs/ that.DEM.M.NOM.SG jį /jiː/ he.M.ACC.SG pasiuntė /pɐˈsʲʊntʲeː/ send.3.PAST į /iː/ into.PREP+ACC laukus /lɐʊˈkʊs/ field.M.ACC.PL kiaulių /kʲɛʊˈlʲuː/ pig.F.GEN.PL ganyti /ɡɐˈnʲiːtʲɪ/ herd.INF
(16.15 is Luke 15:15b, from the parable of the Prodigal Son, in the Lithuanian Catholic text given in the online Bible at charity.lt/biblija: Tas jį pasiuntė į laukus kiaulių ganyti. "The man sent him into the fields to feed pigs." The same parable gives Section F. Examples 16.1–16.14 are pedagogical sentences built from verified vocabulary and patterns.)
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16.1 Jis čia. → "He's here."
16.2 Kas jis? → "Who is he?"
16.3 Jis mano brolis. → "He's my brother."
16.4 Ar pažįsti jį? → "Do you know him?"
16.5 Tai jo knyga. → "That's his book."
16.6 Paskambink jam vakare. → "Call him in the evening."
16.7 Vakar mačiau jį parduotuvėje. → "I saw him in the shop yesterday."
16.8 Jis dirba ligoninėje ir gyvena Kaune. → "He works at a hospital and lives in Kaunas."
16.9 Ar eisi su juo į kiną? → "Are you going to the cinema with him?"
16.10 Mes daug apie jį kalbėjome. → "We talked about him a lot."
16.11 Tomas sako, kad jis rytoj neateis. → "Tomas says he won't come tomorrow."
16.12 Kai jis buvo mažas, jo šeima gyveno prie jūros. → "When he was little, his family lived by the sea."
16.13 Jis dažnai kalba apie savo tėvą, kurio niekada nematė. → "He often talks about his father, whom he never saw."
16.14 Mokytojas jam padėkojo, nes jis padėjo visiems. → "The teacher thanked him, because he had helped everyone."
16.15 Tas jį pasiuntė į laukus kiaulių ganyti. → "The man sent him into the fields to feed pigs."
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16.1 Jis čia.
16.2 Kas jis?
16.3 Jis mano brolis.
16.4 Ar pažįsti jį?
16.5 Tai jo knyga.
16.6 Paskambink jam vakare.
16.7 Vakar mačiau jį parduotuvėje.
16.8 Jis dirba ligoninėje ir gyvena Kaune.
16.9 Ar eisi su juo į kiną?
16.10 Mes daug apie jį kalbėjome.
16.11 Tomas sako, kad jis rytoj neateis.
16.12 Kai jis buvo mažas, jo šeima gyveno prie jūros.
16.13 Jis dažnai kalba apie savo tėvą, kurio niekada nematė.
16.14 Mokytojas jam padėkojo, nes jis padėjo visiems.
16.15 Tas jį pasiuntė į laukus kiaulių ganyti.
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These are the grammar rules for "he" in Lithuanian:
1. The forms of jis
Singular: Nominative: jis "he" (16.1, 16.3) Genitive: jo "his, of him" (16.5, 16.12) Dative: jam "to him, for him" (16.6, 16.14) Accusative: jį "him" (16.4, 16.7, 16.10) Instrumental: juo "(with) him" (16.9) Locative: jame "in him"
Plural ("they", men or a mixed group): Nominative: jie Genitive: jų Dative: jiems Accusative: juos Instrumental: jais Locative: juose
The feminine ji "she" has its own set (Lesson 10): ji, jos, jai, ją, ja, joje.
2. Which case for "him"?
English "him" is one word; Lithuanian chooses the case the verb or preposition requires. - Accusative jį after most verbs: pažįsti jį (16.4), mačiau jį (16.7); and after apie "about" (16.10), pas "to (his place)", į "into", už "for" (Lesson 14), per "through". - Dative jam after verbs of giving, telling, helping and thanking: paskambink jam (16.6), padėkojo jam (16.14), padėti jam "to help him", duoti jam "to give him". Also in "liking" and "needing", where English has he as subject: Jam patinka. "He likes it." Jam reikia pagalbos. "He needs help." And for age and feelings: Jam dešimt metų. "He is ten." Jam liūdna. "He is sad." - Genitive jo after a negated verb (Lesson 10): Mačiau jį "I saw him", but Nemačiau jo "I didn't see him". And after prepositions that take the genitive: be jo "without him", iš jo "from him", prie jo "next to him", dėl jo "for his sake". - Instrumental juo after su "with": su juo (16.9).
3. jo: "his" that never changes
The genitive jo serves as "his". Like mano "my", it does not agree with the noun: jo brolis (m.), jo šeima (f., 16.12), jo knyga (16.5), jo knygos (pl.), su jo draugu "with his friend". The noun after it takes whatever case the sentence needs; jo stays jo. In the same way jos is "her" and jų "their".
4. savo: "his own"
When "his" refers to the subject of its own clause, Lithuanian uses the reflexive possessive savo, which also never changes (you met it in Lesson 11: turiu savo nuomonę "I have my own opinion"). - Jis kalba apie savo tėvą. (16.13) "He talks about his (own) father." - Jis kalba apie jo tėvą. "He talks about his father" — some other man's father. - Jis neranda savo bilieto. "He can't find his ticket" (his own). Jis neranda jo bilieto. "He can't find his ticket" (someone else's).
In 16.12 jo šeima is right, because šeima "family" is itself the subject of gyveno; the man is not the subject of that clause. Savo is for "his" when "he" is the one doing the action.
5. Leaving jis out
The verb ending already shows the third person: Dirba ligoninėje. "(He) works at a hospital." Once a man has been named and the conversation is about him, jis is usually left out in a chain of actions: Jis pakilo ir iškeliavo pas tėvą (Section F), not jis pakilo ir jis iškeliavo. But daro means "he does", "she does" and "they do" alike, so jis is kept when a new person comes into focus or when it would otherwise be unclear who is meant: Mokytojas jam padėkojo, nes jis padėjo visiems (16.14).
6. jis in a kad-clause
Tomas sako, kad jis rytoj neateis (16.11): as in English, jis here is normally Tomas himself, but it could be another man already mentioned. To make it plain that it is Tomas, Lithuanian can leave the pronoun out (Tomas sako, kad rytoj neateis) or add pats "himself" (kad pats neateis). Note also that the tense of what was said stays as it was said (Lesson 15).
7. jis and tas
Jis refers back to someone already in the conversation. Tas "that one, that man" (Lesson 13) points someone out, often a new or a second person: in 16.15 tas is the landowner, jį the son. Tas keeps two men apart where two jis would be confusing.
8. Talking to him and about him
To an older man or a stranger you say Jūs (polite "you"); about him you say jis. In the Genre Section Rūta says Čia jums "This is for you" to Mr Antanas (16.25), and calls him jis as soon as he is out of earshot (16.27–16.28).
Common Mistakes
- Mistake: the accusative after a negative. Nemačiau jį. Correct: Nemačiau jo. - Mistake: the accusative after su. su jį. Correct: su juo. - Mistake: jo for the subject's own. Jis myli jo mamą (= someone else's mother). Correct: Jis myli savo mamą. - Mistake: making "his" agree with a feminine noun. jos knyga for "his book" (it means "her book"). Correct: jo knyga. - Mistake: jis as subject of "like" or "need". Jis patinka kavą. Correct: Jam patinka kava. "He likes coffee" (literally "coffee pleases him"). Jis patinka means "he is liked, people like him". - Mistake: the subject form for age. Jis yra dešimt metų. Correct: Jam dešimt metų. - Mistake: dropping the ogonek. Mačiau ji ("I saw she"). Correct: Mačiau jį. - Mistake: repeating jis in every clause. Jis atėjo, jis atsisėdo, jis pavalgė. Better: Jis atėjo, atsisėdo ir pavalgė.
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"His" in a woman's surname
Lithuanian surnames show whose family a woman belongs to. A man is, say, Antanas Petrauskas. His wife has traditionally been Petrauskienė and his unmarried daughter Petrauskaitė. The endings -ienė (wife) and -aitė, -ytė, -utė, -ūtė (daughter) are built on his name. Today a woman may also choose a form that does not show whether she is married, for example Petrauskė. A learner reading a Lithuanian newspaper can often tell from a surname alone how a woman is related to a man who is mentioned.
jisai
Beside jis there is a longer form, jisai (feminine jinai). It is colloquial and expressive. In writing and in ordinary speech, jis is the norm.
Talking about people present
Lithuanian speakers address older people, strangers and anyone in a formal setting as Jūs. The pronoun of address and the pronoun of reference are separate: one can be very polite to a man and still call him jis when speaking about him. The capital J in Jūs is used in letters and messages as a further mark of respect.
The village neighbour
In the Lithuanian countryside the nearest neighbour (kaimynas) may live across a field or a stream. Carrying a share of a cake or of the harvest to a neighbour, especially to an old man or woman living alone, is an ordinary courtesy, and it is the subject of the Genre Section.
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Source: Evangelija pagal Luką (the Gospel of Luke) 15:20, from the parable of the Prodigal Son, in the Lithuanian Catholic text given in the online Bible at charity.lt/biblija (as in Lessons 11 and 15).
Context: A man has two sons. The younger takes his share of the inheritance, goes to a far country and wastes it. When famine comes, he is sent to feed pigs (16.15), and at last he decides to go home and ask his father to take him back as a hired hand. Verse 20 is the turning point of the story. It is a good text for this lesson because the son is not named in it at all: he is jis, jam and jį, and after that only the endings of the verbs tell who does what.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Jis he pakilo got-up ir and iškeliavo set-off pas to tėvą his-father
F.1b Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG pakilo /pɐˈkʲɪloː/ rise.3.PAST ir /ɪr/ and iškeliavo /ɪʃkʲɛˈlʲɛvoː/ set-out.3.PAST pas /pɐs/ to.PREP+ACC tėvą /ˈtʲeːvaː/ father.M.ACC.SG
F.2a Jam him dar still toli far esant being tėvas his-father jį him pamatė saw
F.2b Jam /jɐm/ he.M.DAT.SG dar /dɐr/ still toli /toːˈlʲɪ/ far esant /ɛˈsɐnt/ be.PRES.PTCP tėvas /ˈtʲeːvɐs/ father.M.NOM.SG jį /jiː/ he.M.ACC.SG pamatė /pɐˈmaːtʲeː/ PFV-see.3.PAST
F.3a ir and apimtas seized gailesčio with-pity pribėgo ran-up
F.3b ir /ɪr/ and apimtas /ˈaːpʲɪmtɐs/ seize.PAST.PASS.PTCP.M.NOM.SG gailesčio /ɡɐɪˈlʲæːstʃʲoː/ pity.M.GEN.SG pribėgo /prʲɪˈbʲeːɡoː/ run-up.3.PAST
F.4a puolė fell ant on kaklo his-neck ir and meiliai lovingly pabučiavo kissed
F.4b puolė /ˈpuɔlʲeː/ fall.3.PAST ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN kaklo /ˈkaːkloː/ neck.M.GEN.SG ir /ɪr/ and meiliai /ˈmʲɛɪlʲɛɪ/ lovingly pabučiavo /pɐbʊˈtʃʲɛvoː/ PFV-kiss.3.PAST
F-B: Original Text with Translation
20 Jis pakilo ir iškeliavo pas tėvą. Jam dar toli esant, tėvas jį pamatė ir, apimtas gailesčio, pribėgo, puolė ant kaklo ir meiliai pabučiavo.
"20 He got up and set off to his father. While he was still far off, his father saw him and, filled with pity, ran up, fell on his neck and kissed him tenderly."
(Our translation, following the Lithuanian closely.)
F-C: Original Text Only
20 Jis pakilo ir iškeliavo pas tėvą. Jam dar toli esant, tėvas jį pamatė ir, apimtas gailesčio, pribėgo, puolė ant kaklo ir meiliai pabučiavo.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- Jis … Jam … jį (F.1, F.2): the son in three cases in two sentences: subject jis, dative jam, object jį. - Jam dar toli esant (F.2): the dative absolute. A noun or pronoun in the dative with the participle esant "being" makes a time clause: "with him still being far off", that is, "while he was still far off". The participle esant does not change. It is a bookish construction, used in written Lithuanian and in the Bible; in conversation one would say Kai jis dar buvo toli… - pas tėvą (F.1): pas + accusative is "to (a person, to his home)", where English says "to his father". Lithuanian needs no "his" here: whose father is plain. The same holds for tėvas in F.2 and ant kaklo "on (his) neck" in F.4. - The pronoun left out (F.3, F.4): after tėvas jį pamatė the father is the subject of pribėgo, puolė, pabučiavo, and the son, the one kissed, is not named again. English needs "him" twice; Lithuanian needs it once. - apimtas gailesčio (F.3): "seized by pity". Apimtas is the past passive participle of apimti "to seize, to come over", and agrees with tėvas (masculine nominative singular). The feeling that seizes is in the genitive: gailestis "pity", genitive gailesčio. - The perfective pa- (F.2, F.4): pamatė "caught sight of", pabučiavo "kissed" (once, done): the same prefix as in padaryti (Lesson 15). - The comma inside ir, apimtas gailesčio,: the participle phrase is set off by commas on both sides, even directly after ir.
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The half of the apple cake that Grandma promised to the neighbours (15.28) goes to the nearest of them, an old man who lives alone. Before Rūta and Tomas (from Lessons 10–15) take it over, they ask Grandma about him. A pronoun is best learned in conversation, and this one is a conversation about a man who is not there: jis as subject, jo "his", jam "to him", jį "him". At his door the children speak to him politely, with jums; walking home, they talk about him again. Direct speech opens with a dash. The speakers are: in Grandma's kitchen, Tomas (16.16), Grandma (16.17), Rūta (16.18), Grandma (16.19), Tomas (16.20), Grandma (16.21), Rūta (16.22), Grandma (16.23), Tomas (16.24); at Mr Antanas's door, Rūta (16.25), Mr Antanas (16.26); on the way home, Tomas (16.27), Rūta (16.28), Tomas (16.29), Rūta (16.30).
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
16.16a Močiute Grandma kas who tas that kaimynas neighbour Ar Q mes we jį him pažįstame know
16.16b Močiute /moːˈtʃʊtʲɛ/ grandmother.F.VOC.SG kas /kɐs/ who.INT.NOM tas /tɐs/ that.DEM.M.NOM.SG kaimynas /kɐɪˈmʲiːnɐs/ neighbour.M.NOM.SG Ar /ɐr/ Q mes /mʲɛs/ we.NOM jį /jiː/ he.M.ACC.SG pažįstame /pɐˈʒʲiːstɐmʲɛ/ know.1PL.PRES
16.17a Tai that's ponas Mr Antanas Antanas Jis he gyvena lives už beyond upelio the-stream mažame in-a-small name house
16.17b Tai /tɐɪ/ that.DEM.N ponas /ˈpoːnɐs/ Mr.M.NOM.SG Antanas /ˈaːntɐnɐs/ Antanas.M.NOM.SG Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG gyvena /ɡʲiːˈvʲæːnɐ/ live.3.PRES už /ʊʒ/ beyond.PREP+GEN upelio /ʊˈpʲælʲoː/ stream.M.GEN.SG mažame /mɐʒɐˈmʲɛ/ small.M.LOC.SG name /nɐˈmʲɛ/ house.M.LOC.SG
16.18a Ar Q jis he gyvena lives vienas alone
16.18b Ar /ɐr/ Q jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG gyvena /ɡʲiːˈvʲæːnɐ/ live.3.PRES vienas /ˈvʲiɛnɐs/ alone.M.NOM.SG
16.19a Vienas alone Jo his žmona wife mirė died prieš ago penkerius five metus years o and vaikai the-children gyvena live Vilniuje in-Vilnius
16.19b Vienas /ˈvʲiɛnɐs/ alone.M.NOM.SG Jo /joː/ he.M.GEN.SG žmona /ʒmoːˈnɐ/ wife.F.NOM.SG mirė /ˈmʲɪrʲeː/ die.3.PAST prieš /prʲiɛʃ/ before.PREP+ACC penkerius /pʲɛŋkʲɛˈrʲʊs/ five.COLL.M.ACC.PL metus /ˈmʲæːtʊs/ year.M.ACC.PL o /oː/ and.CONJ vaikai /vɐɪˈkɐɪ/ child.M.NOM.PL gyvena /ɡʲiːˈvʲæːnɐ/ live.3.PRES Vilniuje /ˈvʲɪlʲnʲʊjɛ/ Vilnius.M.LOC.SG
16.20a Ar Q jo his vaikai children jį him lanko visit
16.20b Ar /ɐr/ Q jo /joː/ he.M.GEN.SG vaikai /vɐɪˈkɐɪ/ child.M.NOM.PL jį /jiː/ he.M.ACC.SG lanko /ˈlaːŋkoː/ visit.3.PRES
16.21a Retai rarely Todėl so jam to-him kartais sometimes būna it-is liūdna sad
16.21b Retai /rʲɛˈtɐɪ/ rarely Todėl /toːˈdʲeːl/ therefore jam /jɐm/ he.M.DAT.SG kartais /ˈkaːrtɐɪs/ sometimes būna /ˈbuːnɐ/ be.3.PRES.HAB liūdna /lʲuːdˈnɐ/ sad.N
16.22a Ką what jis he mėgsta likes
16.22b Ką /kaː/ what.INT.ACC jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG mėgsta /ˈmʲeːkstɐ/ like.3.PRES
16.23a Jis he mėgsta likes savo his-own sodą garden savo his-own bites bees ir and saldumynus sweet-things
16.23b Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG mėgsta /ˈmʲeːkstɐ/ like.3.PRES savo /ˈsaːvoː/ own.REFL.POSS sodą /ˈsoːdaː/ garden.M.ACC.SG savo /ˈsaːvoː/ own.REFL.POSS bites /ˈbʲɪtʲɛs/ bee.F.ACC.PL ir /ɪr/ and saldumynus /sɐlʲdʊˈmʲiːnʊs/ sweet.M.ACC.PL
16.24a Tai then jam to-him mūsų our pyragas cake tikrai surely patiks will-be-pleasing
16.24b Tai /tɐɪ/ then jam /jɐm/ he.M.DAT.SG mūsų /ˈmuːsuː/ we.GEN pyragas /pʲiːˈraːɡɐs/ cake.M.NOM.SG tikrai /tʲɪkˈrɐɪ/ surely patiks /pɐˈtʲɪks/ please.3.FUT
16.25a Laba good diena day pone Mr Antanai Antanas Čia here jums for-you nuo from močiutės Grandma
16.25b Laba /lɐˈbɐ/ good.F.NOM.SG diena /dʲiɛˈnɐ/ day.F.NOM.SG pone /ˈpoːnʲɛ/ Mr.M.VOC.SG Antanai /ˈaːntɐnɐɪ/ Antanas.M.VOC.SG Čia /tʃʲɛ/ here jums /jʊms/ you.DAT.PL nuo /nuɔ/ from.PREP+GEN močiutės /moːˈtʃʊtʲeːs/ grandmother.F.GEN.SG
16.26a Ačiū thank-you vaikai children Jūsų your močiutė grandmother manęs me niekada never nepamiršta doesn't-forget
16.26b Ačiū /ˈaːtʃʲuː/ thanks vaikai /vɐɪˈkɐɪ/ child.M.VOC.PL Jūsų /ˈjuːsuː/ you.GEN.PL močiutė /moːˈtʃʊtʲeː/ grandmother.F.NOM.SG manęs /mɐˈnʲæːs/ I.GEN niekada /nʲiɛkɐˈdɐ/ never nepamiršta /nʲɛpɐˈmʲɪrʃtɐ/ NEG-forget.3.PRES
16.27a Jis he toks so malonus kind Ar Q matei you-saw kaip how jis he nusišypsojo smiled
16.27b Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG toks /toːks/ such.M.NOM.SG malonus /mɐloːˈnʊs/ kind.M.NOM.SG Ar /ɐr/ Q matei /mɐˈtʲɛɪ/ see.2SG.PAST kaip /kɐɪp/ how jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG nusišypsojo /nʊsʲɪʃiːpˈsoːjoː/ PFV-REFL-smile.3.PAST
16.28a Mačiau I-saw Jis he paprašė asked kad that rytoj tomorrow vėl again pas to jį him užsuktume we-would-drop-in
16.28b Mačiau /mɐˈtʃʲɛʊ/ see.1SG.PAST Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG paprašė /pɐˈpraːʃʲeː/ ask.3.PAST kad /kɐt/ that.CONJ rytoj /riːˈtoːj/ tomorrow vėl /vʲeːl/ again pas /pɐs/ to.PREP+ACC jį /jiː/ he.M.ACC.SG užsuktume /ʊʒˈsʊktʊmʲɛ/ drop-in.1PL.COND
16.29a Užsuksime we-will-drop-in Aš I jam him padėsiu will-help sode in-the-garden o and tu you jam to-him papasakosi will-tell apie about mokyklą school
16.29b Užsuksime /ʊʒˈsʊksʲɪmʲɛ/ drop-in.1PL.FUT Aš /ɐʃ/ I.NOM jam /jɐm/ he.M.DAT.SG padėsiu /pɐˈdʲeːsʲʊ/ help.1SG.FUT sode /soːˈdʲɛ/ garden.M.LOC.SG o /oː/ and.CONJ tu /tʊ/ you.NOM.SG jam /jɐm/ he.M.DAT.SG papasakosi /pɐpɐsɐˈkoːsʲɪ/ PFV-tell.2SG.FUT apie /ɐˈpʲiɛ/ about.PREP+ACC mokyklą /moːˈkʲiːklaː/ school.F.ACC.SG
16.30a Gerai all-right Juk after-all jis he dabar now ir also mūsų our kaimynas neighbour
16.30b Gerai /ɡʲɛˈrɐɪ/ well Juk /jʊk/ after-all jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG dabar /dɐˈbɐr/ now ir /ɪr/ also mūsų /ˈmuːsuː/ we.GEN kaimynas /kɐɪˈmʲiːnɐs/ neighbour.M.NOM.SG
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Part B: Dialogue with Idiomatic Translation
16.16 – Močiute, kas tas kaimynas? Ar mes jį pažįstame? → "Grandma, who is this neighbour? Do we know him?"
16.17 – Tai ponas Antanas. Jis gyvena už upelio, mažame name. → "That's Mr Antanas. He lives on the other side of the stream, in a little house."
16.18 – Ar jis gyvena vienas? → "Does he live alone?"
16.19 – Vienas. Jo žmona mirė prieš penkerius metus, o vaikai gyvena Vilniuje. → "Alone. His wife died five years ago, and his children live in Vilnius."
16.20 – Ar jo vaikai jį lanko? → "Do his children visit him?"
16.21 – Retai. Todėl jam kartais būna liūdna. → "Not often. So he sometimes feels sad."
16.22 – Ką jis mėgsta? → "What does he like?"
16.23 – Jis mėgsta savo sodą, savo bites ir saldumynus. → "He loves his garden, his bees and anything sweet."
16.24 – Tai jam mūsų pyragas tikrai patiks! → "Then he'll certainly like our cake!"
16.25 – Laba diena, pone Antanai! Čia jums nuo močiutės. → "Good afternoon, Mr Antanas! This is for you, from Grandma."
16.26 – Ačiū, vaikai! Jūsų močiutė manęs niekada nepamiršta. → "Thank you, children! Your grandmother never forgets me."
16.27 – Jis toks malonus! Ar matei, kaip jis nusišypsojo? → "He's so nice! Did you see how he smiled?"
16.28 – Mačiau. Jis paprašė, kad rytoj vėl pas jį užsuktume. → "I did. He asked us to drop in on him again tomorrow."
16.29 – Užsuksime. Aš jam padėsiu sode, o tu jam papasakosi apie mokyklą. → "We will. I'll help him in the garden, and you can tell him about school."
16.30 – Gerai. Juk jis dabar ir mūsų kaimynas. → "All right. After all, he's our neighbour now too."
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Part C: Dialogue in Lithuanian Only
– Močiute, kas tas kaimynas? Ar mes jį pažįstame?
– Tai ponas Antanas. Jis gyvena už upelio, mažame name.
– Ar jis gyvena vienas?
– Vienas. Jo žmona mirė prieš penkerius metus, o vaikai gyvena Vilniuje.
– Ar jo vaikai jį lanko?
– Retai. Todėl jam kartais būna liūdna.
– Ką jis mėgsta?
– Jis mėgsta savo sodą, savo bites ir saldumynus.
– Tai jam mūsų pyragas tikrai patiks!
– Laba diena, pone Antanai! Čia jums nuo močiutės.
– Ačiū, vaikai! Jūsų močiutė manęs niekada nepamiršta.
– Jis toks malonus! Ar matei, kaip jis nusišypsojo?
– Mačiau. Jis paprašė, kad rytoj vėl pas jį užsuktume.
– Užsuksime. Aš jam padėsiu sode, o tu jam papasakosi apie mokyklą.
– Gerai. Juk jis dabar ir mūsų kaimynas.
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Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- jis in every case it needs. Nominative jis (16.17, 16.18, 16.22, 16.23, 16.27, 16.28, 16.30); genitive jo "his" (16.19, 16.20); dative jam (16.21, 16.24, 16.29); accusative jį (16.16, 16.20, 16.28). - tas kaimynas (16.16): tas "that" with a noun points the neighbour out the first time he is mentioned. After that he is jis. - jo and savo. Jo žmona, jo vaikai (16.19, 16.20): the wife and the children are subjects of their own verbs, so "his" is jo. Jis mėgsta savo sodą, savo bites (16.23): Mr Antanas is the subject and the garden is his own, so "his" is savo. In 16.19 o vaikai has no "his" at all: whose children they are is plain. - Verbs with the dative. Jam … būna liūdna (16.21) "he is sad", literally "to him it is sad" (Lesson 10). Jam … patiks (16.24) "he will like", literally "it will please him". Jam padėsiu "I'll help him", jam papasakosi "you'll tell him" (16.29). - The habitual būna (16.21): būna is the form of būti "to be" for what happens from time to time; yra would state a fact. Jam kartais būna liūdna "he gets sad sometimes". - už + genitive (16.17): už upelio "beyond the stream". This is už in its place sense, not the "for" of Lesson 14, which takes the accusative. - prieš + accusative (16.19): "ago". Metai "year(s)" has only plural forms, so it counts with the collective numerals: penkeri metai, accusative penkerius metus "five years". - The polite plural. Rūta addresses Mr Antanas with jums (16.25), and he says jūsų močiutė "your grandmother" (16.26) to the two children: there the plural is a true plural. - The vocative. Močiute (16.16), pone Antanai (16.25). Ponas "Mr" goes with the first name in friendly respect, as here. Masculine names in -as take -ai, and ponas takes -e. - Genitive of negation (16.26): manęs … nepamiršta "doesn't forget me": the object of a negated verb is genitive, here manęs from aš. - kad + conditional after "ask" (16.28): paprašė, kad … užsuktume "asked us to drop in", as norėti, kad in Lesson 15 (F.1). Pas jį "to his place". - ir "also" (16.30): ir before a word means "too, also": ir mūsų kaimynas "our neighbour too".
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- The key forms: jis /jɪs/, jo /joː/, jam /jɐm/, jį /jiː/, juo /juɔ/, jame /jɐˈmʲɛ/; plural jie /jiɛ/, jų /juː/, jiems /jiɛms/, juos /juɔs/, jais /jɐɪs/, juose /juɔˈsʲɛ/; savo /ˈsaːvoː/. - jį and ji: the ogonek is the whole difference on the page between "him" (jį, long /iː/) and "she" (ji, short /ɪ/). Always write it. - jo and juo: jo has a plain long /oː/; juo has the diphthong /uɔ/. They are different cases: be jo "without him", su juo "with him". - ie and uo: jie, jiems, niekada, diena /iɛ/; juo, juos, nuo /uɔ/. Both are gliding diphthongs, one sound each. - Letters with diacritics in this lesson: į ą ę ų (ogonek), ė (dot above), ū (macron), š ž č (háček): jį, kiną, manęs, mūsų, mėgsta, močiutė, šeima, žmona, Ačiū. - Final devoicing: daug /dɐʊk/, kad /kɐt/. In mėgsta the g is said /k/ before s. The spelling does not change. - Commas: a comma stands before kad (16.11, 16.28), before nes (16.14), before kurio (16.13), after a kai-clause that comes first (16.12), before o "and, whereas" (16.19, 16.29) and before kaip "how" when it begins a clause (16.27). A vocative is set off by commas: Močiute, kas… (16.16), Laba diena, pone Antanai! (16.25). - Capitals: Jūs, Jūsų may be capitalised in letters as a mark of respect; in printed dialogue jūsų in mid-sentence is usually lower case, but at the start of a sentence (16.26) it takes a capital as any word does.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)