What does "on" mean in Lithuanian, as in "The book is on the table", "Put it on the bed", "a ring on his finger", "the cat is sleeping on the sofa"?
English "on" is a preposition of contact. It says that one thing rests on the surface of another (the book on the table), that something is put or climbs there (put it on the bed, climb on the chair), and, less physically, that something is directed at someone (angry with him, which Lithuanian says with "on").
Lithuanian says ant, and ant is always followed by the genitive case (kilmininkas). You have met the genitive after other small words already: be jo "without him" (Lesson 16), prie jūros "by the sea" (Lesson 17). Now the genitive stands after the word for "on".
- ant + genitive, for where something is: ant stalo "on the table", ant sienos "on the wall", ant kalno "on the hill". - ant + genitive, for where something goes: užlipti ant kėdės "to climb onto the chair", padėti ant lovos "to put on the bed". - ant + genitive, for a feeling directed at a person: pykti ant manęs "to be angry with me".
This is a difference from English. English has "on" and "onto"; German and Latin change the case to tell "where" from "whither". Lithuanian does neither: ant stalo is both "on the table" and "onto the table", and the verb tells you whether something is lying there or being put there.
Not every English "on" is ant. "On Monday" is the accusative of time with no preposition: pirmadienį. "On the phone" is the instrumental, as in Lesson 17: telefonu. Ant is the word for a real surface: something is on top of something else.
Etymology: ant is one of the old, primary Lithuanian prepositions, which cannot be derived from any other word (the Lithuanian Wikipedia article on the preposition names apie and ant as examples). It lives on as a prefix ant- in words that name something laid on top: antklodė "blanket" (from kloti "to spread"), antkapis "gravestone", antspaudas "seal, stamp", antrankiai "handcuffs".
Orthographic points: ant is spelt with a plain a and never changes. The words after it carry the genitive endings: -o (stalo), -os (lovos), -ės (kėdės), -ų in the plural (grindų, pečių), and for the pronouns manęs, tavęs, savęs, jo, jos, mūsų, jūsų, jų. Mind the ogonek in manęs: manes without it is a different spelling and not the pronoun.
FAQ: How do you say "on" in Lithuanian? ant, followed by the genitive: ant stalo "on the table".
FAQ: How do you say "on me" and "on you" in Lithuanian? ant manęs "on me", ant tavęs "on you" (one person, familiar), ant jūsų "on you" (polite, or more than one), ant mūsų "on us". Jo, jos, jų mean both "on him / on her / on them" and "his / her / their".
FAQ: Do you say ant for "on Monday" or "on the phone"? No. Say pirmadienį "on Monday" and telefonu "on the phone".
- ant "on" always takes the genitive: ant stalo, ant lovos, ant manęs. - The same phrase answers "where?" and "where to?": ant stalo is "on the table" and "onto the table". - The pronouns after ant: manęs, tavęs, savęs, jo, jos, mūsų, jūsų, jų; and ant ko "on what / on whom". - Ant is for real surfaces and for pykti ant "to be angry with". Days and the telephone do not use it. - "What are you sitting on?" puts ant first: Ant ko sėdi?
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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/, ę /æː/, 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.
- ant /ɐnt/ — "on": a short /ɐ/, then /n/ and /t/. It is a small word and leans on the word after it, so ant stalo sounds like one word: /ɐntˈstaːloː/. Like su in Lesson 17, it is written here without a stress mark. - manęs /mɐˈnʲæːs/ — "(on) me"; tavęs /tɐˈvʲæːs/ — "(on) you"; savęs /sɐˈvʲæːs/ — "(on) oneself". The ending -ęs is long and carries the stress. - jo /joː/, jos /joːs/, jų /juː/ — "(on) him", "(on) her", "(on) them". - mūsų /ˈmuːsuː/, jūsų /ˈjuːsuː/ — "(on) us", "(on) you (polite or plural)". - ko /koː/ — "(on) whom?". - stalo /ˈstaːloː/ — "(on) the table": the stress stays on the first syllable. lovos /ˈloːvoːs/ "(on) the bed" and sienos /ˈsʲiɛnoːs/ "(on) the wall" also keep it on the first syllable. kėdės /kʲeːˈdʲeːs/ "(on) the chair" is stressed on the last syllable.
The n of ant is always sounded: do not drop it before the t. And the a is short: "ahnt" with a long vowel is wrong.
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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; HAB = habitual past; IMP = imperative; INF = infinitive; PTCP = participle; PASS = passive; PFV = perfective prefix; REFL = reflexive; NEG = negative; Q = question particle; DEM = demonstrative; INT = interrogative; COMP = comparative; CONJ = conjunction; PREP+GEN / PREP+ACC / PREP+INST = preposition governing the genitive / accusative / instrumental.
18.1a Knyga book ant on stalo the-table
18.1b Knyga /knʲiːˈɡɐ/ book.F.NOM.SG ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN stalo /ˈstaːloː/ table.M.GEN.SG
18.2a Katinas cat ant on kėdės the-chair
18.2b Katinas /ˈkaːtʲɪnɐs/ cat.M.NOM.SG ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN kėdės /kʲeːˈdʲeːs/ chair.F.GEN.SG
18.3a Padėk put knygą the-book ant on lovos the-bed
18.3b Padėk /pɐˈdʲeːk/ put.2SG.IMP knygą /ˈknʲiːɡaː/ book.F.ACC.SG ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN lovos /ˈloːvoːs/ bed.F.GEN.SG
18.4a Ant on stogo the-roof sėdi sits paukštis a-bird
18.4b Ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN stogo /ˈstoːɡoː/ roof.M.GEN.SG sėdi /ˈsʲeːdʲɪ/ sit.3.PRES paukštis /ˈpɐʊkʃtʲɪs/ bird.M.NOM.SG
18.5a Ant on sienos the-wall kabo hangs paveikslas a-picture
18.5b Ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN sienos /ˈsʲiɛnoːs/ wall.F.GEN.SG kabo /ˈkaːboː/ hang.3.PRES paveikslas /pɐˈvʲɛɪkslɐs/ picture.M.NOM.SG
18.6a Mažas little vaikas child užlipo climbed ant onto aukštos a-tall kėdės chair
18.6b Mažas /ˈmaːʒɐs/ small.M.NOM.SG vaikas /ˈvɐɪkɐs/ child.M.NOM.SG užlipo /ʊʒˈlʲɪpoː/ PFV-climb.3.PAST ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN aukštos /ˈɐʊkʃtoːs/ tall.F.GEN.SG kėdės /kʲeːˈdʲeːs/ chair.F.GEN.SG
18.7a Ant on stalo the-table stovi stands stiklinė a-glass pieno of-milk
18.7b Ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN stalo /ˈstaːloː/ table.M.GEN.SG stovi /ˈstoːvʲɪ/ stand.3.PRES stiklinė /sʲtʲɪkˈlʲɪnʲeː/ glass.F.NOM.SG pieno /ˈpʲiɛnoː/ milk.M.GEN.SG
18.8a Ant on kalno the-hill stovi stands senas an-old namas house
18.8b Ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN kalno /ˈkaːlnoː/ hill.M.GEN.SG stovi /ˈstoːvʲɪ/ stand.3.PRES senas /ˈsʲɛnɐs/ old.M.NOM.SG namas /ˈnaːmɐs/ house.M.NOM.SG
18.9a Rūta Rūta uždėjo put ranką her-hand ant on mano my peties shoulder
18.9b Rūta /ˈruːtɐ/ Rūta.F.NOM.SG uždėjo /ʊʒˈdʲeːjoː/ PFV-put.3.PAST ranką /ˈrɐŋkaː/ hand.F.ACC.SG ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN mano /ˈmaːnoː/ my peties /pʲɛˈtʲiɛs/ shoulder.M.GEN.SG
18.10a Šuo the-dog mėgsta likes gulėti to-lie ant on sofos the-sofa
18.10b Šuo /ʃuɔ/ dog.M.NOM.SG mėgsta /ˈmʲeːɡstɐ/ like.3.PRES gulėti /ɡʊˈlʲeːtʲɪ/ lie.INF ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN sofos /ˈsoːfoːs/ sofa.F.GEN.SG
18.11a Kai when grįžau I-came-back namo home raktai the-keys gulėjo lay ant on stalo the-table o and telefonas the-phone ant on grindų the-floor
18.11b Kai /kɐɪ/ when grįžau /ˈɡrʲiːʒɐʊ/ return.1SG.PAST namo /nɐˈmoː/ home(ward) raktai /rɐkˈtɐɪ/ key.M.NOM.PL gulėjo /ɡʊˈlʲeːjoː/ lie.3.PAST ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN stalo /ˈstaːloː/ table.M.GEN.SG o /oː/ and.CONJ telefonas /tʲɛlʲɛˈfoːnɐs/ telephone.M.NOM.SG ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN grindų /ɡrʲɪnˈduː/ floor.F.GEN.PL
18.12a Ar Q galiu can-I padėti put krepšį the-bag ant on šitos this kėdės chair
18.12b Ar /ɐr/ Q galiu /ɡɐˈlʲʊ/ can.1SG.PRES padėti /pɐˈdʲeːtʲɪ/ put.INF krepšį /krʲɛpˈʃiː/ bag.M.ACC.SG ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN šitos /ʃʲɪˈtoːs/ this.DEM.F.GEN.SG kėdės /kʲeːˈdʲeːs/ chair.F.GEN.SG
18.13a Žiemą in-winter vaikai the-children čiuožia skate ant on ežero the-lake's ledo ice
18.13b Žiemą /ˈʒʲiɛmaː/ winter.F.ACC.SG vaikai /vɐɪˈkɐɪ/ child.M.NOM.PL čiuožia /ˈtʃʲuɔʒʲɛ/ skate.3.PRES ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN ežero /ˈɛʒʲɛroː/ lake.M.GEN.SG ledo /ˈlʲɛdoː/ ice.M.GEN.SG
18.14a Jis he pyksta is-angry ant with manęs me nes because pamiršau I-forgot jo his gimtadienį birthday
18.14b Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG pyksta /ˈpʲiːkstɐ/ be-angry.3.PRES ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN manęs /mɐˈnʲæːs/ I.GEN nes /nʲɛs/ because.CONJ pamiršau /pɐmʲɪrˈʃɐʊ/ PFV-forget.1SG.PAST jo /joː/ he.M.GEN.SG gimtadienį /ɡʲɪmˈtaːdʲiɛnʲiː/ birthday.M.ACC.SG
18.15a Užmaukite put-on jam him ant on piršto finger žiedą a-ring
18.15b Užmaukite /ʊʒˈmɐʊkʲɪtʲɛ/ PFV-put-on.2PL.IMP jam /jɐm/ he.DAT ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN piršto /ˈpʲɪrʃtoː/ finger.M.GEN.SG žiedą /ˈʒʲiɛdaː/ ring.M.ACC.SG
(18.15 is Luke 15:22, from the parable of the Prodigal Son, in the Lithuanian Catholic text given in the online Bible at charity.lt/biblija, whose wording of the command agrees with the Catholic text at biblija.lt: the father's order to his servants, Užmaukite jam ant piršto žiedą. The same parable gives Section F, as it did in Lessons 16 and 17. Examples 18.1–18.14 are pedagogical sentences built from verified vocabulary and patterns.)
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18.1 Knyga ant stalo. → "The book is on the table."
18.2 Katinas ant kėdės. → "The cat is on the chair."
18.3 Padėk knygą ant lovos. → "Put the book on the bed."
18.4 Ant stogo sėdi paukštis. → "A bird is sitting on the roof."
18.5 Ant sienos kabo paveikslas. → "A picture hangs on the wall."
18.6 Mažas vaikas užlipo ant aukštos kėdės. → "A small child climbed onto a tall chair."
18.7 Ant stalo stovi stiklinė pieno. → "There is a glass of milk on the table."
18.8 Ant kalno stovi senas namas. → "An old house stands on the hill."
18.9 Rūta uždėjo ranką ant mano peties. → "Rūta put her hand on my shoulder."
18.10 Šuo mėgsta gulėti ant sofos. → "The dog likes to lie on the sofa."
18.11 Kai grįžau namo, raktai gulėjo ant stalo, o telefonas – ant grindų. → "When I got home, the keys were lying on the table and the phone on the floor."
18.12 Ar galiu padėti krepšį ant šitos kėdės? → "Can I put the bag on this chair?"
18.13 Žiemą vaikai čiuožia ant ežero ledo. → "In winter the children skate on the ice of the lake."
18.14 Jis pyksta ant manęs, nes pamiršau jo gimtadienį. → "He is angry with me because I forgot his birthday."
18.15 Užmaukite jam ant piršto žiedą! → "Put a ring on his finger!"
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18.1 Knyga ant stalo.
18.2 Katinas ant kėdės.
18.3 Padėk knygą ant lovos.
18.4 Ant stogo sėdi paukštis.
18.5 Ant sienos kabo paveikslas.
18.6 Mažas vaikas užlipo ant aukštos kėdės.
18.7 Ant stalo stovi stiklinė pieno.
18.8 Ant kalno stovi senas namas.
18.9 Rūta uždėjo ranką ant mano peties.
18.10 Šuo mėgsta gulėti ant sofos.
18.11 Kai grįžau namo, raktai gulėjo ant stalo, o telefonas – ant grindų.
18.12 Ar galiu padėti krepšį ant šitos kėdės?
18.13 Žiemą vaikai čiuožia ant ežero ledo.
18.14 Jis pyksta ant manęs, nes pamiršau jo gimtadienį.
18.15 Užmaukite jam ant piršto žiedą!
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These are the grammar rules for "on" in Lithuanian:
1. ant + genitive
In the standard language ant is always followed by the genitive case. It never changes itself. (Older texts and some dialects use other cases after ant; this course teaches the standard.)
2. The genitive of nouns
Singular: -as nouns: stalas → ant stalo "on the table" (18.1); stogas → ant stogo (18.4); kalnas → ant kalno (18.8); ledas → ant ledo -a nouns: lova → ant lovos "on the bed" (18.3); siena → ant sienos (18.5); lentyna → ant lentynos "on the shelf" -ė nouns: kėdė → ant kėdės "on the chair" (18.2, 18.6, 18.12); pagalvė → ant pagalvės "on the cushion" -is nouns: medis → ant medžio "on the tree" -ys nouns: petys → ant peties "on the shoulder" (18.9) irregular: šuo → ant šuns "on the dog"; sūnus → ant sūnaus "on the son"
Plural: -ai and -is nouns: stalai → ant stalų "on the tables"; stiklainiai → ant stiklainių "on the jars" -ės nouns: kėdės → ant kėdžių "on the chairs" (the d softens to dž before the ending) -ys nouns: pečiai → ant pečių "on the shoulders" words that exist only in the plural: grindys → ant grindų "on the floor" (18.11); Kūčios → ant Kūčių stalo
3. Adjectives and demonstratives agree
An adjective or demonstrative after ant is also in the genitive and agrees with its noun: ant aukštos kėdės (18.6), ant šitos kėdės (18.12), ant minkštos pagalvės, ant kiekvieno stiklainio, ant šito, ant to. When the "thing on" is itself a possession of something else, a second genitive follows the first: ant ežero ledo "on the lake's ice" (18.13).
4. The pronouns after ant
aš → ant manęs "on me" (18.14) tu → ant tavęs "on you" jis → ant jo "on him" ji → ant jos "on her" mes → ant mūsų "on us" jūs → ant jūsų "on you (polite or plural)" jie, jos → ant jų "on them" savęs → ant savęs "on oneself" (the reflexive pronoun, which has no nominative) kas → ant ko "on what? on whom?": Ant ko sėdi? "What are you sitting on?" viskas → ant visko "on everything"
Note that jo, jos, jų look just like the possessives "his, her, their". Ant jo is "on him", while ant jo nugaros is "on his back": the noun that follows tells you which. Manęs "me" and mano "my" are different words; ant manęs is "on me" and ant mano peties is "on my shoulder" (18.9).
5. Where and whither: one form
Ant stalo answers both "where?" and "where to?". With a verb of position it means "on": sėdi ant stogo (18.4), kabo ant sienos (18.5), stovi ant stalo (18.7). With a verb of motion or putting it means "onto": užlipo ant kėdės (18.6), padėk ant lovos (18.3).
6. Verbs that go with ant
- putting: dėti / padėti / uždėti ant "to put on" (18.3, 18.9, 18.12). Užmauti ant is to put something on that is slid on, as a ring on a finger (18.15). - climbing: lipti / užlipti ant "to climb on / onto" (18.6) - hanging: kabinti / pakabinti ant "to hang on", kabėti ant "to hang on" (18.5) - being and lying: stovėti, sėdėti, gulėti ant "to stand, sit, lie on" (18.4, 18.7, 18.10, 18.11) - writing: rašyti / užrašyti ant "to write on" - feeling: pykti ant ko "to be angry with someone" (18.14)
7. Other prepositions of place
Ant means touching the top. For other positions Lithuanian uses other words: - ant stalo "on the table" - po stalu "under the table" (po + instrumental) - prie stalo "at / by the table" (prie + genitive, as in Lesson 17) - virš stalo "above the table" (virš + genitive) - šalia stalo "next to the table" (šalia + genitive)
8. pykti ant and pykti dėl
Pykti ant ko is to be angry with a person or creature: pykti ant manęs (18.14). For the matter that causes the anger, use dėl "because of, over" with the genitive: pykti dėl kainos "to be angry about the price". The person takes ant, the reason takes dėl.
Common Mistakes
- Mistake: the nominative, accusative or locative after ant. ant stalas, ant stalą, ant stale. Correct: ant stalo. - Mistake: the accusative of the pronoun. ant mane. Correct: ant manęs. And keep the ogonek: manes is a misspelling. - Mistake: ant for "on Monday" or "on the phone". ant pirmadienio for the day. Correct: pirmadienį; and telefonu for the call (Lesson 17). - Mistake: leaving the preposition at the end, as English does. "What are you sitting on?" is not Ko sėdi ant? Correct: Ant ko sėdi? - Mistake: jis pyksta dėl manęs when you mean "angry with me". Dėl manęs is "because of me". Correct: pyksta ant manęs. - Mistake: the wrong genitive ending in the plural. ant kėdų. Correct: ant kėdžių.
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Ant Kūčių stalo: on the table of Christmas Eve
The Lithuanian dictionary lists the phrase ant Kūčių stalo "on the Kūčios table" among its examples for ant. Kūčios is the Christmas Eve supper, the most important family meal of the Lithuanian year. By tradition a little hay (šienas) lies on the table under the white cloth, the dishes are meatless, twelve of them in many families, and the family first shares the Christmas wafer. An empty place is left at the table for a family member who has died that year or cannot be there.
The stork on the roof
The white stork (gandras) has been Lithuania's national bird since 1973, and it builds its nest on roofs, chimneys and poles in the countryside. A nest ant stogo "on the roof" has traditionally been welcomed as a good sign for the house. 18.4 puts an ordinary bird there; the stork is the one Lithuanians mean first.
Ant plauko, ant rankų
Some set phrases with ant are worth learning whole. Ant plauko is literally "on a hair" and means "by a hair, only just", of a narrow escape. Laikyti vaiką ant rankų is "to hold a child in one's arms", literally "on the arms". The Lithuanian dictionary lists both ant plauko and ant rankų among its phrases with ant, next to ant pečių, ant kelių and ant galvos: on the shoulders, on the knees, on the head.
A register note
Ant belongs to every register, from the nursery to the law court. There is no formal alternative to it for "on".
Grandma's kitchen
In the Genre Section Rūta and Tomas keep another promise from Lesson 17: they take Mr Antanas's jar of honey to their grandmother, who stayed at home with the cat (17.17, 17.29). The kitchen is a good place to learn ant: everything in it is on something.
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Source: Evangelija pagal Luką (the Gospel of Luke) 15:22, 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, 15, 16 and 17). The father's command to the servants, from Kuo greičiau to apaukite kojas, agrees with the Lithuanian Catholic text at biblija.lt.
Context: In Lesson 16 the younger son came home and his father ran to meet him. The son begins his speech of repentance (verse 21). The father does not let him finish; he turns to his servants. Verse 22 is his order: the best robe, a ring on the finger, shoes for the feet. The ring ant piršto is the sign that the son is a son again. (Lesson 17 gave verse 31, the father's answer to the elder son, which comes later in the same parable.)
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Bet but tėvas the-father įsakė ordered savo his-own tarnams servants
F.1b Bet /bʲɛt/ but tėvas /ˈtʲeːvɐs/ father.M.NOM.SG įsakė /iːˈsaːkʲeː/ order.3.PAST savo /ˈsaːvoː/ own.REFL.POSS tarnams /tɐrˈnɐms/ servant.M.DAT.PL
F.2a Kuo as greičiau more-quickly atneškite bring geriausią the-best drabužį garment ir and apvilkite clothe jį him
F.2b Kuo /kuɔ/ as greičiau /ɡrʲɛɪˈtʃʲɛʊ/ quickly.COMP atneškite /ɐtˈnʲɛʃkʲɪtʲɛ/ bring.2PL.IMP geriausią /ɡʲɛˈrʲɛʊsʲaː/ best.M.ACC.SG drabužį /drɐˈbʊʒʲiː/ garment.M.ACC.SG ir /ɪr/ and apvilkite /ɐpˈvʲɪlkʲɪtʲɛ/ clothe.2PL.IMP jį /jiː/ he.M.ACC.SG
F.3a Užmaukite put-on jam him ant on piršto finger žiedą a-ring apaukite put-shoes-on kojas the-feet
F.3b Užmaukite /ʊʒˈmɐʊkʲɪtʲɛ/ PFV-put-on.2PL.IMP jam /jɐm/ he.DAT ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN piršto /ˈpʲɪrʃtoː/ finger.M.GEN.SG žiedą /ˈʒʲiɛdaː/ ring.M.ACC.SG apaukite /ɐˈpɐʊkʲɪtʲɛ/ put-shoes-on.2PL.IMP kojas /ˈkoːjɐs/ foot.F.ACC.PL
F-B: Original Text with Translation
22 Bet tėvas įsakė savo tarnams: Kuo greičiau atneškite geriausią drabužį ir apvilkite jį. Užmaukite jam ant piršto žiedą, apaukite kojas!
"22 But the father ordered his servants: As quickly as you can, bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger, put shoes on his feet!"
(Our translation, following the Lithuanian closely. On the website the father's words open with a quotation mark that is not closed within the verse; it is left out here.)
F-C: Original Text Only
22 Bet tėvas įsakė savo tarnams: Kuo greičiau atneškite geriausią drabužį ir apvilkite jį. Užmaukite jam ant piršto žiedą, apaukite kojas!
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- ant piršto (F.3): ant with the genitive of pirštas "finger": pirštas → piršto. The ring goes on the finger, as in English. The verb užmauti is to slide something on, and it is the usual verb for a ring. - Užmaukite jam ant piršto žiedą (F.3): the imperative, second person plural, of užmauti. The plural is the father speaking to several servants. The dative jam "for him, on him" comes straight after the verb. - atneškite, apvilkite, apaukite (F.2, F.3): three plural imperatives in -kite. Compare užsidėkite in Lesson 17 (17.21). Apvilkti is to dress someone, apauti is to put shoes on someone, so apaukite kojas is literally "put shoes on the feet". - Kuo greičiau (F.2): kuo + comparative means "as ... as possible": kuo greičiau "as quickly as possible". - geriausią (F.2): "best", the superlative of geras "good", accusative, agreeing with drabužį. - savo tarnams (F.1): savo "his own" refers back to the subject, the father. Tarnams is the dative plural, "to the servants". - The ring on the finger (F.3, 18.15): the details of the father's order are the whole welcome in three objects: a robe, a ring, shoes. Each is something that goes ant a person.
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Rūta and Tomas have walked to their grandmother's house with a jar of honey from Mr Antanas, as promised in Lesson 17. A preposition is best learned in conversation and in instructions, and this dialogue has both: where to put things, what lies where, and what the cat is allowed to do. Direct speech opens with a dash. The speakers are: Grandma (18.16), Rūta (18.17), Grandma (18.18), Tomas (18.19), Grandma (18.20), Rūta (18.21), Grandma (18.22), Tomas (18.23), Grandma (18.24), Rūta (18.25), Grandma (18.26), Tomas (18.27), Grandma (18.28), Rūta (18.29), Tomas (18.30).
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
18.16a Labas hello vaikai children Kas what ten there ant on jūsų your pečių shoulders
18.16b Labas /ˈlaːbɐs/ hello vaikai /vɐɪˈkɐɪ/ child.M.VOC.PL Kas /kɐs/ what.INT.NOM ten /tʲɛn/ there ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN jūsų /ˈjuːsuː/ you.GEN.PL pečių /pʲɛˈtʃʲuː/ shoulder.M.GEN.PL
18.17a Kuprinės backpacks močiute Grandma Atnešėme we-brought tau you stiklainį a-jar medaus of-honey
18.17b Kuprinės /kʊˈprʲɪnʲeːs/ backpack.F.NOM.PL močiute /moːˈtʃʊtʲɛ/ grandmother.F.VOC.SG Atnešėme /ɐtnʲɛˈʃeːmʲɛ/ bring.1PL.PAST tau /tɐʊ/ you.DAT.SG stiklainį /sʲtʲɪkˈlɐɪnʲiː/ jar.M.ACC.SG medaus /mʲɛˈdɐʊs/ honey.M.GEN.SG
18.18a Ačiū thank-you Padėkite put jį it ant on stalo the-table šalia next-to pyrago the-cake
18.18b Ačiū /ˈaːtʃʲuː/ thanks Padėkite /pɐˈdʲeːkʲɪtʲɛ/ put.2PL.IMP jį /jiː/ he.M.ACC.SG ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN stalo /ˈstaːloː/ table.M.GEN.SG šalia /ʃɐˈlʲɛ/ next-to.PREP+GEN pyrago /pʲiːˈraːɡoː/ cake.M.GEN.SG
18.19a O and kur where dėti to-put kuprines the-backpacks
18.19b O /oː/ and.CONJ kur /kʊr/ where dėti /ˈdʲeːtʲɪ/ put.INF kuprines /kʊˈprʲɪnʲɛs/ backpack.F.ACC.PL
18.20a Pakabinkite hang jas them ant on kėdžių the-chairs
18.20b Pakabinkite /pɐkɐˈbʲɪŋkʲɪtʲɛ/ PFV-hang.2PL.IMP jas /jɐs/ they.F.ACC ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN kėdžių /kʲeːˈdʒʲuː/ chair.F.GEN.PL
18.21a Močiute Grandma kas what ten there guli lies ant on sofos the-sofa
18.21b Močiute /moːˈtʃʊtʲɛ/ grandmother.F.VOC.SG kas /kɐs/ what.INT.NOM ten /tʲɛn/ there guli /ˈɡʊlʲɪ/ lie.3.PRES ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN sofos /ˈsoːfoːs/ sofa.F.GEN.SG
18.22a Čia that's mūsų our katinas cat Jis he visą all dieną day miega sleeps ant on minkštos a-soft pagalvės cushion
18.22b Čia /tʃʲɛ/ here mūsų /ˈmuːsuː/ we.GEN.PL katinas /ˈkaːtʲɪnɐs/ cat.M.NOM.SG Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG visą /ˈvʲɪsaː/ all.F.ACC.SG dieną /ˈdʲiɛnaː/ day.F.ACC.SG miega /ˈmʲiɛɡɐ/ sleep.3.PRES ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN minkštos /ˈmʲɪŋkʃtoːs/ soft.F.GEN.SG pagalvės /pɐˈɡaːlʲvʲeːs/ cushion.F.GEN.SG
18.23a Ar Q galiu can-I uždėti put ranką my-hand ant on jo his nugaros back
18.23b Ar /ɐr/ Q galiu /ɡɐˈlʲʊ/ can.1SG.PRES uždėti /ʊʒˈdʲeːtʲɪ/ PFV-put.INF ranką /ˈrɐŋkaː/ hand.F.ACC.SG ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN jo /joː/ he.M.GEN.SG nugaros /ˈnʊɡɐroːs/ back.F.GEN.SG
18.24a Gali you-can bet but atsargiai carefully Jis he nemėgsta doesn't-like kai when kas someone nors or-other lipa climbs ant on jo him
18.24b Gali /ɡɐˈlʲɪ/ can.2SG.PRES bet /bʲɛt/ but atsargiai /ɐtsɐrˈɡʲɛɪ/ carefully Jis /jɪs/ he.M.NOM.SG nemėgsta /nʲɛˈmʲeːɡstɐ/ NEG-like.3.PRES kai /kɐɪ/ when kas /kɐs/ who.INT.NOM nors /noːrs/ some lipa /ˈlʲɪpɐ/ climb.3.PRES ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN jo /joː/ he.M.GEN.SG
18.25a Močiute Grandma kodėl why ant on lentynos the-shelf tiek so daug many stiklainių jars
18.25b Močiute /moːˈtʃʊtʲɛ/ grandmother.F.VOC.SG kodėl /koːˈdʲeːlʲ/ why ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN lentynos /lʲɛnˈtʲiːnoːs/ shelf.F.GEN.SG tiek /tʲiɛk/ so-much daug /dɐʊk/ many stiklainių /sʲtʲɪklɐɪˈnʲuː/ jar.M.GEN.PL
18.26a Tai that's mano my uogienė jam Ant on kiekvieno every stiklainio jar užrašyta is-written data a-date
18.26b Tai /tɐɪ/ it mano /ˈmaːnoː/ my uogienė /ʊɔˈɡʲiɛnʲeː/ jam.F.NOM.SG Ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN kiekvieno /kʲiɛkˈvʲiɛnoː/ every.M.GEN.SG stiklainio /sʲtʲɪkˈlɐɪnʲoː/ jar.M.GEN.SG užrašyta /ʊʒrɐˈʃʲiːtɐ/ PFV-write.PTCP.PASS.F.NOM.SG data /ˈdaːtɐ/ date.F.NOM.SG
18.27a Ant on šito this-one užrašyta is-written obuoliai apples o and ant on to that-one vyšnios cherries
18.27b Ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN šito /ˈʃʲɪtoː/ this.DEM.M.GEN.SG užrašyta /ʊʒrɐˈʃʲiːtɐ/ PFV-write.PTCP.PASS.N obuoliai /oːbuɔˈlʲɛɪ/ apple.M.NOM.PL o /oː/ and.CONJ ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN to /toː/ that.DEM.M.GEN.SG vyšnios /vʲiːʃˈnʲoːs/ cherry.F.NOM.PL
18.28a Taip yes Tik only nelipk don't-climb ant on kėdės a-chair be without manęs me Tomai Tomas
18.28b Taip /tɐɪp/ yes Tik /tʲɪk/ only nelipk /nʲɛˈlʲɪpk/ NEG-climb.2SG.IMP ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN kėdės /kʲeːˈdʲeːs/ chair.F.GEN.SG be /bʲɛ/ without.PREP+GEN manęs /mɐˈnʲæːs/ I.GEN Tomai /ˈtoːmɐɪ/ Tomas.M.VOC.SG
18.29a Tomas Tomas visada always užlipa climbs-up ant on visko everything
18.29b Tomas /ˈtoːmɐs/ Tomas.M.NOM.SG visada /vʲɪsɐˈdɐ/ always užlipa /ʊʒˈlʲɪpɐ/ PFV-climb.3.PRES ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN visko /ˈvʲɪskoː/ everything.GEN
18.30a Nelipsiu I-won't-climb močiute Grandma Ant on tavo your stalo table viskas everything skanu is-tasty
18.30b Nelipsiu /nʲɛˈlʲɪpsʲʊ/ NEG-climb.1SG.FUT močiute /moːˈtʃʊtʲɛ/ grandmother.F.VOC.SG Ant /ɐnt/ on.PREP+GEN tavo /ˈtaːvoː/ your.SG stalo /ˈstaːloː/ table.M.GEN.SG viskas /ˈvʲɪskɐs/ everything.NOM skanu /skɐˈnʊ/ tasty.N
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Part B: Dialogue with Idiomatic Translation
18.16 – Labas, vaikai! Kas ten ant jūsų pečių? → "Hello, children! What have you got on your shoulders?"
18.17 – Kuprinės, močiute. Atnešėme tau stiklainį medaus! → "Backpacks, Grandma. We've brought you a jar of honey!"
18.18 – Ačiū! Padėkite jį ant stalo, šalia pyrago. → "Thank you! Put it on the table, next to the cake."
18.19 – O kur dėti kuprines? → "And where shall we put the backpacks?"
18.20 – Pakabinkite jas ant kėdžių. → "Hang them on the chairs."
18.21 – Močiute, kas ten guli ant sofos? → "Grandma, what's that lying on the sofa?"
18.22 – Čia mūsų katinas. Jis visą dieną miega ant minkštos pagalvės. → "That's our cat. He sleeps all day on a soft cushion."
18.23 – Ar galiu uždėti ranką ant jo nugaros? → "May I put my hand on his back?"
18.24 – Gali, bet atsargiai. Jis nemėgsta, kai kas nors lipa ant jo. → "You may, but carefully. He doesn't like it when anybody climbs on him."
18.25 – Močiute, kodėl ant lentynos tiek daug stiklainių? → "Grandma, why are there so many jars on the shelf?"
18.26 – Tai mano uogienė. Ant kiekvieno stiklainio užrašyta data. → "That's my jam. On every jar a date is written."
18.27 – Ant šito užrašyta „obuoliai“, o ant to – „vyšnios“. → "On this one it says 'apples', and on that one 'cherries'."
18.28 – Taip. Tik nelipk ant kėdės be manęs, Tomai! → "Yes. Only don't climb on a chair without me, Tomas!"
18.29 – Tomas visada užlipa ant visko! → "Tomas always climbs up on everything!"
18.30 – Nelipsiu, močiute. Ant tavo stalo viskas skanu! → "I won't, Grandma. On your table everything is delicious!"
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Part C: Dialogue in Lithuanian Only
– Labas, vaikai! Kas ten ant jūsų pečių?
– Kuprinės, močiute. Atnešėme tau stiklainį medaus!
– Ačiū! Padėkite jį ant stalo, šalia pyrago.
– O kur dėti kuprines?
– Pakabinkite jas ant kėdžių.
– Močiute, kas ten guli ant sofos?
– Čia mūsų katinas. Jis visą dieną miega ant minkštos pagalvės.
– Ar galiu uždėti ranką ant jo nugaros?
– Gali, bet atsargiai. Jis nemėgsta, kai kas nors lipa ant jo.
– Močiute, kodėl ant lentynos tiek daug stiklainių?
– Tai mano uogienė. Ant kiekvieno stiklainio užrašyta data.
– Ant šito užrašyta „obuoliai“, o ant to – „vyšnios“.
– Taip. Tik nelipk ant kėdės be manęs, Tomai!
– Tomas visada užlipa ant visko!
– Nelipsiu, močiute. Ant tavo stalo viskas skanu!
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Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- ant for where something is. ant jūsų pečių (18.16), ant stalo (18.18), ant sofos (18.21), ant pagalvės (18.22), ant lentynos (18.25), ant stiklainio (18.26, 18.27). - ant for where something goes. Padėkite jį ant stalo (18.18), pakabinkite jas ant kėdžių (18.20), uždėti ranką ant jo nugaros (18.23), nelipk ant kėdės (18.28), užlipa ant visko (18.29). The form is the same as for position. - The pronouns. ant jūsų (18.16) "on you", from jūs; ant jo (18.24) "on him"; ant jo nugaros (18.23) "on his back", where jo is the possessive; ant visko (18.29), ant to and ant šito (18.27). - Plural genitives. pečių (18.16, from petys), kėdžių (18.20, from kėdė; d becomes dž), stiklainių (18.25, from stiklainis). - Imperatives. Padėkite and pakabinkite (18.18, 18.20) are plural imperatives, said to two children; nelipk (18.28) is the singular, said to Tomas alone: nelipk = ne + lipk. The negative imperative is the plain imperative with ne- in front. - Perfective prefixes. už- in užlipa (18.29) and uždėti (18.23) adds the sense "up onto, on top": to climb up on something, to lay something on top. Pa- in padėkite, pakabinkite only marks the action as completed. - užrašyta (18.26, 18.27): the passive participle of užrašyti "to write on". With data it is feminine (užrašyta data, "a date is written"); in 18.27 there is no noun in the nominative to agree with, and the neuter form reports what is written: "it says 'apples'". The quoted words stand in the nominative: obuoliai, vyšnios. - šalia pyrago (18.18): šalia "next to" with the genitive, a neighbour of ant in Section D, 7. - be manęs (18.28): be "without" with the genitive of aš: manęs, as in ant manęs (Section D, 4). - kas nors (18.24): "someone, anyone": kas "who" + nors "some, or other". - kodėl (18.25): "why"; the answer opens with Tai "that is" (18.26). - The dash for a pause (18.27): o ant to – „vyšnios“ "and on that one, 'cherries'": the dash stands for the verb left out (užrašyta). - skanu (18.30): Ant tavo stalo viskas skanu, "everything on your table is delicious". Skanu is the neuter predicate with no verb yra, as often in Lithuanian (Lesson 13).
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- The key forms: ant /ɐnt/; manęs /mɐˈnʲæːs/, tavęs /tɐˈvʲæːs/, savęs /sɐˈvʲæːs/, jo /joː/, jos /joːs/, mūsų /ˈmuːsuː/, jūsų /ˈjuːsuː/, jų /juː/; ko /koː/. - ant leans on the next word: ant stalo /ɐntˈstaːloː/, ant sienos /ɐntˈsʲiɛnoːs/, ant manęs /ɐntmɐˈnʲæːs/. - The genitive endings are short or long as written: -o /oː/ in stalo, -os /oːs/ in lovos, -ės /eːs/ in kėdės, -ų /uː/ in grindų. - d becomes dž: kėdė → kėdžių /kʲeːˈdʒʲuː/. The plural genitive of nouns in -ė changes the consonant before the ending. - Letters with diacritics in this lesson: į ą ę ų (ogonek), ė (dot above), ū (macron), š ž č (háček): šitos, žiedą, čiuožia, užrašyta, manęs, pečių, jūsų, mūsų, kėdžių, ranką, gimtadienį. - ė and e: kėdė has a long ė /eː/; ten "there" has a short e /ɛ/. The dot is the whole difference. - Final devoicing: daug /dɐʊk/, kad /kɐt/. The spelling does not change. - Commas: a comma stands after a kai-clause that comes first (18.11), before o "and, whereas" (18.11) and before bet (18.24), nes (18.14). A vocative is set off by commas: Labas, vaikai! (18.16), Nelipsiu, močiute (18.30). A dash may stand for a verb left out (18.11, 18.27). - Quotation marks: Lithuanian opens a quotation low, „obuoliai“, and closes it high, as in German.
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◊ᴹᴱᴹᴼᴿʸ⁻ᶜᴼᴹᴾᴸᴱᵀᴱ
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)