Contents

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Overview of Lithuanian

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Articles

Nouns: Gender and Case

Adjectives

Pronouns

Verbs

Prepositions

Conjunctions

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Overview of
Overview of Lithuanian

Congratulations on your choice to learn Lithuanian! This grammar guide will get you started with some basic grammar rules to supplement the annotations within the text. This overview serves to acquaint you better with characteristics of Lithuanian.

Lithuanian is spoken by over 3 million people, primarily in the Republic of Lithuania.It is a minority language in Byelorus, Poland, Latvia, and Russia. It is one of the two Baltic languages (the other is Latvian), which make up a branch of the Indo-European family. Within Lithuania many regional dialects exist, which may present a linguistic challenge to travelers to remote areas of the country. Standard Lithuanian, which we present in this package, is spoken in Vilnius or Kaunas, for example.

Lithuania is a small country (approximately 25,000 square miles), with 3,750,000 inhabitants. Lithuania is bordered by Latvia to the North, Byelorus to the East, and Poland and the Kaliningrad Region of Russia to the South. In 1990, Lithuania became the first of the three Baltic States to regain its independence from the Soviet Union after more than 50 years of forced allegiance. Subsequently, there is considerable Russian influence on the language, and in recent years some English words have become increasingly incorporated into Lithuanian as well.


Alphabet
Alphabet and Pronunciation

The Lithuanian alphabet is made up of 32 characters, including some identical letters (especially vowels) with diacritic marks to differentiate between their sounds. Please see the list below for further clarification. Q, W, and X do not exist in the Lithuanian alphabet.

Pronunciation in Lithuanian is straightforward. Each letter corresponds to a specific sound. There are also numerous dipthongs, or vowel combinations. Some of the most commonly used dipthongs include: ai, ei, ui, au, uo, and ie. All of the vowels and dipthongs have both short and long sounds (i.e. a can be pronounced as in about or as in father).

Letter	Name	Approximate English Pronunciation
A, a	a	About
ª, º	nasal a	Father
B, b	be	Bath
C, c	ce	Pits
ƒ, “	“e	Chat
D, d	de	Deep
E, e	broad e	Add
­, ½	nasal e	Amber
Þ, þ	narrow e	Fate
F, f	ef	Fickle
G, g	ge	Get
H, h	ha	House
I, i	short i	Sit
Ð, ð	nasal i	Machine
Y, y	long i	See
J, j	jot	Yacht
K, k	ka	Keen
L, l	el	Look
M, m	em	Mother
N, n	en	Near
O, o	o	So
P, p	pe	Pet
R. r	er	Real
S, s	es	Sap
„, ”	e”	Sheet
T, t	te	Ten
U, u	short u	Pull
Ý, ý	nasal u	Hoot
Š, š	long u	Rue
V, v	ve	Vat
Z, z	ze	Zoo
…, •	•e	leisure


Articles

There are no definite or indefinite articles in Lithuanian. Thus, studentas can mean student, a student, or the student.

See Also:

Nouns


Nouns
Nouns: Gender and Case

Nouns in Lithuanian are either masculine or feminine. There are five declension types, and thus there are many possible endings for nouns. Still, it is often possible to determine the gender of a noun by examining the ending. For example, -as,-us, and ys are generally masculine endings, while a or þ tend to indicate feminine nouns. Note that -is may indicate either a masculine or feminine noun.

Cases are forms of a word that show the function of the word in a sentence. Declensions are sets of case endings, and in Lithuanian there are five classes or categories of declensions determined by the stem of the noun. There are seven cases in Lithuanian, and these apply to nouns, adjectives, numerals and pronouns. Within a given phrase, there must be agreement in case endings between these parts of speech.  Learning cases may prove challenging for English speakers learning Lithuanian, but their uses become increasingly apparent as one learns more about the language. Below is a brief outline of the cases and their uses.

Nominative	Answers the question who/what?

Genitive	Answers the question of whom/of what?

Dative	Answers the question to whom/to what?

Accusative	Answers the question whom/what?

Instrumental	Answers the question with whom/with what?

`	Locative	Answers the question where/in what?

Vocative	Used for addressing a person

The nominative case is the basic form of a noun found in the dictionary. It is the form of the subject of the sentence. This form is not used with a preposition.

The genitive case is most importantly used to convey possession. It is also used to demonstrate purpose and when expressing part of an uncountable amount.

The dative case illustrates to whom something is given. It can also demonstrate purpose.

The accusative case can show the direction in which someone is going. It is also used with expressions of time. This case occurs often, both with and without prepositions.

The instrumental case shows how one moves (i.e. by bus, by car, etc.) and is often used with verbs of motion. It is also used to show cause.

The locative case is most often used to indicate location. It does not imply any sense of motion or travel. This case is always used without a preposition.

The vocative case is used for addressing someone. The different endings can express different degrees of formality or affection.

As mentioned previously, there are five declension types (across cases) in Lithuanian. The declension type is determined by the stem of the word. Examples from each category are outlined below.

First Declension of Nouns

All nouns ending in -as, -ias, -is, and -ys belong to this declension group. These are all masculine nouns. The declension table below illustrates the singular and plural forms of the following nouns: namas (house), brolis (brother), and arklys (horse).

SINGULAR	PLURAL

Nominative	namas	brolis	arklys	namai	broliai	arkliai
Genitive	namo	brolio	arklio	namý	broliý	arkliý
Dative	namui	broliui	arkliui	namams	broliams	arkliams
Accusative	namº	brolð	arklð	namus	brolius	arklius
Instrumental	namu	broliu	arkliu	namais	broliais	arkliais
Locative	name	brolyje	arklyje	namuose	broliuose	arkliuose
Vocative	name	broli	arkly	namai	broliai	arkliai

Second Declension of Nouns

All masculine nouns ending in -us or -ius make up the second declension group. The declension table below illustrates the singular and plural forms of the following nouns: sšnus (son) and profesorius (professor).

SINGULAR	PLURAL

Nominative	sšnus	profesorius	sšnšs	profesoriai
Genitive	sšnaus	profesoriaus	sšný	profesoriý
Dative	sšnui	profesoriui	sšnums	profesoriams
Accusative	sšný	profesoriý	sšnus	profesorius
Instrumental	sšnumi	profesoriumi	sšnumis	profesoriais
Locative	sšnuje	profesoriuje	sšnuose	profesoriuose
Vocative	sšnau	profesoriau	sšnšs	profesoriai

Third Declension of Nouns

Feminine nouns ending in -a, -þ (gen. -þs), and i belong to the third declension group. The declension table below illustrates the singular and plural forms of the following nouns: diena (day), gatvþ (street), and marti (daughter in law).

SINGULAR	PLURAL

Nominative	diena	gatvþ	marti	dienos	gatvþs	mar“ios
Genitive	dienos	gatvþs	mar“ios	diený	gatviý	mar“iý
Dative	dienai	gatvei	mar“iai	dienoms	gatvþms	mar“ioms
Accusative	dienº	gatv½	mar“ið	dienas	gatves	mar“ias
Instrumental	diena	gatve	mar“ia	dienomis	gatvþmis	mar“iomis
Locative	dienoje	gatvþje	mar“ioje	dienose	gatvþse	mar“iose
Vocative	diena	gatve	marti	dienos	gatvþs	mar“ios

Fourth Declension of Nouns

Masculine and feminine nouns ending in -is belong to this declension group. The declension table below illustrates the singular and plural forms of the following nouns: akis (eye) and dantis (tooth).

SINGULAR	PLURAL

Nominative	akis	dantis	akys	dantys
Genitive	akies	danties	akiý	dantý
Dative	akiai	dan“iui	akims	dantims
Accusative	akð	dantð	akis	dantis
Instrumental	akimi	dantimi	akimis	dantimis
Locative	akyje	dantyje	akyse	dantyse
Vocative	akie	dantie	akys	dantys

Fifth Declension of Nouns

This declension group is made up of feminine nouns ending in -uo or -þ (gen. -ers) and masculine nouns ending in -uo. The declension table below illustrates the singular and plural forms of the following nouns: sesuo (sister), duktþ (daughter), and akmuo (stone).

SINGULAR	PLURAL

Nominative	sesuo	duktþ	akmuo	seserys	dukterys	akmenys
Genitive	sesers	dukters	akmens	seserý	dukterý	akmený
Dative	seseriai	dukteriai	akmeniui	seserims	dukterims	akmenims
Accusative	seserð	dukterð	akmenð	seseris	dukteris	akmenis
Instrumental	seseria	dukteria	akmeniu	seserimis	dukterimis	akmenimis
Locative	seseryje	dukteryje	akmenyje	seseryse	dukteryse	akmenyse
Vocative	seserie	dukterie	akmenie	seserys	dukterys	akmenys

See Also:

Articles


Adjectives

An adjective modifies a noun or pronoun. In Lithuanian, adjectives must agree in gender, case, and number with the nouns or pronouns they modify. Adjectives generally precede nouns, though this order can be inverted to show emphasis.

Unlike nouns, which have five declension groups, adjectives are divided into three categories of declension. The declension group is determined by the ending of the adjective. The following tables demonstrate the differences in declension between these three adjective groups.

First Declension of Adjectives

Adjectives ending in -as and -a belong to this declension group. The declension table below illustrates the different forms for the adjective baltas (white).

	Masculine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Singular	Feminine  Plural
Nominative	baltas	balti	balta	baltos
Genitive	balto	baltý	baltos	baltý
Dative	baltam	baltiems	baltai	baltoms
Accusative	baltº	baltus	baltº	baltes
Instrumental	baltu	baltais	balta	baltomis
Locative	baltame	baltuose	baltoji	baltose
Vocative	baltas	balti	balta	baltos

Second Declension of Adjectives

Adjectives ending in -us and -i belong to the second declension group. The declension table below illustrates the different forms for the adjective sunkus (heavy).

	Masculine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Singular	Feminine  Plural
Nominative	sunkus	sunkšs	sunki	sunkios
Genitive	sunkaus	sunkiý	sunkios	sunkiý
Dative	sunkiam	sunkiems	sunkiai	sunkioms
Accusative	sunký	sunkius	sunkiº	sunkias
Instrumental	sunkiu	sunkiais	sunkia	sunkiomis
Locative	sunkiame	sunkiuose	sunkioje	sunkiose
Vocative	sunkus	sunkšs	sunki	sunkios

Third Declension of Adjectives

Adjectives ending in -is and -þ belong to the third declension group. The declension table below illustrates the different forms for the adjective medinis (wooden).

	Masculine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Singular	Feminine  Plural
Nominative	medinis	mediniai	medinþ	medinþs
Genitive	medinio	mediniý	medinþs	mediniý
Dative	mediniam	mediniams	medinei	medinþms
Accusative	medinð	medinius	medin½	medines
Instrumental	mediniu	mediniais	medine	medinþmis
Locative	mediniame	mediniuose	medinþje	medinþse
Vocative	medinis	mediniai	medinþ	medinþs

Comparatives

Comparative constructions are easy to form in Lithuanian. One must simply drop the case ending of the nominative singular form of the adjective and then add the ending esnis (m) or esnþ (f). For example:

I am an old man.	A” esu senas •mogus.

I am an an older man.	A” esu senesnis •mogus.

Superlatives

Like comparatives, superlatives are formed in a straightforward manner. Again, just drop the case ending of the nominative singular form of the adjective and add iausias (m) or iausia (f). For example:

That is a fast horse.	Tai yra greitas arklys.

That is the fastest horse. 	Tai yra grei“iausias arklys.

See Also:

Nouns: Gender and Case


Pronouns

Pronouns must agree in gender, case, and number with the adjectives that modify them and with the nouns they replace.

Personal Pronouns

These pronouns (corresponding to I, you, he/she, we, they) are not as commonly used in Lithuanian as in English. In English we almost always use pronouns before verbs because present tense conjugations do not necessarily change for each person. For example, if I say, Can make breakfast, it is not clear if I, you, we or they is the pronoun. In Lithuanian, on the other hand, there is generally little need for a pronoun to precede a verb because the verb form usually provides clues about who is the actor.

The following is a list of personal pronouns in the nominative case.

a”	I

tu	you (singular informal)

jšs	you (singular formal)

jis	he/it

ji	she/it

mes	we

jšs	you (plural)

jie	they (masculine)

jos	they (feminine)

Note that there are two words to express you in Lithuanian: jšs and tu. The former, when used in the singular, conveys formality, and must be used when addressing someone in a position of authority, a person you do not know well, or an older person. Tu is more informal and is used to address friends, family members, and children. Tu becomes jšs in its plural form, and can be used to address any group of people (formally or informally).

Possessive Pronouns

We have already seen that the genitive case can demonstrate possession. In Lithuanian, certain pronouns can also show possession. In modern usage, these pronouns are not declined. The following is a list of the possessive pronouns and their corresponding English meanings:

Mano	my

Tavo	your (singular)

Jo	his, its (masc.)

Jos	hers, its (fem.)

Mšsý	our

Jšsý	your (plural)

Jý	their

Additionally, there is the pronoun savo, which has no corresponding English equivalent. It indicate possession by the subject in the sentence.

Demonstrative pronouns

In Lithuanian, demonstrative pronouns function as they do in English. The pronoun varies according to the relative nearness of the object. These pronouns all decline.

„itas/”ita 	(this; near me) indicates something close to the speaker.

Tas/ta 	(that; near you) points to something farther away.

Anas/ana	 indicates something even farther away.

Interrogative pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are simply question words. In Lithuanian, the interrogative pronoun is the same for animate and innanimate things. In other words, who and what are expressed by the same word. Following is a list of some of the most common interrogative pronouns.

kaip 	how

kas	who; what

kodþl	why

kada	when

kur	where

kiek	how much; how many


Verb Conjugations: Tense and Mood
Verbs

A note about word order: In general, Lithuanian sentences have the basic word order of subject-verb-object.

Every verb in infinitive form in Lithuanian ends with the letters ti. In order to conjugate a verb in the present, past, or future tenses, one must simply know the third person singular present tense conjugation. This should be listed in the dictionary along with the infinitive. There are three possible endings for verbs conjugated in the third person singular present tense: a, -i, or o. These three endings correspond to three categories of suffixes for verbs in the present, past, and future tenses. There are some exceptions to this rule, though generally verbs can be easily conjugated in the aforementioned way. The following tables list sample conjugations of verbs from each ending category.

1st conjugation group (third person singular present tense ending in a)

Sample verb: dirbti (to work)

	Present tense	Simple past tense	Future
1st person singular (I)	dirbu	dirbau	dirbsiu
2nd person singular (you)	dirbi	dirbai	dirbsi
3rd person singular (he/she/it)	dirba	dirbo	dirbs
1st person plural (we)	dirbame	dirbome	dirbsime
2nd person plural (you)	dirbate	dirbote	dirbsite
3rd person plural (they)	dirba	dirbo	dirbs

2nd conjugation group (third person singular present tense ending in i)

Sample verb: mylþti (to love)

	Present tense	Simple past tense	Future
1st person singular (I)	myliu	mylþjau	mylþsiu
2nd person singular (you)	myli	mylþjai	mylþsi
3rd person singular (he/she/it)	myli	mylþjo	mylþs
1st person plural (we)	mylime	mylþjome	mylþsime
2nd person plural (you)	mylite	mylþjote	mylþsite
3rd person plural (they)	myli	mylþjo	mylþs

3rd conjugation group (third person singular present tense ending in o)

Sample verb: mokyti (to teach)

	Present tense	Simple past tense	Future
1st person singular (I)	mokau	mokiau	mokysiu
2nd person singular (you)	mokai	mokei	mokysi
3rd person singular (he/she/it)	moko	mokþ	mokys
1st person plural (we)	mokome	mokþme	mokysime
2nd person plural (you)	mokote	mokþte	mokysite
3rd person plural (they)	moko	mokþ	mokys

The verb buti (to be) is irregular. Below is its present tense conjugation.

I am 	a” esu	we are	mes esame

You are	tu esi	you are	jšs esate

He/it is	jis yra	they are (m)	jie yra

She/it is 	ji yra	they are (f)	jos yra

Present Tense

The present tense in Lithuanian corresponds to several English tenses. For example, for the verb to study, the present tense in Lithuanian can convey the English meanings: I study, I am studying, or I do study. For this reason, it is important to try not to translate too literally or preclude possible English meanings just because the verb forms in the two languages may have different numbers of words. The meaning of the sentence can generally be deducted from the context.

Remember that to conjugate a verb in the present tense, you must know what the last letter of the third person singular conjugation is. That letter, -a, -i, or o, will correspond to one of three sets of endings for the full conjugation. Please refer to the charts above to see the different endings for each conjugation group.

Simple Past Tense

The simple past is the most commonly used past tense in Lithuanian. It can translate to: I studied, or I was studying in English. It is not used to express habitual actions in the past. Again, the appropriate endings for past tense verbs depends on the ending of the third person singular conjugation. The tables show the different endings for each group.

Past Habitual Tense

This tense is used to convey actions that happened frequently or habitual actions in the past. The English equivalent would be, I did something every day of the week when I was younger. This tense is formed by adding the suffix dav to the infinitive stem (the stem is the verb without the it ending) and then adding the endings of the past simple tense.

Example:

I studied every day of the week when I was a student.

A” mokydavausi kiekvienº dienº kai a” buvau studentas.

Future Tense

The future tense in Lithuanian corresponds very closely to the future tense in English. It is formed by adding the suffix s to the infinitive stem and then adding the appropriate personal endings. These endings are outlined in the tables above.

Negations

Negative forms of verbs are created in the same straightforward way in all tenses. You must simply add on the prefix ne to the form of the verb.

For example 	(present tense): nedirba (dont work)

(past tense): nedirbo (didnt work)


Prepositions

Certain noun cases, specifically the genitive, accusative, and instrumental, take prepositions. Other cases, such as the locative and nominative cases, never take prepositions. Below is a brief list of common Lithuanian prepositions and the case they are generally associated with.

Used with the genitive case

i”	from; since; out of

ant	on

iki	until; up to

be 	without

po	after; past

prie	near; next to; at

u•	behind

Used with the accusative case

ð	in

pas	to; at

apie	about

per	through; across; during

Used with the instrumental case

po	under

su	with

sulig	up to

ties	by; over


Conjunctions

Conjunctions join words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. Common conjunctions in Lithuanian include:

ir	and

bet	but

ar	or; whether

ta“iau	however; nevertheless

jei	if

nes	because

kad	that

kol	until

arba	or