быць

Belarusian

Etymology

From Old Church Slavonic бꙑти (byti).

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Verb

быць • (bycʹ)

1. to be

Usage notes

• It is omitted in the present tense except in the third-person singular ёсць which is used either to emphasise the existence of the subject, a predicate meaning “there is” and to express possession (English verb "to have")

  Ёсць які-небудзь стары, што да вайны тут жыў? (Josc’ jakí-njébudzʹ starý, što da vajný tut žyŭ?)

  Is there anyone old that lived here before the war?

  У мяне ёсць пытанне (u mjanjé joscʹ pytánnje)

  I have a question.

• It is usually expressed in the present tense as a pause, represented in the written language by a dash.

  Я — беларус, а ты — украінец (ja - bjelarús, a ty - ukraínjec)

  I am a Belarusian and you are a Ukrainian.

  Хлопчык — вельмі галодны (xlópčyk vjél’mi halódny)

  The young man is very hungry.

• However, the dash is not written in third person impersonal adverbial phrases.

  Цяжка вывучыць новую мову (cjážka vývučycʹ nóvuju móvu)

  It is difficult to learn a new language.

• Other verbs such as бываць and стаць can also be used instead.

Conjugation

Conjugation of быць

imperfective aspect
infinitive	быць (bycʹ)
adverbial	present tense	past tense
	бу´дучы (bu´dučy)	—
	present tense	future tense
1st singular (я (ja))	—	бу́ду (búdu)
2nd singular (ты (ty))	—	бу́дзеш (búdzješ)
3rd singular (ён (jón)/яна́ (janá)/яно́ (janó))	ёсць (jóscʹ)	бу́дзе (búdzje)
1st plural (мы (my))	—	бу́дзем (búdzjem)
2nd plural (вы (vy))	—	бу́дзеце (búdzjecje)
3rd plural (яны́ (janý))	—	бу́дуць (búducʹ)
imperative	singular	plural
	будзь (budzʹ)	бу́дзьце (búdzʹcje)
past tense	singular	plural (мы (my), вы (vy), яны́ (janý))
masculine (я (ja), ты (ty), ён (jón))	быў (byŭ)	былі´ (byli´)
feminine (я (ja), ты (ty), яна́ (janá))	была́ (bylá)
neuter (яно́ (janó))	былó (byló)