Loading...

Introduction to Lithuanian: 16

So, one reason why i-ending verbs are useful is because their infinitive forms are simple: you change i to ėti. By a share coincidence, this is also true about some words that do not end in i. For example, kalba is speaks, and to speak also follows a similar rule, changing its last letter to ėti.

Lithuanian infinitive form to speak is kalbėti.

A second reason why these i-ending words are so good is that they are spelled the same in the tu and jis/ji. So you have tu gali and jis gali. And tu turi and jis turi. Very easy.

Except there's a catch: since they're spelled the same, the stress moves a little bit in pronunciation. Listen:

He can is jis gali.

You can is tu gali.

Did you hear how the stress moves to the end of the word? Same for

She has is ji turi.

You have is tu turi.

As I have told you already, tu has the same ending as jis/ji. Also remember, I told you that have and have to are both the same word turi in Lithuanian. Say:

  1. Have in mind that "have to" is "turi", and "to speak" is "kalbėti".
  2. Have in mind. again, that "has to" is "turi", and "to speak" is "kalbėti".
  3. Except for the question mark, it is the same as last sentence. After all, "May" is the same as "can", and word order does not change in questions in Lithuanian.
  4. Remember that "to have to" is the same as "to have" - "turėti".
  5. Mind the fact you write "ne" together with the verb, and not as separate words.
  6. Mind the fact you write "ne" together with the verb, and not as separate words.
  7. "No" is the same word as "not".
  8. Better to "keep" tai in the middle.
  9. "I understand" is "suprantu".
  10. Remember that "tai" normally comes in the middle of the two verbs.
  11. "Must" is the same as "have to" (which is also the same as "have") in Lithuanian.
  12. Remember to change "tai" to "to", and keep it in the middle. Also remember that "ne" is joined together with the verb as one word.
  13. Again, remember to change "tai" to "to", and keep it in the middle. Also remember that "ne" is joined together with the verb as one word.
  14. Keep "ne" joined with the verb.
  15. "To speak" was "kalbėti".
  16. Keep "ne" together with the verb, and think whether the word in the middle is "tai" or "to" in this case.
  17. Remember how "norėti" treats "tai".
  18. Remember that "tai" is normally between the first and the second verb.
  19. "Want to" is one word in Lithuanian. "To speak" is "kalbėti".
  20. It should be split into "I have to" + "it" + "not to have". Then "have to" is one word, and so is "not to have". Also remember the rule about "tai" changing to "to".
  21. You say questions as statements, except raising your intonation.
  22. Remember the word "studijuoja" and work out its "tu" form through following the ultimate rule.
  23. The order is as follows: "what you there study?"
  24. The order is "what you have?"
  25. "To have" is "turėti".
  26. Remember that "ten" is usually in the middle.
  27. The order in this sentence would be "what you there work?"
  28. "And" is "ir", right?
  29. "Where" is "kur", and you just ask "where bank?"
  30. Simply "there". Not extremely polite, but good enough.
  31. Literally this would be: "hi. where park? there?"
  32. The word for "not" is "ne". While "ne" does join verbs (becoming "neturėti"), it does NOT join nouns, thus you will be saying literally "it not park".
  33. The word order in this one is "from where you?"
  34. Remember to change the ending of "Amerika".
  35. Remember the words "dirba" and "studijuoja", and work out their "tu" form through following the ultimate rule. Also, no need to repeat the "tu".
  36. You remember that "and" is "ir", right?
  37. It's "daktaras" (some vowel change)!
  38. Remember that "I have to" is "turiu".
  39. Still remember the word "dirba"? Also remember that "ne" goes together with verbs.
1 50