-->

Introduction to Lithuanian:
Lesson 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:

You have to speak Lithuanian.

Answer: Tu turi kalbėti lietuviškai.
Not correct. Please try again.

She has to speak English.

Answer: Ji turi kalbėti angliškai.
Not correct. Please try again.