Množné číslo podstatných jmen

У Мінску шырокія вуліцы і высокія дамы.

Minsk has wide streets and tall buildings.

Both plurals take <em>-ы</em> after a hard consonant, and the adjectives agree in <em>-ыя</em>. Compare Russian <em>дома</em> with Belarusian <strong>дамы</strong>.

На паліцы стаяць беларускія кнігі.

Belarusian books are standing on the shelf.

<em>Кніга</em> takes <em>-і</em> because the stem ends in <em>г</em>. Russian writes <em>книги</em> with <em>и</em>; Belarusian has no letter <em>и</em> at all.

Гарады Беларусі: Гродна, Полацк, Віцебск, Брэст.

The cities of Belarus: Hrodna, Polatsk, Viciebsk, Brest.

<em>Горад</em> becomes <strong>гарады</strong>: the stress moves to the ending, so the first <em>о</em> is now unstressed and is written <em>а</em>.

Зачыні дзверы, калі ласка.

Close the door, please.

<em>Дзверы</em> exists only in the plural, so it translates an English singular. Note <em>дз</em> where Russian has soft <em>д</em>.

Над Нёманам плывуць белыя воблакі.

White clouds are drifting over the Nioman.

<em>Воблака</em> ends in <em>к</em>, so the plural is <strong>воблакі</strong> with <em>-і</em>, not the <em>-а</em> a Russian speaker expects from <em>облака</em>.