The plural simplifies: one set of endings for all three genders, and only the genitive is genuinely difficult.
I can decline plural nouns through all six cases and choose the right accusative for people and for things.
Schau dir diese Beispiele an. Kannst du das grammatische Muster erkennen?
Кнігі ляжаць на паліцах у розных пакоях.
The books lie on shelves in different rooms.
Я даў дзецям яблыкі.
I gave the children apples.
Учора я бачыў сяброў на плошчы.
Yesterday I saw friends on the square.
Мы едзем з сябрамі на Браслаўскія азёры.
We are going with friends to the Braslau lakes.
Achte auf die hervorgehobenen Teile. Was haben sie gemeinsam?
In the singular each gender declines differently. In the plural they very nearly converge, so one table covers almost everything:
| Case | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| назоўны | -ы / -і | сталы, кнігі |
| родны | -аў / -яў / zero | сталоў, кніг |
| давальны | -ам / -ям | сталам, кнігам |
| вінавальны | = nominative or genitive | сталы, кнігі |
| творны | -амі / -ямі | сталамі, кнігамі |
| месны | -ах / -ях | у сталах, у кнігах |
Four of the six are simply -ам, -амі, -ах plus the nominative you already knew. Learn those three and the plural is mostly done.
It is the only plural case with a real choice:
For people and animals the accusative plural borrows the genitive: бачу сяброў (I see friends), not бачу сябры. For things it stays the nominative: бачу сталы.
Wende diese Grammatik in den Übungen des Kurses A2 an
ÜbungsaufgabenTypical errors: using the nominative for the animate accusative (бачу сябры); and forming the zero genitive without letting a vowel into the stem.
Using the nominative for the animate accusative plural
People and animals borrow the genitive: бачу сяброў, бачу дзяцей.
Using the Russian plural case endings
-амі, -ах, -ам with Belarusian stems: сябрамі, у кнігах, дзецям.
Forming the zero genitive without the fleeting vowel
Сястра gives сясцёр; say the bare stem aloud and a vowel appears where needed.
Using -ов instead of -аў or -оў
Сталоў, рублёў, грыбоў.
Кнігі ляжаць на паліцах у розных пакоях.
The books lie on shelves in different rooms.
Two plural locatives: <em>паліцах</em>, <em>пакоях</em>.
Я даў дзецям яблыкі.
I gave the children apples.
Dative plural <em>дзецям</em>, accusative plural <em>яблыкі</em> - things, so it matches the nominative.
Учора я бачыў сяброў на плошчы.
Yesterday I saw friends on the square.
People, so the accusative borrows the genitive: <strong>сяброў</strong>, not <em>сябры</em>.
Мы едзем з сябрамі на Браслаўскія азёры.
We are going with friends to the Braslau lakes.
Instrumental plural after <em>з</em>: <em>сябрамі</em>.
У лесе шмат грыбоў, а на балоце - журавін.
There are many mushrooms in the forest, and cranberries at the bog.
Two genitive plurals, one with the ending and one with the zero: <em>грыбоў</em> against <em>журавін</em>.
Im Kurs üben
Wende diese Grammatik in den Übungen des Kurses A2 an