нехта, штосьці, хтось, які-небудзь - four ways of being vague, and they are not interchangeable: the choice says how much the speaker knows.
I can choose between the three indefinite markers according to how much I know, and decline the pronoun inside.
Подивіться на ці приклади. Чи можете ви помітити граматичну закономірність?
Нехта стукае ў дзверы.
Someone is knocking at the door.
Хтосьці тэлефанаваў, але не пакінуў імя.
Somebody rang but did not leave a name.
Спытай каго-небудзь на вуліцы.
Ask anyone in the street.
Я недзе бачыў гэтую кнігу.
I have seen that book somewhere.
Зверніть увагу на виділені частини. Що у них спільного?
| Marker | Sense | Example |
|---|---|---|
| не- | someone exists, the speaker does not know who | нехта, нешта |
| -сьці / -сь | a definite one, the speaker has forgotten or will not say | хтосьці, штосьці, дзесьці |
| -небудзь | any at all, it does not matter which | хто-небудзь, што-небудзь |
The rule of thumb: -небудзь belongs in questions, requests and conditions, where no particular person or thing is meant. не- and -сьці belong in statements about something that did happen.
The pronoun inside declines and the marker rides along: нехта, кагосьці, камусьці, кімсьці. A prefix stays in front; a suffix stays behind:
дзесьці somewhere, кудысьці to somewhere, калісьці at some time or once upon a time, неяк somehow, чамусьці for some reason, некалькі several.
Калісьці is worth noting: it covers both "sometime" in the future and "once long ago", and the tense decides which.
Застосуйте цю граматику у вправах курсу B1
Вправи для практикиTypical errors: using -небудзь in a plain statement about something that happened, which makes it sound as if the speaker does not care what occurred.
Using -то or -нибудь
Belarusian uses -сьці and -небудзь: хтосьці, хто-небудзь.
Using -небудзь in a plain statement
-небудзь belongs in questions, requests and conditions.
Leaving the pronoun undeclined
The pronoun inside declines: кагосьці, камусьці, каго-небудзь.
Reading калісьці as only meaning long ago
The tense decides: with a future it means sometime.
Нехта стукае ў дзверы.
Someone is knocking at the door.
There is a person and the speaker does not know who.
Хтосьці тэлефанаваў, але не пакінуў імя.
Somebody rang but did not leave a name.
A specific person, simply unidentified - hence <em>-сьці</em>.
Спытай каго-небудзь на вуліцы.
Ask anyone in the street.
A request, and it does not matter who - <em>-небудзь</em>, in the accusative.
Я недзе бачыў гэтую кнігу.
I have seen that book somewhere.
A place that exists but the speaker cannot name.
Калісьці мы жылі ў Полацку.
We lived in Polatsk once.
<em>Калісьці</em> with a past tense means long ago; with a future it would mean sometime.
Практикувати в курсі
Застосуйте цю граматику у вправах курсу B1