Greetings by time of day, ты against Вы, дзякуй and калі ласка, and спадар and спадарыня - the forms of address that Belarusian revived and Russian has no equivalent for.
I can greet someone appropriately for the time of day, thank them, apologise, and choose between ты and Вы.
Подивіться на ці приклади. Чи можете ви помітити граматичну закономірність?
Добры дзень! Мяне завуць Алесь.
Good day! My name is Ales.
Добрай раніцы, спадарыня Ганна!
Good morning, Mrs Hanna!
Вялікі дзякуй за дапамогу! — Няма за што.
Thank you very much for the help! - Not at all.
Прабачце, ці не падкажаце, дзе тут аптэка?
Excuse me, could you tell me where the chemist's is?
Зверніть увагу на виділені частини. Що у них спільного?
| Belarusian | When | English |
|---|---|---|
| Добрай раніцы! | until about 11 | Good morning |
| Добры дзень! | the main daytime greeting | Good day, hello |
| Добры вечар! | from dusk | Good evening |
| Дабранач! | on parting for the night | Good night |
| Вітаю! / Прывітанне! | informal, any time | Hi |
Добрай раніцы is in the genitive, a wish rather than a statement: it is short for wishing you a good morning. Добры дзень is nominative and is the neutral all-purpose greeting.
Да пабачэння (goodbye, literally until seeing), Бывай / Бывайце (informal, warm), Усяго добрага (all the best), Да сустрэчы (until we meet).
Belarusian brought back its own forms of address: спадар for a man, спадарыня for a woman, спадарства for a mixed company — the equivalent of ladies and gentlemen. They are used with the surname or on their own: Добры дзень, спадар Быкаў. They carry a distinctly Belarusian register, and a speaker who uses them is signalling something about which language they have chosen.
Ты for family, friends, children and close colleagues. Вы, capitalised in writing, for strangers, older people and anyone in an official role. Belarusian moves to ты a little faster than English-speaking cultures move to first names, but the offer to switch is still made explicitly: Можна на ты?
Смачна есці! — enjoy your meal. Будзьма! — the toast, roughly "let us be", which has become something of a cultural slogan. A guest is met with bread and salt, and refusing a second helping usually takes two attempts.
Застосуйте цю граматику у вправах курсу A1
Вправи для практикиTypical errors: using ты with a stranger because English has only one second person; and answering дзякуй with nothing, where a Belarusian speaker will say калі ласка or няма за што.
Error with Беларуская ветлівасць
Review Беларуская ветлівасць.
Добры дзень! Мяне завуць Алесь.
Good day! My name is Ales.
The neutral all-purpose greeting, followed by the standard way of giving your name.
Добрай раніцы, спадарыня Ганна!
Good morning, Mrs Hanna!
The genitive greeting plus <em>спадарыня</em>, the revived Belarusian form of address.
Вялікі дзякуй за дапамогу! — Няма за што.
Thank you very much for the help! - Not at all.
<em>Дзякуй</em> and the standard deflection <em>няма за што</em>.
Прабачце, ці не падкажаце, дзе тут аптэка?
Excuse me, could you tell me where the chemist's is?
A whole polite request: apology, the particle <em>ці</em>, and the <em>вы</em> form.
Смачна есці! Дранікі яшчэ гарачыя.
Enjoy your meal! The draniki are still hot.
<em>Смачна есці</em> is said as the food reaches the table, and draniki are what usually reaches it first.
Практикувати в курсі
Застосуйте цю граматику у вправах курсу A1