Learning a new language opens up a world of opportunities, and Belarusian is no exception. As an East Slavic language, Belarusian shares similarities with Russian and Ukrainian, making it a fascinating study for language enthusiasts. One of the essential aspects of mastering any language is understanding how to express time and dates. This article will delve into the various expressions of time and dates in Belarusian, helping you to communicate more effectively and naturally.
Days of the Week
Understanding the days of the week is fundamental when discussing time. In Belarusian, the days of the week are as follows:
– Понедзелак (Ponedzelak) – Monday
– Аўторак (Aŭtorak) – Tuesday
– Серада (Serada) – Wednesday
– Чацвер (Čacvier) – Thursday
– Пятніца (Piatnica) – Friday
– Субота (Subota) – Saturday
– Нядзеля (Niadziela) – Sunday
It’s important to note that the days of the week in Belarusian are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence. This follows the general rule for nouns in the language.
Months of the Year
Next, let’s look at the months of the year. Here are the Belarusian names for the months:
– Студзень (Studzień) – January
– Люты (Liuty) – February
– Сакавік (Sakavik) – March
– Красавік (Krasavik) – April
– Май (Mai) – May
– Чэрвень (Červień) – June
– Ліпень (Lipięń) – July
– Жнівень (Žniavień) – August
– Верасень (Vierasień) – September
– Кастрычнік (Kastričnik) – October
– Лістапад (Listapad) – November
– Снежань (Sniežań) – December
Much like the days of the week, the months are also not capitalized unless they start a sentence.
Seasons
Understanding the seasons is also crucial when discussing time. The seasons in Belarusian are:
– Вясна (Viasna) – Spring
– Лета (Lieta) – Summer
– Восень (Vosień) – Autumn
– Зіма (Zima) – Winter
Expressing Dates
When expressing dates in Belarusian, the format typically follows the day-month-year sequence. For example, March 25, 2023, would be written as 25 сакавіка 2023 года. The word “года” (hoda) means “year” and is often included when specifying the year.
Here’s how you can say some specific dates:
– 1 студзеня 2023 года (1 studzień 2023 hoda) – January 1, 2023
– 15 лютага 2023 года (15 liutaha 2023 hoda) – February 15, 2023
– 30 красавіка 2023 года (30 krasavika 2023 hoda) – April 30, 2023
When asking for the date, you can say: “Які сёння дзень?” (Yaki sionnia dzień?), which means “What is today’s date?”
Time Expressions
Now, let’s move on to expressing time. Belarusian uses a 24-hour clock, which is common in many European countries. Here are some key phrases and vocabulary:
– гадзіна (hadzina) – hour
– хвіліна (khvilina) – minute
– секунда (sekunda) – second
– раніца (ranitsa) – morning
– дзень (dzień) – day
– вечар (viečar) – evening
– ноч (noč) – night
To ask for the time, you can say: “Колькі цяпер гадзін?” (Kolki tiepier hadzin?), which translates to “What time is it now?”
Here are some examples of telling time:
– 1:00 – першай гадзіне (pieršaj hadzine)
– 2:00 – другой гадзіне (druhaj hadzine)
– 3:15 – трэцяй гадзіне і пятнаццаць хвілін (trieciaj hadzine i piatnaccac’ khvilin)
– 4:30 – чацвёртай гадзіне і трыццаць хвілін (čacviortaj hadzine i tryccac’ khvilin)
– 5:45 – пятай гадзіне і сорак пяць хвілін (piataj hadzine i sorak piat’ khvilin)
Parts of the Day
Understanding how to refer to different parts of the day is also essential:
– раніцай (ranicaj) – in the morning
– днём (dniom) – in the afternoon
– увечары (uviečary) – in the evening
– ноччу (nočču) – at night
For example:
– Я прачынаюся раніцай. (Ja pracynaŭsia ranicaj.) – I wake up in the morning.
– Мы сустракаемся ўвечары. (My sustrakaemca uviečary.) – We meet in the evening.
Common Phrases Involving Time
Here are some common phrases involving time that you might find useful:
– Колькі часу? (Kolki času?) – How much time?
– Які зараз час? (Yaki zaraz čas?) – What time is it now?
– У каторай гадзіне? (U katoraj hadzine?) – At what time?
– Цяпер (ciaper) – now
– Потым (potym) – later
– Раней (raniej) – earlier
– заўтра (zaŭtra) – tomorrow
– учора (učora) – yesterday
– сёння (sionnia) – today
Using Prepositions with Time and Dates
Prepositions play a crucial role in accurately expressing time and dates in Belarusian. Here are some key prepositions you’ll need:
– у (u) – in, at
– на (na) – on
– да (da) – until
– пасля (paslia) – after
For example:
– У другой гадзіне (u druhaj hadzine) – at 2 o’clock
– На наступным тыдні (na nastupnym tydni) – next week
– Да пятніцы (da piatnicy) – until Friday
– Пасля абеду (paslia abiedu) – after lunch
Relative Time Expressions
Relative time expressions are used to give more context to time-related statements. Here are a few common ones:
– зараз (zaraz) – now
– хутка (khutka) – soon
– неўзабаве (nieŭzabavie) – shortly
– адразу (adrazu) – immediately
– праз гадзіну (praz hadzinu) – in an hour
– праз дзень (praz dzień) – in a day
For example:
– Мы пачнем зараз. (My pacniem zaraz.) – We will start now.
– Я прыеду хутка. (Ja pryiedu khutka.) – I will arrive soon.
– Ён вернецца праз гадзіну. (Jon vierniecca praz hadzinu.) – He will return in an hour.
Combining Time and Date Expressions
Combining time and date expressions allows you to be specific about when something is happening. Here are some examples:
– У панядзелак у 10 гадзін (u paniedzielak u 10 hadzin) – On Monday at 10 o’clock
– 5 сакавіка ў 3 гадзіны (5 sakavika u 3 hadziny) – March 5 at 3 o’clock
– На наступным тыдні ўвечары (na nastupnym tydni uviečary) – Next week in the evening
Conclusion
Mastering the expressions of time and dates in Belarusian is a significant step towards fluency. By understanding the days of the week, months, seasons, and various ways to express time and dates, you will be well-equipped to handle daily conversations and plan events effectively. Practice these expressions regularly, and soon you’ll find yourself more comfortable and confident in your Belarusian language skills. Happy learning!
