Welcome to the course!
This grammar explanation will be quite thorough, which is essential for understanding the Lower Sorbian language, especially if you do not speak any Slavic language, as you might not easily grasp the logic behind certain grammatical structures otherwise.
However, if you are already familiar with a Slavic language and understand how to use the verb "to be," determine noun gender, and other fundamental concepts explained here, feel free to skip ahead.
Conjugation of 'Byti' (To Be)
The verb "to be" (byś) is essential for talking about existence or identity. Its present tense forms are used to say "I am," "you are," "he is," etc., or to indicate where something is located. The forms for the present tense are:
- Ja som (I am)
- Ty sy (You are, singular informal)
- Wón/Wóna/Wóno jo (He/She/It is)
- My smy (We are)
- Wy sće (You are, plural or singular formal)
- Wóni/Wone su (They (masculine personal/neuter) are / They (feminine/non-masculine personal) are)
- Examples: Ja som student (I am a student). Moja sotša jo dobra (My sister is good). My smy dobri pśijaśele (We are good friends). Wóni su how (They are here).
How to Determine the Gender of a Word
Lower Sorbian nouns belong to one of three genders: Masculine, Feminine, or Neuter. Knowing the gender is crucial because it affects the endings of adjectives and other words used with the noun. Generally, the gender is evident from the noun's ending in its basic form (nominative singular):
- Masculine: Most nouns ending in a consonant are masculine (e.g., dom - house, stoł - table, wucabnik - teacher). Some nouns ending in -ś are masculine (e.g., źeń - day).
- Feminine: Most nouns ending in -a or -ja are feminine (e.g., žona - woman, knigła - book, zemja - earth/land). Some nouns ending in -ś are feminine (e.g., noc - night).
- Neuter: Most nouns ending in -o or -e are neuter (e.g., wokno - window, pólo - field).
- Keep in mind: There are some exceptions to these rules, especially with nouns ending in -ś, where gender needs to be memorized.
The Nominative Case: The Subject and Naming
The Nominative case is the basic form of a noun or adjective, primarily used for the subject of a sentence (who or what performs the action) or simply to name things. This is the form you will find words in dictionaries.
Nouns: Singular forms follow the gender rules described above. Plural nouns often end in -y, -i, or -a/-ja.
- Examples: Singular: stoł (m), žona (f), wokno (n). Plural: stoły, žony, wokna.
Adjectives: Agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Adjectives have different endings for hard and soft stems.
- Hard Stem Examples: Singular: dobry (m), dobra (f), dobre (n). Plural: dobre (all genders).
- Soft Stem Examples: Singular: něžny (m), něžna (f), něžne (n). Plural: něžne (all genders).
Examples: Dobry dom stary (A good house is old). Zelene póla zelene (Green fields are green). Krasne žony powědaju (Beautiful women are speaking). Něžne kwěśe jo krasne (Tender flowers are beautiful).
Demonstrative Pronouns (Nominative) and Why Use Them
Demonstrative pronouns help us specify particular nouns, similar to using "this" or "that" in English. In the Nominative case, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to. Using them helps to clarify exactly which item you mean from a group.
- Singular: toś ten (m), toś ta (f), toś to (n) - (this/that)
- Plural: toś te (all genders) - (these/those)
- Examples: Toś ten dom wjeliki (This/That house is big). Toś ta knigła moja (This/That book is mine). Toś to jo naše město (This/That is our city). Toś te luźe su wjasołe (These/Those people are cheerful).