LibreLingo

Conjugation of to be

Welcome to the course!

This grammar explanation will be quite thorough, which is essential for understanding the Silesian 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 'być' (To Be)

The verb "to be" (być) 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:

  • Jo żech je (I am) - colloquial, common
  • Ty żeś je (You are, singular informal) - colloquial, common
  • On/Ona/Ono je (He/She/It is)
  • My żeśmy są (We are) - colloquial, common
  • Wy żeście są (You are, plural or singular formal) - colloquial, common
  • Oni/One (They are)

Note that the colloquial forms with "że" are very common in spoken Silesian.

  • Examples: Jo żech je studentym (I am a student). Moja siostra je dobra (My sister is good). My żeśmy są dobrzi kamraci (We are good friends). Łoni sam (They are here).

How to Determine the Gender of a Word

Silesian 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, stół - table, ućytel - teacher). Some nouns ending in -ś or -ź are masculine (e.g., źyńś - day).
  • Feminine: Most nouns ending in -a or -io are feminine (e.g., baba - woman, ksiůnżka - book, ziymia - earth/land). Some nouns ending in a consonant are feminine (e.g., nocka - night).
  • Neuter: Most nouns ending in -o, -e, or -y/-i are neuter (e.g., ôkno - window, pole - field, szczyńści - happiness).
  • Keep in mind: There are some exceptions to these rules, but they apply to the majority of words.

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.

    • Examples: Singular: stół (m), baba (f), ôkno (n). Plural: stoły, baby, ôkna.
  • 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: dobry (masculine personal), dobre (other genders/non-masculine personal).
    • Soft Stem Examples: Singular: inšy (m), inšo (f), inše (n). Plural: inšy (masculine personal), inše (other genders/non-masculine personal).
  • Examples: Dobry dom je stary (A good house is old). Zielone pola sům zielone (Green fields are green). Piynkne baby gŏdajům (Beautiful women are speaking). Inše ôkna sům fechne (Other windows are cool).

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: tyn (m), ta (f), to (n) - (this/that)
  • Plural: ci (masculine personal), te (other genders/non-masculine personal) - (these/those)
  • Examples: Tyn dom je wielgi (This/That house is big). Ta ksiůnżka je moja (This/That book is mine). To je nasze pole (This/That is our field). Ci ludzie sům wieseli (These/Those people are cheerful).