A1 · 4/8
Nouns and gender
The rules
Every Lithuanian noun is either masculine or feminine — there is no neuter. The ending almost always tells you which, so gender is a matter of recognising endings rather than memorising each word. There are no articles at all: no “the”, no “a”.
Masculine endings
| Ending | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| -as | stalas | table |
| -is | brolis | brother |
| -ys | arklys | horse |
| -us | sūnus | son |
| -uo | šuo | dog |
Feminine endings
| Ending | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| -a | knyga | book |
| -ė | duktė | daughter |
| -is | naktis | night |
| -uo | sesuo | sister |
| -ė | gatvė | street |
Singular and plural
| Singular | Plural | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| stalas | stalai | masculine |
| brolis | broliai | masculine |
| sūnus | sūnūs | masculine |
| knyga | knygos | feminine |
| gatvė | gatvės | feminine |
| naktis | naktys | feminine |
Examples
- Ant stalo yra dvi knygos.There are two books on the table.
- Mano brolis turi šunį.My brother has a dog.
- Ši gatvė labai sena.This street is very old.
Speaking practice
Play
Play as often as you like
—Atsiprašau, kur yra artimiausia parduotuvė?
—Ši gatvė vadinasi Vilniaus gatvė. Parduotuvė yra už kampo, dešinėje.
—Ar ji dirba sekmadienį?
—Taip, bet tik iki šešių valandų.
—Labai dėkoju už pagalbą.
Dabar pasakykite patys — now say it yourself. Nothing is recorded and nothing is graded; the exam's speaking part is a live interview, so this is here to be imitated out loud.
Lesson quiz
9 questions on this lesson, including a listening item. You get the answer and an explanation after each one.