Talk:Lithuanian grammar

message: The link to "Dual number" takes to a mathematics article.
:Fixed. RokasT 13:39, 20 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dual number 

message: Perhaps (and likely) I'm just an ignorant student, but doesn't the Latin and Spanish imperfect tense correspond pretty perfectly to this? The page says it's the only Indo-European language to use this.
:Hmmm... good question. It does kind of. It basically translates as "used to" - "eidavau" means "I used to go". I think the Spanish "yo iba" is similar, but not identical. Perhaps the two are used slightly differently. Pobbie Rarr 21:00, 20 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: the past iterative tense denotes, in fact, many consequent actions of the same kind in the past,  but not a complex action similar to English  to cruise,  to granulate, to pace...  This tense is more preferable when single actions are better distinguished in the sequence of actions. For example a sentence 'It rained many times yesterday' won't have the past iterative tense in its translation to Lithuanian (vakar daugkart lijo), because a single raining seems not a very distinguised event in a time of a day.  Usage of past iterative tense is also preferred when the number of actions is big and, better, unclear. English "used to do" is a not bad approximation, but the past iterative tense doesn't mean, that the repeating of actions is't continuing presently. I don't know Spanish, so I can say nothing about a possible equivalent in Spanish. Linas Lituanus 12:34, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

text: How different is this from the habitual past in Irish? 189.95.146.152 (talk) 00:59, 24 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Past Iterative Case 

message: Here, the generalized declension tables, that are tought at schools in Lithuania now, are being put. Please, copyedit them, particularly if some mistakes appear. Linas Lituanus 15:25, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Declension tables 

message: The prefixes of verbs should be improved. A version here:
=== The prefixes of verbs ===
Meaning of verb can be modified with a prefix.  Prefixes of verbs can be distinguished between simple prefixes, that make a new verb from a verb, and special prefixes, that modify meaning of the same verb. 
==== Meaning changes ==== 
Prefix always adds different color to the primary verb's meaning. The most possible aspects   added by a prefix are: 
* Prefix can stress the perfective aspect of a verb. Although an unprefixed verb may be understood  both as perfective and imperfective, but a prefix can be useful, when a better distinction is necessary. 
* Prefix can be used to stress limited time of the action. Similarly to the previuos, unprefixed verbs themselves don't indicate either limited or unlimited time or amount of action. To stress these limitations  a prefix is often added. 
* Prefix can be used to limit place of the action, meaning place, direction or approach of it. 
A prefix can have more than one of the features above, but not every prefix has every feature.
==== Morphology ====
Most of the prefixes consist of one syllable, many of them end with a vowel, so they can easily be added to any verb's root. Prefixes ap-, at-, which have a final consonant, have variants api- and ati-, that are used before consonants p,  b or t, d respectively. 
As a rule, a verb can have only one simple prefix. In contrary, special prefixes can be grouped in two's, or, in very rare cases, in three's.  If a special prefix (or prefixes) is added to a prefixed verb, they are added before the simple prefix.  
Prefixed reflexive verbs have their reflexive form indicator clitic -si- between all prefixes and the root, in contrast to other reflexive verbs, that have the clitic -si (-is or -s in some forms) after the inflection. For example: 
 
 nusineša,  atsineša, but nešasi 
 susilaikyti, pasilaikyti, but laikytis  
 pasiteirauti, but teirautis
 or (with special prefixes):
 nesineša, nebesineša, also
 nenusineša, neatsineša, but nešasi,  
 nesilaikyti, also 
 nesusilaikyti, nepasilaikyti, but laikytis,  
 nesiteirauti, also nepasiteirauti, but teirautis
==== The simple prefixes ====
* ap- round (direction, perfective)
* api- is a variant of ap- before b or p
* at- from, from somewhere (direction; place, perfective)
* ati- is a variant of at- before d or t
* į- in (direction, perfective), be able to (imperfective)
* iš- out (direction, sometimes perfective)
* nu- away (direction), from the start place (action with some direction, perfective)
* pa- a bit, slightly, some time (time or amount, imperfective), till end (for single actions, cf su-, time or amount, perfective), under (direction, perfective)
*par- similar to English (Latin) re- (with some differences; perfective)
* per- through (place, perfective), thoroughly, completely (perfective)
* pra- by (direction, perfective), starting (time, perfective rarely)
* pri- up, to (direction or place, perfective), to the place (of the action) (place, perfective), much, many (amount, sometimes perfective)
* su- from everywhere (direction), together (place, perfective), till end (time, perfective), completely (long or complex action, perfective)
* už- behind (direction, perfective), in (for limited time, cf į-) (direction and time, perfective), suddenly, unexpectedly (time, perfective) 
* už- on, over (direction or place), completely (short action, cf. su-, perfective)
====The special prefixes====
* ne- 'not', 'don't' is the negation prefix for verbs. It's important to note, that the Lithuanian almost not employs a negation particle as a  mean to negate a verb. The negation particle (also ne) is used almost exclusively in sentences, where two actions are contrasted,  for example: jis ne skaito, bet rašo 'he isn't reading, but is writing'. The using of the negation prefix results also in syntax of sentence. Thus a direct object in a sentence, where a verb has the prefix ne-, is always said in the genitive case, despite if the same verb without the negation prefix requires the genitive or the nominative, for example: Ji skaito laikraštį 'She reads (or is reading) a newspaper (in accusative)', but Ji neskaito laikraščio 'She doesn't read (or isn't reading) a newspaper (in genitive)'.    
* be- 'just' (approximately) stress a particular  moment of a continued action, being used mostly in participles. This prefix isn't used as a mean to indicate continuity of action, but it means this continuity indirectly. This can be quite important in some situations, because Lithuanian language doesn't have  a specific tense or mood to indicate continuity of action. For example, grįžtant lijo means 'it rained (lijo),   (while we/you etc. were) returning', but begrįžtant lijo means 'it was raining (lijo),   (when we/you etc. were) returning', stressing that  the rain might be shorter than the returning. Note, that the prefix of the subparticiple changes (or, better, defines) the continuity of the other verb.    
* te-(1) 'let' is an indicator, along with special inflections, of the optative mood. Used in the optative mood only. 
* te-(2) 'only'  means exclusivness of action. Not in the optative mood. 
The most possible groups of simple prefixes:
* nebe- 'no longer' is used to negate verbs with prefixes tebe- or be-.
* tebe- 'still' stress, that a continued (or, sometimes, repeated) action still continues. 
* tene- 'let not' is used for negation in the optative mood.  
Linas Lituanus 15:48, 17 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  The prefixes of verbs 

message: Meaning of verb can be modified with a prefix.  Prefixes of verbs can be distinguished between simple prefixes, that make a new verb from a verb, and special prefixes, that modify meaning of the same verb. 
==== Meaning changes ==== 
Prefix always adds different color to the primary verb's meaning. The most possible aspects   added by a prefix are: 
* Prefix can stress the perfective aspect of a verb. Although an unprefixed verb may be understood  both as perfective and imperfective, but a prefix can be useful, when a better distinction is necessary. 
* Prefix can be used to stress limited time of the action. Similarly to the previuos, unprefixed verbs themselves don't indicate either limited or unlimited time or amount of action. To stress these limitations  a prefix is often added. 
* Prefix can be used to limit place of the action, meaning place, direction or approach of it. 
A prefix can have more than one of the features above, but not every prefix has every feature.
==== Morphology ====
Most of the prefixes consist of one syllable, many of them end with a vowel, so they can easily be added to any verb's root. Prefixes ap-, at-, which have a final consonant, have variants api- and ati-, that are used before consonants p,  b or t, d respectively. 
As a rule, a verb can have only one simple prefix. In contrary, special prefixes can be grouped in two's, or, in very rare cases, in three's.  If a special prefix (or prefixes) is added to a prefixed verb, they are added before the simple prefix.  
Prefixed reflexive verbs have their reflexive form indicator clitic -si- between all prefixes and the root, in contrast to other reflexive verbs, that have the clitic -si (-is or -s in some forms) after the inflection. For example: 
 
 nusineša,  atsineša, but nešasi 
 susilaikyti, pasilaikyti, but laikytis  
 pasiteirauti, but teirautis
 or (with special prefixes):
 nesineša, nebesineša, also
 nenusineša, neatsineša, but nešasi,  
 nesilaikyti, also 
 nesusilaikyti, nepasilaikyti, but laikytis,  
 nesiteirauti, also nepasiteirauti, but teirautis
==== The simple prefixes ====
* ap- round (direction, perfective)
* api- is a variant of ap- before b or p
* at- from, from somewhere (direction; place, perfective)
* ati- is a variant of at- before d or t
* į- in (direction, perfective), be able to (imperfective)
* iš- out (direction, sometimes perfective)
* nu- away (direction), from the start place (action with some direction, perfective)
* pa- a bit, slightly, some time (time or amount, imperfective), till end (for single actions, cf su-, time or amount, perfective), under (direction, perfective)
*par- similar to English (Latin) re- (with some differences; perfective)
* per- through (place, perfective), thoroughly, completely (perfective)
* pra- by (direction, perfective), starting (time, perfective rarely)
* pri- up, to (direction or place, perfective), to the place (of the action) (place, perfective), much, many (amount, sometimes perfective)
* su- from everywhere (direction), together (place, perfective), till end (time, perfective), completely (long or complex action, perfective)
* už- behind (direction, perfective), in (for limited time, cf į-) (direction and time, perfective), suddenly, unexpectedly (time, perfective) 
* už- on, over (direction or place), completely (short action, cf. su-, perfective)
====The special prefixes====
* ne- 'not', 'don't' is the negation prefix for verbs. It's important to note, that the Lithuanian almost not employs a negation particle as a  mean to negate a verb. The negation particle (also ne) is used almost exclusively in sentences, where two actions are contrasted,  for example: jis ne skaito, bet rašo 'he isn't reading, but is writing'. The using of the negation prefix results also in syntax of sentence. Thus a direct object in a sentence, where a verb has the prefix ne-, is always said in the genitive case, despite if the same verb without the negation prefix requires the genitive or the nominative, for example: Ji skaito laikraštį 'She reads (or is reading) a newspaper (in accusative)', but Ji neskaito laikraščio 'She doesn't read (or isn't reading) a newspaper (in genitive)'.    
* be- 'just' (approximately) stress a particular  moment of a continued action, being used mostly in participles. This prefix isn't used as a mean to indicate continuity of action, but it means this continuity indirectly. This can be quite important in some situations, because Lithuanian language doesn't have  a specific tense or mood to indicate continuity of action. For example, grįžtant lijo means 'it rained (lijo),   (while we/you etc. were) returning', but begrįžtant lijo means 'it was raining (lijo),   (when we/you etc. were) returning', stressing that  the rain might be shorter than the returning. Note, that the prefix of the subparticiple changes (or, better, defines) the continuity of the other verb.    
* te-(1) 'let' is an indicator, along with special inflections, of the optative mood. Used in the optative mood only. 
* te-(2) 'only'  means exclusivness of action. Not in the optative mood. 
The most possible groups of simple prefixes:
* nebe- 'no longer' is used to negate verbs with prefixes tebe- or be-.
* tebe- 'still' stress, that a continued (or, sometimes, repeated) action still continues. 
* tene- 'let not' is used for negation in the optative mood.  
Linas Lituanus 15:48, 17 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  The prefixes of verbs 

message: * ne- 'not', 'don't' is the negation prefix for verbs. It's important to note, that the Lithuanian almost not employs a negation particle as a  mean to negate a verb. The negation particle (also ne) is used almost exclusively in sentences, where two actions are contrasted,  for example: jis ne skaito, bet rašo 'he isn't reading, but is writing'. The using of the negation prefix results also in syntax of sentence. Thus a direct object in a sentence, where a verb has the prefix ne-, is always said in the genitive case, despite if the same verb without the negation prefix requires the genitive or the nominative, for example: Ji skaito laikraštį 'She reads (or is reading) a newspaper (in accusative)', but Ji neskaito laikraščio 'She doesn't read (or isn't reading) a newspaper (in genitive)'.    
* be- 'just' (approximately) stress a particular  moment of a continued action, being used mostly in participles. This prefix isn't used as a mean to indicate continuity of action, but it means this continuity indirectly. This can be quite important in some situations, because Lithuanian language doesn't have  a specific tense or mood to indicate continuity of action. For example, grįžtant lijo means 'it rained (lijo),   (while we/you etc. were) returning', but begrįžtant lijo means 'it was raining (lijo),   (when we/you etc. were) returning', stressing that  the rain might be shorter than the returning. Note, that the prefix of the subparticiple changes (or, better, defines) the continuity of the other verb.    
* te-(1) 'let' is an indicator, along with special inflections, of the optative mood. Used in the optative mood only. 
* te-(2) 'only'  means exclusivness of action. Not in the optative mood. 
The most possible groups of simple prefixes:
* nebe- 'no longer' is used to negate verbs with prefixes tebe- or be-.
* tebe- 'still' stress, that a continued (or, sometimes, repeated) action still continues. 
* tene- 'let not' is used for negation in the optative mood.  
Linas Lituanus 15:48, 17 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: The special prefixes

message: The article is not always idiomatic. I will make a few changes. I will avoid altering the meaning. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.60.193.68 (talk • contribs) 18:13, 1 December 2008
:Thank you! Renata (talk) 23:15, 1 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Idiomatic English 

message: I’ve heard that Lithuanian language also has the declensionable possessive pronouns like “manas, mana; tavas, tava; savas, sava“. Should they be added? Yoshiciv (talk) 05:21, 25 October 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lithuanian possessive pronouns 

message: Lithuanian language has many correlatives like similar to Ancient Greek, as shown in this wiktionary table
,like šitoks, šitokia - so; such; suchlike 
kas - what, who 
keli, kelios and keleri, kelerios - how many; several; few 
kelintas, kelinta - 'which one out of some' 
koks, kokia - what 
joks, jokia - none; any; whatsoever 
kitoks, kitokia - different; otherwise 
kiekvienas, kiekviena - every 
kitas, kita - other 
visas, visa - whole
niekas - nothing
viskas - everything, all 
So would someone make the equivalent? Yoshiciv (talk) 05:11, 26 October 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: I made this: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Lithuanian_correlatives There are more to be added, feel free to expand/correct. 70.175.192.217 (talk) 07:05, 15 December 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lithuanian pronouns and correlatives