Belarusian, an East Slavic language, shares many similarities with Russian and Ukrainian but has its unique features and nuances. Understanding pronouns in Belarusian is crucial for mastering both spoken and written forms of the language. This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing examples and transliterations for each to aid in learning.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Belarusian change based on the subject or object of the sentence. They are essential for indicating who is performing an action or to whom the action is directed.

Subject Pronouns:

• Я (Ya) – I: “Я іду.” (Ya idu) – I am going.
• Ты (Ty) – You (singular, informal): “Ты ідзеш.” (Ty idzesh) – You are going.
• Ён/Яна (Yon/Yana) – He/She: “Ён ідзе.” (Yon idze) – He is going. / “Яна ідзе.” (Yana idze) – She is going.
• Мы (My) – We: “Мы ідзем.” (My idzem) – We are going.
• Вы (Vy) – You (plural or formal): “Вы ідзеце.” (Vy idzete) – You are going.
• Яны (Yany) – They: “Яны ідуць.” (Yany iduts’) – They are going.

Object Pronouns:

Object pronouns are used with verbs to indicate the direct or indirect object.

• Мяне (Myane) – Me: “Ты бачыш мяне.” (Ty bachysh myane) – You see me.
• Цябе (Tsyabe) – You: “Я люблю цябе.” (Ya lyublyu tsyabe) – I love you.
• Яго/Яе (Yaho/Yaye) – Him/Her: “Я бачу яго/яе.” (Ya bachu yaho/yaye) – I see him/her.
• Нас (Nas) – Us: “Ён запрашае нас.” (Yon zaprashaye nas) – He invites us.
• Вас (Vas) – You (plural or formal): “Яны вітаюць вас.” (Yany vitayuts’ vas) – They greet you.
• Іх (Ikh) – Them: “Я люблю іх.” (Ya lyublyu ikh) – I love them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Belarusian indicate ownership or a relationship to something or someone.

• Мой/Мая/Маё/Мае (Moy/Maya/Mayo/Maye) – My: “Мой дом.” (Moy dom) – My house.
• Твой/Твая/Тваё/Твае (Tvoy/Tvaya/Tvayo/Tvaye) – Your (singular, informal): “Твая кніга.” (Tvaya kniga) – Your book.
• Яго/Яе (Yaho/Yaye) – His/Her: “Яго машына.” (Yaho mashyna) – His car. / “Яе сабака.” (Yaye sabaka) – Her dog.
• Наш/Наша/Нашае/Нашы (Nash/Nasha/Nashaye/Nashy) – Our: “Нашы сябры.” (Nashy syabry) – Our friends.
• Ваш/Ваша/Вашае/Вашы (Vash/Vasha/Vashaye/Vashy) – Your (plural or formal): “Ваша сям’я.” (Vasha syam’ya) – Your family.
• Іх (Ikh) – Their: “Іх дом.” (Ikh dom) – Their house.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Belarusian point out specific nouns and vary based on distance (close or far).

• Гэты/Гэтая/Гэтае/Гэтыя (Hety/Hetaya/Hetaye/Hetyya) – This: “Гэты дзень.” (Hety dzen’) – This day.
• Той/Тая/Тое/Тыя (Toy/Taya/Taye/Tyya) – That: “Тая кніга.” (Taya kniga) – That book.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Belarusian indicate the subject performs an action upon itself.

• Сябе (Syabe) – Myself/Yourself/Himself/Herself: “Я бачу сябе.” (Ya bachu syabe) – I see myself.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

• Хто (Khto) – Who: “Хто гэта?” (Khto heta?) – Who is this?
• Што (Shto) – What: “Што ты робіш?” (Shto ty robish?) – What are you doing?
• Які/Якая/Якае/Якія (Yaki/Yakaya/Yakaye/Yakiya) – Which: “Які каляр?” (Yaki kolyar?) – Which color?
• Дзе (Dze) – Where: “Дзе мой тэлефон?” (Dze moy telefon?) – Where is my phone?

Learning and using Belarusian pronouns correctly is essential for effective communication in both spoken and written forms. Practice these pronouns in sentences, and try to engage in conversations to improve your grasp of their usage. Remember, the context, number, and gender (where applicable) are crucial in choosing the correct pronoun form in Belarusian.