Why Do Words Change?

In English, word order matters. "The dog bit the cat" is different from "The cat bit the dog." In Lithuanian, endings matter.

• Šuo (Dog - Subject)
• Šunį (Dog - Object)

This system is called Cases. There are 7, but you only need 3 to survive.

1. Nominative (Vardininkas) — The Subject

This is the dictionary form. Who is doing the action?

• Kava yra skani. (Coffee is tasty.)
• Jonas miega. (Jonas sleeps.)

2. Genitive (Kilmininkas) — Of / None

Use this for "of something" OR "not having something" OR after "noriu" (I want).

• Puodelis kavos. (Cup of coffee.)
• Aš nenoriu kavos. (I don't want coffee.)

3. Accusative (Galininkas) — The Object

Use this for the direct target of an action.

• Aš geriu kavą. (I drink coffee.)
• Aš myliu Lietuvą. (I love Lithuania.)

The "Coffee" Pattern

| Case | Word | Usage | | :------------- | :-------- | :------------------------- | | Nominative | Kava | Coffee is here. | | Genitive | Kavos | Cup of coffee / No coffee. | | Accusative | Kavą | I drink coffee. |

Quick Practice

Fill in the blank (Mental check):

1. Čia yra __ (Kava). -> Kava (Subject)
2. Aš noriu __ (Kava). -> Kavos (Want = Genitive)
3. Aš perku __ (Kava). -> Kavą (Buy = Accusative)

Related Resources

• Ordering Food & Drink
• Present Tense Verbs