A0 Basic Verbs 1 min read Leicht

Conjugating 'Būti' in Present Tense

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The verb 'būti' (to be) is the most essential building block in Lithuanian, used to describe states, identity, and location.

  • Use 'esu' for 'I am' (e.g., 'Aš esu studentas').
  • Use 'esi' for 'you are' (e.g., 'Tu esi čia').
  • Use 'yra' for third-person singular/plural (e.g., 'Jis yra geras').
Subject (optional) + Verb (būti form) + Complement

Present Tense Conjugation of Būti

Pronoun Lithuanian English
Aš
esu
I am
Tu
esi
You are
Jis/Ji
yra
He/She is
Mes
esame
We are
Jūs
esate
You (pl) are
Jie/Jos
yra
They are

Meanings

The verb 'būti' functions as the copula, linking a subject to a noun, adjective, or location.

1

Identity/State

Defining who or what someone/something is.

“Aš esu mokytojas.”

“Jie yra draugai.”

2

Location

Indicating where someone or something is located.

“Aš esu Vilniuje.”

“Knyga yra ant stalo.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Conjugating 'Būti' in Present Tense
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Pronoun + Verb
Aš esu čia
Negative
Pronoun + ne + Verb
Aš nesu čia
Question
Ar + Pronoun + Verb
Ar tu esi čia?
Short Answer
Taip/Ne + Verb
Taip, esu
Plural
Pronoun + Verb
Mes esame čia
Third Person
Pronoun + yra
Jis yra čia

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Aš esu namuose.

Aš esu namuose. (Texting/Speaking)

Neutral
Esu namuose.

Esu namuose. (Texting/Speaking)

Informell
Namie esu.

Namie esu. (Texting/Speaking)

Umgangssprache
Namie.

Namie. (Texting/Speaking)

Būti Usage Map

Būti

Identity

  • Aš esu I am

Location

  • Esu namuose I am home

Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Aš esu Jonas.

I am Jonas.

2

Tu esi čia.

You are here.

3

Jis yra geras.

He is good.

4

Mes esame draugai.

We are friends.

1

Ar tu esi laimingas?

Are you happy?

2

Jie nėra namuose.

They are not at home.

3

Jūs esate labai malonūs.

You are very kind.

4

Tai yra mano knyga.

This is my book.

1

Būti ar nebūti – štai klausimas.

To be or not to be, that is the question.

2

Mes esame pasiruošę kelionei.

We are ready for the trip.

3

Ji yra viena geriausių studenčių.

She is one of the best students.

4

Nėra jokios priežasties nerimauti.

There is no reason to worry.

1

Svarbiausia yra išlikti savimi.

The most important thing is to remain yourself.

2

Mes esame įsitikinę savo sėkme.

We are convinced of our success.

3

Jie yra atsakingi už šį projektą.

They are responsible for this project.

4

Nėra abejonių dėl šio sprendimo.

There is no doubt about this decision.

1

Būti pripažintam – tai didelė garbė.

To be recognized is a great honor.

2

Ji yra linkusi į meninę kūrybą.

She is inclined toward artistic creation.

3

Esame priversti priimti šias sąlygas.

We are forced to accept these conditions.

4

Nėra nieko svarbiau už laisvę.

There is nothing more important than freedom.

1

Būtis yra nuolatinis tapsmas.

Being is a constant becoming.

2

Nėra pagrindo abejoti šia teorija.

There is no basis to doubt this theory.

3

Jie yra tapę mūsų istorijos dalimi.

They have become part of our history.

4

Esame pasiryžę įveikti visus sunkumus.

We are determined to overcome all difficulties.

Leicht verwechselbar

Conjugating 'Būti' in Present Tense vs. Būti vs. Būti (habitual)

Learners confuse 'yra' with 'būna'.

Conjugating 'Būti' in Present Tense vs. Būti vs. Turėti

Learners use 'būti' for possession.

Conjugating 'Būti' in Present Tense vs. Būti vs. Eiti

Learners use 'būti' for movement.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Aš būtu

✓

Aš esu

Būti is irregular.
✗

Jis esu

✓

Jis yra

Wrong person conjugation.
✗

Jie yra

✓

Jie yra

Correct, but often confused with singular.
✗

Aš yra

✓

Aš esu

Wrong person.
✗

Nėra esu

✓

Nesu

Double negation.
✗

Ar tu yra?

✓

Ar tu esi?

Wrong person.
✗

Mes yra

✓

Mes esame

Wrong person.
✗

Būti namuose

✓

Esu namuose

Using infinitive instead of conjugated form.
✗

Jie būna

✓

Jie yra

Būna implies habitual state, not current.
✗

Nėra namie

✓

Nėra namuose

Case error.
✗

Būti esantis

✓

Esantis

Redundant participle.
✗

Yra buvęs

✓

Buvau

Wrong tense usage.
✗

Nėra buvę

✓

Nebuvo

Wrong tense.
✗

Būti yra

✓

Yra

Redundant copula.

Satzmuster

Aš esu ___.

Ar tu esi ___?

Jis yra ___.

Mes esame ___.

Real World Usage

Introduction constant

Aš esu Jonas.

Travel very common

Esu oro uoste.

Texting constant

Esu namie.

Job Interview common

Esu patyręs vadybininkas.

Ordering Food occasional

Tai yra mano užsakymas.

Social Media common

Esu laimingas!

💡

Drop the pronoun

In Lithuanian, you can drop 'Aš' or 'Tu' because the verb ending tells you who it is.
⚠️

Don't over-conjugate

Remember that 'yra' is used for both singular and plural.
🎯

Use 'nėra' for negative

Always use 'nėra' for negation in the third person.
💬

Be direct

Lithuanians appreciate directness; dropping the copula is common.

Smart Tips

Drop the pronoun when the subject is clear.

Aš esu namuose. → Esu namuose.

Use 'Ar' to start questions.

Tu esi namuose? → Ar tu esi namuose?

Use 'yra' for everything in 3rd person.

Jie esu laimingi. → Jie yra laimingi.

Attach 'ne-' directly to the verb.

Aš ne esu. → Aš nesu.

Aussprache

ES-u

Stress

Stress is usually on the first syllable.

Question

Ar tu ESI?

Rising pitch at the end.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Esu, Esi, Yra — remember the 'E-E-Y' rhythm for the first three singular forms.

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine a mirror (Esu) looking at you (Esi) and reflecting the truth (Yra).

Rhyme

Esu, esi, yra, mes esame, jūs esate, jie yra.

Story

I (Aš) am (esu) a traveler. You (Tu) are (esi) my friend. He (Jis) is (yra) our guide. We (Mes) are (esame) happy. You (Jūs) are (esate) ready. They (Jie) are (yra) waiting.

Word Web

esuesiyraesameesatenėrabūti

Herausforderung

Write 5 sentences describing your current location and identity using 'būti'.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Lithuanians often drop the copula in casual speech to sound more direct.

Būti comes from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH-.

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Ar tu esi studentas?

“

Kur tu esi dabar?

“

Ar esi buvęs Lietuvoje?

“

Koks yra tavo mėgstamiausias miestas?

Tagebuch-Impulse

Describe your family using 'būti'.
Where are you and what are you doing?
Describe your dream job.
Reflect on your day.

Häufige Fehler

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Incorrect

Richtig

Test Yourself

Conjugate 'būti' for 'Aš'.

Aš ___ studentas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: esu
Aš takes esu.
Select the correct form for 'Jie'. Multiple Choice

Jie ___ draugai.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yra
Jie takes yra.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Aš yra namuose.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Aš esu namuose
Aš takes esu.
Reorder the sentence. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Aš esu namuose
Subject-Verb-Object.
Translate to Lithuanian. Übersetzung

You are here.

Answer starts with: Tu ...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tu esi čia
Tu takes esi.
Match pronoun to verb. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: esame
Mes takes esame.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Ar tu esi laimingas? B: Taip, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: esu
Answering for self.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Jūs / esate / laimingi

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jūs esate laimingi
Jūs takes esate.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Conjugate 'būti' for 'Aš'.

Aš ___ studentas.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: esu
Aš takes esu.
Select the correct form for 'Jie'. Multiple Choice

Jie ___ draugai.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yra
Jie takes yra.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Aš yra namuose.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Aš esu namuose
Aš takes esu.
Reorder the sentence. Sentence Reorder

esu / Aš / namuose

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Aš esu namuose
Subject-Verb-Object.
Translate to Lithuanian. Übersetzung

You are here.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Tu esi čia
Tu takes esi.
Match pronoun to verb. Match Pairs

Mes -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: esame
Mes takes esame.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Ar tu esi laimingas? B: Taip, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: esu
Answering for self.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Jūs / esate / laimingi

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jūs esate laimingi
Jūs takes esate.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

It is a very old verb, and its forms evolved differently over centuries.

Yes, in casual speech, the copula is often dropped.

Yes, 'yra' is used for both singular and plural third-person.

Add 'ne-' to the verb, e.g., 'nesu'.

'Esu' is for now, 'būna' is for habitual.

No, they are optional.

No, use 'turėti'.

Use 'Ar' or change intonation.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish partial

Ser/Estar

Lithuanian uses one verb 'būti' for both.

French high

Être

French is not pro-drop.

German high

Sein

German requires subject pronouns.

Japanese low

Desu

Japanese doesn't conjugate for person.

Arabic moderate

Kana

Arabic omits copula in present.

Chinese low

Shi

Chinese has no conjugation.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Connected Grammar

Pronouns

Prerequisite

Need pronouns for conjugation.

Noun Cases

Builds On

Cases follow the verb.

Past Tense

Advanced Form

Next step in verb learning.

Negation

Similar

How to negate other verbs.

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