Lithuanian for beginners:
100 essential phrases

Lithuanian has a reputation for being hard because of its cases and endings. But in your first weeks grammar is not the point: you need ready-made phrases for typical situations. Here are 100 of them, grouped by topic. Learn them whole, without breaking them into words: grammar will catch up later.

How to read Lithuanian letters

Lithuanian uses the Latin alphabet and is read almost exactly as it is written. A few letters are worth learning straight away:

• š sounds like "sh" in "ship", ž like "s" in "pleasure", č like "ch" in "church".
• c sounds like "ts" in "cats", j like "y" in "yes".
• y and į are a long "ee", ū and ų a long "oo".
• ą and ę are long "a" and "e" sounds; they are not nasal.
• ė is a long, closed "e".
• Stress can fall on any syllable and is not marked in writing, so listen to native speakers or recordings and repeat out loud.

Greetings and politeness

1. Labas! — Hi!
2. Sveiki! — Hello!
3. Laba diena! — Good day! (used all day)
4. Labas rytas! — Good morning!
5. Labas vakaras! — Good evening!
6. Labanakt! — Good night!
7. Viso gero! — Goodbye!
8. Iki! — Bye!
9. Ačiū. — Thank you.
10. Labai ačiū. — Thank you very much.
11. Prašom. — Please. / Here you are.
12. Atsiprašau. — Sorry. / Excuse me.

Getting to know people

13. Kuo jūs vardu? — What is your name?
14. Mano vardas Ana. — My name is Ana.
15. Malonu susipažinti. — Nice to meet you.
16. Iš kur jūs esate? — Where are you from?
17. Aš esu iš Indijos. — I am from India.
18. Aš gyvenu Vilniuje. — I live in Vilnius.
19. Kuo jūs dirbate? — What do you do for a living?
20. Kiek jums metų? — How old are you?
21. Man trisdešimt metų. — I am thirty.
22. Aš turiu du vaikus. — I have two children.
23. Ar jūs kalbate angliškai? — Do you speak English?
24. Aš mokausi lietuvių kalbos. — I am learning Lithuanian.

When you do not understand

25. Nesuprantu. — I do not understand.
26. Ar galite pakartoti? — Could you repeat that?
27. Kalbėkite lėčiau, prašom. — Please speak more slowly.
28. Ką tai reiškia? — What does that mean?
29. Kaip pasakyti lietuviškai? — How do you say it in Lithuanian?
30. Aš kalbu lietuviškai tik truputį. — I speak only a little Lithuanian.
31. Gal galite parašyti? — Could you write it down?
32. Taip. — Yes.
33. Ne. — No.
34. Nežinau. — I do not know.

Shop and café

35. Kiek tai kainuoja? — How much is it?
36. Norėčiau kavos. — I would like a coffee.
37. Vieną kavą, prašom. — One coffee, please.
38. Ar galima sumokėti kortele? — Can I pay by card?
39. Grynaisiais. — In cash.
40. Sąskaitą, prašom. — The bill, please.
41. Kur yra tualetas? — Where is the toilet?
42. Ar turite duonos? — Do you have bread?
43. Man reikia pieno. — I need milk.
44. Ar reikia maišelio? — Do you need a bag? (asked at the till)
45. Ne, ačiū, nereikia. — No, thank you, I do not need one.
46. Čekio nereikia. — I do not need the receipt.
47. Ar čia laisva? — Is this seat free?
48. Skanaus! — Enjoy your meal!

Town and transport

49. Kur yra stotis? — Where is the station?
50. Kaip nueiti iki centro? — How do I get to the centre?
51. Ar toli? — Is it far?
52. Čia netoli. — It is not far.
53. Į kairę. — To the left.
54. Į dešinę. — To the right.
55. Tiesiai. — Straight on.
56. Kuris autobusas važiuoja į centrą? — Which bus goes to the centre?
57. Vieną bilietą, prašom. — One ticket, please.
58. Kur yra stotelė? — Where is the bus stop?
59. Kada išvyksta traukinys? — When does the train leave?
60. Sustokite čia, prašom. — Please stop here.

Time

61. Kiek dabar valandų? — What time is it?
62. Dabar trečia valanda. — It is three o'clock.
63. Kada? — When?
64. Šiandien. — Today.
65. Rytoj. — Tomorrow.
66. Vakar. — Yesterday.
67. Po valandos. — In an hour.
68. Pirmadienį. — On Monday.
69. Savaitgalį. — At the weekend.
70. Ryte ar vakare? — In the morning or in the evening?

Doctor and pharmacy

71. Man skauda galvą. — I have a headache.
72. Man skauda gerklę. — I have a sore throat.
73. Aš sergu. — I am ill.
74. Man pakilo temperatūra. — I have a temperature.
75. Man reikia gydytojo. — I need a doctor.
76. Noriu užsiregistruoti pas gydytoją. — I want to book a doctor's appointment.
77. Kur yra vaistinė? — Where is the pharmacy?
78. Ar turite vaistų nuo peršalimo? — Do you have any cold medicine?
79. Padėkite! — Help!
80. Iškvieskite greitąją pagalbą! — Call an ambulance!

Flat and work

81. Aš ieškau buto. — I am looking for a flat.
82. Kiek kainuoja nuoma? — How much is the rent?
83. Neveikia šildymas. — The heating is not working.
84. Kada galiu ateiti? — When can I come?
85. Aš vėluoju. — I am running late.
86. Šiandien negaliu. — I cannot today.
87. Ką man reikia daryti? — What do I need to do?
88. Aš baigiau. — I am done.
89. Gero savaitgalio! — Have a nice weekend!

Small talk

90. Kaip sekasi? — How are you?
91. Gerai, ačiū. O jums? — Fine, thanks. And you?
92. Neblogai. — Not bad.
93. Puiku! — Great!
94. Žinoma. — Of course.
95. Gerai. — Fine. / OK.
96. Nieko tokio. — No problem.
97. Man patinka Lietuva. — I like Lithuania.
98. Iki pasimatymo! — See you!
99. Sėkmės! — Good luck!
100. Su gimtadieniu! — Happy birthday!

How to learn these phrases

Ten a day, out loud. In ten days you will have covered all 100. Say each phrase out loud several times, ideally in a situation where you need it: in a shop, on the bus.

Review on a schedule. After a day, after three days, after a week. Spaced-repetition flashcards do this for you.

Change the details. Once you know Vieną kavą, prašom., try Vieną arbatą, prašom. (One tea, please.) That turns a phrase into a pattern instead of a memorised line.

Use them with someone. A phrase is really learned when you have said it in a conversation and been understood.

If you need Lithuanian for permanent residence, the next step is the A2 exam: how the Lithuanian A2 exam works. For the second exam, see the Constitution exam guide.

In Talkfirst you can talk to an AI conversation partner in Lithuanian from A1: it speaks at your level, slightly above, words from your conversations go into flashcards, and you practise pronunciation word by word.

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