Lithuanian keeps some of the oldest features of any living Indo-European language, but its most-used words are still just a small, learnable set. A hundred words like this carry an outsized share of everyday speech: pronouns, case-shifting prepositions, and the handful of verbs that show up in nearly every sentence. Learn these first and the grammar you meet later will already feel familiar.
How to use this list
Do not work through this list top to bottom. Read down it and mark only the words you could not have produced yourself. Those are your list. The rest are already yours, and reviewing them is wasted effort better spent on words you actually meet in reading, conversation, or subtitles.
The 100 words
| # | Lithuanian | English | In use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ir | and | Aš ir tu einame į mokyklą.You and I are going to school. |
| 2 | o | and/but (contrast) | Aš dirbu, o tu ilsiesi.I am working, and you are resting. |
| 3 | bet | but | Noriu eiti, bet lyja.I want to go, but it's raining. |
| 4 | kad | that | Žinau, kad tu esi teisus.I know that you are right. |
| 5 | jei | if | Jei lis, liksime namie.If it rains, we will stay home. |
| 6 | nes | because | Aš liūdnas, nes tu išvažiuoji.I am sad because you are leaving. |
| 7 | arba | or | Nori arbatos arba kavos?Do you want tea or coffee? |
| 8 | kai | when | Kai lyja, aš skaitau knygą.When it rains, I read a book. |
| 9 | aš | I | Aš gyvenu Vilniuje.I live in Vilnius. |
| 10 | tu | you (singular) | Ar tu mane girdi?Can you hear me? |
| 11 | jis | he | Jis dirba banke.He works at a bank. |
| 12 | ji | she | Ji mėgsta muziką.She likes music. |
| 13 | mes | we | Mes einame į parduotuvę.We are going to the store. |
| 14 | jūs | you (plural/formal) | Ar jūs kalbate angliškai?Do you speak English? |
| 15 | jie | they (masc.) | Jie žaidžia kieme.They are playing in the yard. |
| 16 | jos | they (fem.) | Jos studijuoja universitete.They (women) study at the university. |
| 17 | šis | this | Šis namas yra naujas.This house is new. |
| 18 | tas | that | Tas vyras yra mano tėvas.That man is my father. |
| 19 | savo | one's own | Kiekvienas myli savo šeimą.Everyone loves their own family. |
| 20 | kas | who/what | Kas atėjo?Who came? |
| 21 | kuris | which | Kuris automobilis tavo?Which car is yours? |
| 22 | koks | what kind of | Koks oras šiandien?What is the weather like today? |
| 23 | kiek | how much/many | Kiek tai kainuoja?How much does it cost? |
| 24 | kaip | how | Kaip tu jautiesi?How do you feel? |
| 25 | kur | where | Kur tu gyveni?Where do you live? |
| 26 | kodėl | why | Kodėl tu verki?Why are you crying? |
| 27 | kada | when (question) | Kada prasideda filmas?When does the movie start? |
| 28 | čia | here | Aš esu čia.I am here. |
| 29 | ten | there | Knyga yra ten, ant stalo.The book is there, on the table. |
| 30 | dabar | now | Aš turiu eiti dabar.I have to go now. |
| 31 | jau | already | Jis jau valgė.He has already eaten. |
| 32 | dar | still/yet | Ji dar miega.She is still sleeping. |
| 33 | labai | very | Šis miestas labai gražus.This city is very beautiful. |
| 34 | tik | only | Turiu tik dešimt eurų.I only have ten euros. |
| 35 | taip | yes | Taip, aš sutinku.Yes, I agree. |
| 36 | ne | no/not | Ne, aš nenoriu.No, I don't want to. |
| 37 | taip pat | also | Aš taip pat noriu kavos.I also want coffee. |
| 38 | su | with | Aš einu į kiną su draugu.I am going to the cinema with a friend. |
| 39 | be | without | Negaliu gyventi be tavęs.I can't live without you. |
| 40 | į | into/to | Mes važiuojame į Vilnių.We are driving to Vilnius. |
| 41 | iš | from | Jis yra iš Lenkijos.He is from Poland. |
| 42 | ant | on | Katė guli ant sofos.The cat is lying on the sofa. |
| 43 | po | after | Po pietų aš dirbu.After lunch I work. |
| 44 | prie | near/by | Susitiksime prie stoties.We'll meet near the station. |
| 45 | per | through/during | Per vasarą aš keliauju.During the summer I travel. |
| 46 | apie | about | Kalbėkime apie ateitį.Let's talk about the future. |
| 47 | dėl | because of | Aš pavėlavau dėl eismo.I was late because of traffic. |
| 48 | nuo | from/since | Aš dirbu nuo ryto.I have been working since morning. |
| 49 | iki | until | Palauk iki rytojaus.Wait until tomorrow. |
| 50 | tarp | between | Sėdėkime tarp lango ir durų.Let's sit between the window and the door. |
| 51 | pas | at (someone's place) | Vakare einu pas draugą.In the evening I'm going to my friend's place. |
| 52 | nors | although/even | Nors lyja, mes eisime pasivaikščioti.Although it's raining, we will go for a walk. |
| 53 | būti | to be | Noriu būti laimingas.I want to be happy. |
| 54 | turėti | to have | Aš turiu du brolius.I have two brothers. |
| 55 | daryti | to do | Ką tu darai?What are you doing? |
| 56 | eiti | to go | Man reikia eiti namo.I need to go home. |
| 57 | sakyti | to say | Ji visada sako tiesą.She always tells the truth. |
| 58 | norėti | to want | Aš noriu valgyti.I want to eat. |
| 59 | galėti | to be able to | Ar galiu tau padėti?Can I help you? |
| 60 | žinoti | to know | Aš nežinau atsakymo.I don't know the answer. |
| 61 | matyti | to see | Ar tu matai tą paukštį?Do you see that bird? |
| 62 | duoti | to give | Duok man knygą.Give me the book. |
| 63 | imti | to take | Imk skėtį, lyja.Take an umbrella, it's raining. |
| 64 | manyti | to think | Aš manau, kad tu teisus.I think that you are right. |
| 65 | dirbti | to work | Ji dirba ligoninėje.She works at a hospital. |
| 66 | gyventi | to live | Mes gyvename Kaune.We live in Kaunas. |
| 67 | kalbėti | to speak | Jis kalba tris kalbas.He speaks three languages. |
| 68 | klausti | to ask | Mokinys drąsiai klausia mokytojo.The student boldly asks the teacher. |
| 69 | atsakyti | to answer | Prašau atsakyti į klausimą.Please answer the question. |
| 70 | skaityti | to read | Man patinka skaityti knygas.I like reading books. |
| 71 | rašyti | to write | Ji rašo laišką.She is writing a letter. |
| 72 | valgyti | to eat | Mes valgome pietus.We are eating lunch. |
| 73 | gerti | to drink | Jis geria vandenį.He is drinking water. |
| 74 | mylėti | to love | Aš myliu savo šeimą.I love my family. |
| 75 | patikti | to like/please | Man patinka ši daina.I like this song. |
| 76 | reikėti | to need | Man reikia laiko.I need time. |
| 77 | prašyti | to request | Aš prašau tavo pagalbos.I am asking for your help. |
| 78 | laukti | to wait | Aš laukiu autobuso.I am waiting for the bus. |
| 79 | ieškoti | to look for | Ji ieško darbo.She is looking for a job. |
| 80 | rasti | to find | Negaliu rasti raktų.I can't find my keys. |
| 81 | pradėti | to begin | Mes pradedame pamoką.We are starting the lesson. |
| 82 | baigti | to finish | Aš baigiau darbą.I finished the work. |
| 83 | suprasti | to understand | Aš nesuprantu šio klausimo.I don't understand this question. |
| 84 | mokytis | to study/learn | Vaikai mokosi mokykloje.Children study at school. |
| 85 | padėti | to help | Ar galėtum man padėti?Could you help me? |
| 86 | jausti | to feel | Aš jaučiu nuovargį.I feel tired. |
| 87 | girdėti | to hear | Aš girdžiu muziką.I hear music. |
| 88 | žmogus | person | Kiekvienas žmogus yra skirtingas.Every person is different. |
| 89 | vyras | man | Tas vyras yra gydytojas.That man is a doctor. |
| 90 | moteris | woman | Moteris nešė krepšį.The woman was carrying a bag. |
| 91 | vaikas | child | Vaikas žaidžia parke.The child is playing in the park. |
| 92 | diena | day | Šiandien graži diena.Today is a beautiful day. |
| 93 | metai | year | Praėjo penki metai.Five years have passed. |
| 94 | laikas | time | Neturiu laiko.I don't have time. |
| 95 | namai | home | Mūsų namai yra prie ežero.Our home is by the lake. |
| 96 | gyvenimas | life | Gyvenimas yra gražus.Life is beautiful. |
| 97 | darbas | work/job | Jo darbas yra įdomus.His job is interesting. |
| 98 | geras | good | Tai geras filmas.That is a good movie. |
| 99 | didelis | big | Jie turi didelį namą.They have a big house. |
| 100 | mažas | small | Tai mažas miestas.That is a small town. |
The ones English speakers get wrong
Genitive of negation
When a Lithuanian sentence is negated, a direct object that would normally be in the accusative case shifts to the genitive. 'Turiu knygą' (I have a book) becomes 'Neturiu knygos' (I don't have a book), not 'Neturiu knygą.' This rule applies constantly and trips up almost every learner at first.
mokyti vs. mokytis
'Mokyti' means to teach, while 'mokytis' means to study or learn, the reflexive '-tis' ending flips who the action is happening to. 'Mokytoja moko vaikus' (the teacher teaches the children) is a different sentence from 'Vaikai mokosi' (the children are studying).
jos as two different words
'Jos' can mean 'they' (feminine plural, as in 'jos dirba' - they work), but it is also the genitive singular of 'ji' (her/its), as in 'tai jos knyga' (that's her book). Context and case are the only way to tell them apart.
Vowel length: a/ą, e/ę
The nasal-origin vowels ą, ę, į, ų are pronounced long, while a, e, i, u are short. Mixing them up doesn't just sound off, it can change a word's meaning or grammatical case, since length often marks the difference between forms like 'ranka' (hand, nominative) and 'rankų' (of hands, genitive plural).
tu vs. jūs
'Tu' is the informal 'you' used with friends, family, and children. 'Jūs' covers both the formal singular 'you' shown to strangers and elders, and the ordinary plural 'you all.' Using 'tu' with someone you've just met can come across as too familiar.
What to do next
A list this size is about two weeks of light daily review, and it is the difference between decoding Lithuanian and following it.