An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 26 most common Belarusian idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Belarusian idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, як снег на галаву literally means "like snow onto the head" but is used to mean completely unexpectedly, with no warning at all. This free page ranks the 26 most common Belarusian idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 26 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of August 2026.
як снег на галаву
Literally like snow onto the head
Means completely unexpectedly, with no warning at all
English idiom out of the blue
Example Госці прыехалі як снег на галаву, і мы не паспелі нічога прыгатаваць.
The guests turned up out of the blue, and we had no time to cook anything.
ні з таго ні з сяго
Literally neither from that, nor from this
Means suddenly and for no apparent reason
English idiom without rhyme or reason
Example Ні з таго ні з сяго ён устаў і выйшаў з пакоя.
Without rhyme or reason he got up and walked out of the room.
кот наплакаў
Literally a cat cried
Means an extremely small amount of something
Example Грошай засталося кот наплакаў.
There is hardly any money left.
Note Often with як in front: як кот наплакаў. The tone is light and slightly joking.
трымаць язык за зубамі
Literally to hold the tongue behind the teeth
Means to stay silent and not give something away
English idiom hold one's tongue
Example Я табе раскажу, але трымай язык за зубамі.
I will tell you, but keep it to yourself.
ліць як з вядра
Literally to pour like from a bucket
Means to rain very heavily
English idiom rain cats and dogs
Example Сёння на вуліцу лепш не выходзіць, лье як з вядра.
Better not go outside today, it is raining cats and dogs.
як дзве кроплі вады
Literally like two drops of water
Means looking exactly alike
English idiom like two peas in a pod
Example Брат з сястрой падобныя як дзве кроплі вады.
The brother and sister are like two peas in a pod.
душа пайшла ў пяткі
Literally the soul went into the heels
Means to get badly frightened all at once
English idiom one's heart sank into one's boots
Example Пачуўшы гэты крык, я адчуў, як душа пайшла ў пяткі.
When I heard that scream, my heart sank into my boots.
Note Dictionaries list the word order душа ў пяткі пайшла, and both orders are heard in speech.
вадзіць за нос
Literally to lead by the nose
Means to deceive someone over a long time with promises that never come true
English idiom string someone along
Example Ён ужо два месяцы водзіць мяне за нос, абяцаючы вярнуць доўг.
He has been stringing me along for two months, promising to pay the debt back.
рабіць з мухі слана
Literally to make an elephant out of a fly
Means to greatly exaggerate something small
English idiom make a mountain out of a molehill
Example Не трэба рабіць з мухі слана, гэта звычайная драбніца.
There is no need to make a mountain out of a molehill, it is just a small thing.
ні свет ні зара
Literally neither light nor dawn
Means extremely early in the morning
English idiom at the crack of dawn
Example Ён устаў ні свет ні зара і паехаў на вакзал.
He got up at the crack of dawn and went to the station.
жыць як кот з сабакам
Literally to live like a cat with a dog
Means to quarrel constantly with someone you live or work beside
English idiom fight like cat and dog
Example Яны жывуць як кот з сабакам, увесь час сварацца.
They fight like cat and dog, they argue all the time.
вешаць нос
Literally to hang one's nose
Means to lose heart and look downcast
English idiom be down in the dumps
Example Не вешай нос, усё яшчэ наладзіцца.
Do not lose heart, everything will still work out.
залатыя рукі
Literally golden hands
Means great skill at making or fixing things by hand
Example У майго дзеда залатыя рукі, ён можа адрамантаваць усё.
My grandfather is brilliant with his hands, he can repair anything.
ні пуху ні пер’я
Literally neither down nor feathers
Means good luck, said to someone facing an exam or another hard test
English idiom break a leg
Example Заўтра ў цябе экзамен? Ні пуху ні пер’я!
You have an exam tomorrow? Break a leg!
Note The expected reply is "Да чорта!" (to the devil), because thanking someone for the wish is thought to jinx it.
чытаць паміж радкоў
Literally to read between the lines
Means to work out what someone means without them saying it directly
English idiom read between the lines
Example Трэба ўмець чытаць паміж радкоў, каб зразумець, што ён меў на ўвазе.
You have to be able to read between the lines to understand what he meant.
браць быка за рогі
Literally to take the bull by the horns
Means to tackle a hard matter directly instead of circling around it
English idiom take the bull by the horns
Example Досыць размоў, бяром быка за рогі і пачынаем працаваць.
Enough talking, let us take the bull by the horns and get to work.
выйсці сухім з вады
Literally to come out of the water dry
Means to escape blame or punishment although you were in the wrong
English idiom get off scot-free
Example Ён заўсёды выходзіць сухім з вады, што б ні здарылася.
He always gets off scot-free, whatever happens.
важная птушка
Literally an important bird
Means a person with a lot of rank or influence
English idiom a big shot
Example Ён паводзіць сябе так, быццам ён важная птушка.
He behaves as if he were a big shot.
Note Almost always ironic, so it stings if you use it to someone's face.
стары верабей
Literally an old sparrow
Means an experienced person who is not easy to fool
English idiom an old hand
Example Яго не так проста ашукаць, ён стары верабей.
He is not that easy to trick, he is an old hand.
Note The variant стрэляны верабей (a sparrow that has been shot at) is just as common.
сёмая вада на кісялі
Literally the seventh water on the kissel
Means a relative so distant that the connection barely counts
Example Ён мне нейкі далёкі родзіч, сёмая вада на кісялі.
He is some distant relative of mine, barely family at all.
Note Кісель is a thin starchy fruit drink, and the picture is of water poured over the leftovers again and again. You will also hear дзясятая вада на кісялі.
лезці на ражон
Literally to climb onto the spike
Means to walk straight into danger when there is no need to
English idiom ask for trouble
Example Не лезь на ражон, лепш пачакай спакойна.
Do not go asking for trouble, better to wait quietly.
Note Ражон is a sharpened stake or roasting spit, so the picture is of walking onto the point.
сем пядзяў у лбе
Literally seven spans in the forehead
Means exceptionally clever
English idiom be a rocket scientist
Example Не трэба быць сямі пядзяў у лбе, каб зразумець такую простую рэч.
You do not have to be a rocket scientist to understand such a simple thing.
Note Пядзя is an old hand span measure. The phrase turns up most often in the negative, as in the example.
іграць другую скрыпку
Literally to play the second violin
Means to hold a secondary role next to someone more prominent
English idiom play second fiddle
Example У гэтай кампаніі ён заўсёды іграе другую скрыпку.
In that company he always plays second fiddle.
біць бібікі
Literally to beat the bibiki
Means to loaf about doing nothing useful
English idiom twiddle one's thumbs
Example Ён цэлы дзень б’е бібікі замест таго, каб вучыцца.
He twiddles his thumbs all day instead of studying.
Note Informal and mildly scolding, fine among friends but out of place at work.
гады ў рады
Literally years in rows
Means very rarely, with long gaps in between
English idiom once in a blue moon
Example Мы бачымся гады ў рады, бо жывём у розных гарадах.
We see each other once in a blue moon, because we live in different cities.
спаць як пшаніцу прадаўшы
Literally to sleep as if having sold the wheat
Means to sleep deeply and without a care in the world
English idiom sleep like a log
Example Ён так стаміўся, што спаў як пшаніцу прадаўшы.
He was so tired that he slept like a log.
Note A homely village image of a farmer resting easy once the harvest is sold. Colloquial and warm rather than formal.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Як снег на галаву comes out as "like snow onto the head", which makes no sense until you know it means completely unexpectedly, with no warning at all.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Belarusian sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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The most common Belarusian idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with як снег на галаву, ні з таго ні з сяго, кот наплакаў, трымаць язык за зубамі, ліць як з вядра. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This page lists 26 of them with meanings and example sentences.
In Belarusian, "як снег на галаву" translates literally as "like snow onto the head", but it actually means completely unexpectedly, with no warning at all. The closest English idiom is "out of the blue". Example: Госці прыехалі як снег на галаву, і мы не паспелі нічога прыгатаваць. ("The guests turned up out of the blue, and we had no time to cook anything.")
The Belarusian equivalent is "як снег на галаву", literally "like snow onto the head". Example: Госці прыехалі як снег на галаву, і мы не паспелі нічога прыгатаваць. ("The guests turned up out of the blue, and we had no time to cook anything.")
In Belarusian, an idiom is called фразеалагізм, and a proverb is прыказка. A фразеалагізм is a fixed figurative phrase that works inside a sentence like a single word, while a прыказка is a complete sentence carrying a lesson, and a shorter figurative saying that is not a full sentence is called a прымаўка.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Як снег на галаву translates literally as "like snow onto the head", yet it means completely unexpectedly, with no warning at all. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Belarusian with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.