Could a Lithuanian pass Lithuania’s Constitution test? Our Lithuanian founder gave it a go.

For foreigners applying for Lithuanian citizenship through naturalisation, and for some applying for permanent residence, knowing Lithuania comes with an actual exam: the fundamentals of the Lithuanian Constitution. It’s a serious hurdle, especially when you’re still learning the language. Ordering coffee in Lithuanian is one thing. Untangling a formally worded question about constitutional powers is quite another.

But how difficult is it for someone who’s already Lithuanian?

Robin asked Vaiga, the Lithuanian founder of Kalbukas, to find out.

Twenty questions. Her own country. Her native language. Surely this would be straightforward.

The result?

So, does that make her a true Lithuanian?

Vaiga would like to think so. Although she admits that about half of her correct answers were lucky guesses. Points for honesty. Sadly, those don’t count towards the score.

Still, a pass is a pass. She gets to keep the flag.

And it wasn’t just her constitutional knowledge being tested. Some questions had Vaiga, a native Lithuanian speaker, wishing someone could translate them into… Lithuanian. The kind people actually speak. She recognised the words individually. What they were doing together was less clear.

Now imagine doing that in a language you’re still learning, with rather more at stake than a bruised ego.

Honestly, if someone is willing to work their way through formal Lithuanian and study the Constitution to build a life here, they must really want to live in this beautiful country.

We’ll take that as a compliment.

Growing up somewhere doesn’t mean you remember how all its institutions work, or can effortlessly decipher the language used to describe them. Yet people choosing Lithuania as their home are sitting down and learning things many of us vaguely remember from school. Or confidently misremember. Or, in Vaiga’s case, occasionally guess correctly.

So perhaps Lithuania’s foreigners are actually the better Lithuanians, at least when it comes to knowing the Constitution. They’ve done the homework the rest of us hoped nobody would check.

Try the Constitution test yourself →

Can you beat Vaiga’s 15 out of 20? Lucky guesses count. Apparently.