A1 · Section 27
The Remaining Prepositions, and Reflexive Phrases
The prepositions not yet given, set out with the whole system in one table; and the reflexive verbs, which at this level are learnt as set phrases rather than as a paradigm.
Pas: to a Person
139.Pas with the accusative means to or at somebody's place. It is used of people only — one goes į Vilnių but pas brolį — and it covers both the going and the being there, where English needs to my brother's and at my brother's.
- Važiuoju pas mamą.
- I am going to my mother's.
- Vakar buvau pas gydytoją.
- Yesterday I was at the doctor's.
- Ateik pas mane.
- Come to my place.
- [1] Į with a person is wrong: važiuoju į mamą would mean driving into her.
Per and Prieš of Place
140.¶87 gave both of these as prepositions of time. Each has a use of place as well, and the case is the accusative in either sense. Per is across or through; prieš is in front of, and is the opposite of už (¶62).
- Einame per tiltą.
- We are going across the bridge.
- Prieš namą yra sodas.
- In front of the house there is a garden.
| preposition | of time | of place |
|---|---|---|
| per | per valandą — within an hour | per tiltą — across the bridge |
| prieš | prieš valandą — an hour ago | prieš namą — in front of the house |
Už with the Accusative: Payment and Thanks
141.Už was given at ¶62 with the genitive, meaning behind. With the accusative it means for in the sense of payment or return — and it is the už of ačiū už, thank you for. It is also the than of ¶124. One word, three cases of meaning, and the ending decides which.
- Ačiū už kavą.
- Thank you for the coffee.
- Kiek mokėjai už bilietą?
- How much did you pay for the ticket?
| case | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| genitive | behind | už namo — behind the house |
| accusative | for, in return for | sumokėjo už darbą — he paid for the work |
| accusative | than | didesnis už mane — bigger than I |
Virš and Vidury
142.Two more prepositions of place, both governing the genitive. Virš is above — not touching, and so the opposite of ant (¶33). Vidury is in the middle of, and is a noun in the locative pressed into service as a preposition, which is why it takes a genitive after it.
- Jie gyvena virš mūsų.
- They live above us.
- Stalas yra vidury kambario.
- The table is in the middle of the room.
- Lempa kabo virš stalo.
- The lamp hangs above the table. — *ant stalo* would be lying on it
Po in a Third Sense
143.Po has now been met with the genitive (after, ¶33) and with the instrumental (under, ¶75). With the accusative it means motion about or around a place, with no particular destination — vaikščiojome po parką, we walked about the park. Three cases, three meanings, one word: it is the clearest demonstration in the language of why a preposition must be learnt together with its case.
- Vaikščiojome po miestą visą dieną.
- We walked about the town all day.
| case | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| genitive | after (of time) | po pietų — after lunch |
| instrumental | under (of place) | po stalu — under the table |
| accusative | about, around | po parką — about the park |
The Prepositions Reviewed
144.Every preposition of the level, set out by the case it governs. The genitive takes much the largest share; the accusative belongs chiefly to motion and to time; the instrumental has only two. Where a word appears twice, the case carries the difference in meaning, and it always does.
- Nuo Kauno iki Vilniaus šimtas kilometrų.
- From Kaunas to Vilnius is a hundred kilometres.
- Kava be cukraus, prašom.
- Coffee without sugar, please.
| case | prepositions | chiefly |
|---|---|---|
| genitive | ant, be, iki, nuo, prie, už, iš, po, virš, vidury | place, origin, lack, time after |
| accusative | į, pas, per, prieš, už, po | direction, time, payment |
| instrumental | su, po | company, place under |
Reflexive Verbs as Set Phrases
145.A reflexive verb carries the affix -si, which turns the action back on the doer: mokyti is to teach, mokytis to learn. The full paradigm belongs to a later level; what an A1 learner needs is to recognise the affix and to know a handful of phrases by heart, because several of the commonest sentences in the language are reflexive and cannot be avoided.
- Kaip sekasi? – Ačiū, gerai.
- How are you? — Fine, thanks.
- Aš mokausi lietuvių kalbos, bet dar nesimokau rašyti.
- I am learning Lithuanian, but I am not yet learning to write.
- Šiandien jaučiuosi blogiau.
- Today I feel worse.
| Lithuanian | English | from | |
|---|---|---|---|
| greeting | Kaip sekasi? | How are you getting on? | sektis |
| studying | Mokausi lietuvių kalbos. | I am learning Lithuanian. | mokytis |
| feeling | Jaučiuosi geriau. | I feel better. | jaustis |
| liking | Man patinka maudytis. | I like swimming. | maudytis |
| apology | Atsiprašau. | I am sorry. | atsiprašyti |
Vocabulary
- pas
- to, at (a person's place) (+ acc.) · preposition
- virš
- above (+ gen.) · preposition
- vidury
- in the middle of (+ gen.) · preposition
- tiltas
- bridge · noun
- tilto, tiltą, m.
- parkas
- park · noun
- parko, parką, m.
- sodas
- garden · noun
- sodo, sodą, m.
- kambarys
- room · noun
- kambario, kambarį, m.
- bilietas
- ticket · noun
- bilieto, bilietą, m.
- gydytojas
- doctor · noun
- gydytojo, gydytoją, m.
- mokėti
- to pay; to know how to · verb
- moka, mokėjo, II
- mokytis
- to learn, to study · verb
- mokosi, mokėsi
- Reflexive; under negation the -si- moves to the front: nesimoko.
- jaustis
- to feel (of oneself) · verb
- jaučiasi, jautėsi
- Reflexive. 1 sg. present: jaučiuosi; under negation the affix migrates: nesijaučiu.
- sektis
- to go well (impersonal, + dat.) · verb
- sekasi, sekėsi
- Kaip sekasi? — How are you getting on?
- atsiprašau
- I am sorry, excuse me · verb
- A set phrase from the reflexive atsiprašyti.