Prepositions II and Case Government

Dėl and Apie

166.Two of the most useful prepositions still missing. Dėl with the genitive means because of or for the sake of. Apie with the accusative means about, concerning — of a topic of speech or thought. They are easy to confuse with each other in English (talk about / worry because of), and the case keeps them apart.

Negaliu ateiti dėl darbo.

I cannot come because of work.

Kalbate apie filmą?

Are you talking about the film?

Ačiū dėl pagalbos.

Thank you on account of the help. — also common: ačiū už + acc. (¶136)

Pagal, Pro, and Palei

167.Three further prepositions that take the accusative. Pagal is according to or along a line (pagal planą, pagal upę). Pro is through or past (pro langą, pro miestą). Palei is along the side of something (palei sieną). Per (¶140) remains across/through of a surface; pro is the opening or the passing-by.

Dirbame pagal planą.

We are working according to the plan.

Katė išėjo pro duris.

The cat went out through the door.

Einame palei upę.

We are walking along the river.

Tarp, Link, and Šalia

168.Three place-prepositions with the genitive. Tarp is between or among; link is towards (direction without the firm arrival of į); šalia is beside, next to. Prie (¶33) remains at/by with contact of purpose; šalia is mere adjacency.

Stalas stovi tarp lango ir durų.

The table stands between the window and the door.

Einame link centro.

We are going towards the centre.

Jis sėdi šalia manęs.

He is sitting beside me.

• [1] Greta is a near-synonym of šalia and likewise takes the genitive. Netoli (not far from) also takes the genitive: netoli mokyklos.

Verbs That Take a Genitive Object

169.A handful of common verbs take the genitive as their only object, where English uses a direct object or a preposition. Laukti wait for, ieškoti look for, bijoti be afraid of, klausyti listen to, and norėti in the sense want some of all ask ko? — never ką? Learn the verb together with the case; translating the English preposition into a Lithuanian one is the error to avoid.

Ko tu lauki?

What are you waiting for?

Ieškome gero buto.

We are looking for a good flat.

Vaikai bijo tamsos.

The children are afraid of the dark.

Verbs That Take a Dative Alone

170.Some verbs take a dative where English expects a direct object. Padėti help, skambinti telephone, linkėti wish, and atstovauti represent all ask kam? The person helped or telephoned is not accusative. (Patikti and tikti were already taught at ¶67–¶68.*)

Ar gali man padėti?

Can you help me?

Skambinu draugui.

I am ringing a friend.

Linkiu jums sėkmės.

I wish you success. — person in dative, thing wished often genitive

• [1] Padėti can also mean "to put", and then takes an accusative of the thing placed — another reason to learn sense and case together.

Verbs That Take an Instrumental Object

171.A third group takes the instrumental as object. Domėtis be interested in, rūpintis take care of, and tikėti believe (in) ask kuo? — interest, care, and belief are expressed as the means-case. Sirgti (¶77) already showed the pattern with illnesses.

Domiuosi istorija.

I am interested in history.

Ji rūpinasi vaikais.

She takes care of the children.

Ar tiki Dievu?

Do you believe in God?

Case Government Summarised

172.A verb or preposition governs a case: the ending is required by the governor, not freely chosen for meaning. Prepositions of this section add dėl, tarp, link, šalia to the genitive column and apie, pagal, pro, palei to the accusative. Verbs add a genitive set (laukti, ieškoti, bijoti, klausyti), a dative set (padėti, skambinti, linkėti), and an instrumental set (domėtis, rūpintis, tikėti). When in doubt, ask the question-word the governor licenses — ko? kam? kuo? — and answer in that case.

Laukiu autobuso šalia mokyklos.

I am waiting for the bus beside the school.

Kalbu apie knygą ir domiuosi istorija.

I talk about a book and am interested in history.