Czech Prepositions: the complete guide
Prepositions are an essential part of grammar in many languages, and Czech is no exception. These words establish the relationships between different elements within a sentence, indicating spatial, temporal, or other types of connections.
The usage of prepositions in Czech
There are a few things you should know before you start learning prepositions. These are:
1) Prepositions come before the noun
- In Czech, prepositions are placed before the corresponding noun or pronoun.
- While some languages might use adpositions (those come after the noun or pronoun), this is not the case in modern Czech.
2) Prepositions in Czech are tied to specific grammatical cases
- In Czech, prepositions are always tied to a case. Whenever a preposition is used, the following noun or pronoun has to be declined according to the different Czech declension rules.
- That said, the first case (nominative) and the fifth case (vocative) cannot be used with prepositions.
3) Always make sure you know the right case
- Some prepositions can only be used with one case (such as “bez”), while others can be used with many different cases, depending on the meaning and context (such as “na,” “o,” “za,” and “po”).
- This comes naturally to native Czech speakers, but as a learner, you will most likely have to memorize this.
- Tip: When learning prepositions, always make sure you don’t just know the meaning, but you also know which case to use with each one in each specific case.
Prepositions with the genitive grammatical case
In Czech grammar, the genitive case is the second case and can be used with and without prepositions, depending on the intended meaning and context. Here are some of the most common prepositions that can take the genitive case:
| Preposition | Translation |
|---|---|
| bez | without |
| do | to, into, until |
| kolem | around |
| kromě | except for |
| místo | instead of |
| od | from, since |
| u | at, by |
| vedle | next to, beside |
| z, ze | from |
Example sentences:
“Bez brýlí to nepřečtu.”
– “I can’t read this without my glasses.”- “Ten strom roste ze země.”
– “The tree is growing from the ground.” - “Dala bych si pečené brambory místo hranolek.”
– “I’d like to have baked potatoes instead of fries.”
Prepositions with the dative case
The dative case is the third case in Czech. It can be used with or without prepositions.
The following prepositions can be used with the dative case:
| Preposition | Translation |
|---|---|
| díky | thanks to, owing to |
| k, ke | to, toward |
| kvůli | because of, due to |
| navzdory | despite, in spite of |
| proti | against |
| vůči | towards, to, against |
Example sentences:
- “V létě pojedeme k moři.”
– “We’ll go to the sea in the summer.” - “Tu kytaru jsem koupil kvůli tobě.”
– “I bought the guitar for (because of) you.” - “Šli tam navzdory zákazu.”
– “They went there in spite of the ban.” - “Nic proti tobě nemám.”
– “I have nothing against you.”
Prepositions with the accusative case
In Czech grammar, the fourth case is the accusative case, which is used to indicate the direct object of a verb. The accusative case can be used with or without prepositions, depending on the context of the sentence. Here are some common prepositions that take the accusative case:
| Preposition | Translation |
|---|---|
| na | on, for |
| o | for, against |
| pod | under |
| pro | for |
| před | in front of |
| přes | across, over, in spite of |
| za | for, on behalf of, behind |
Example sentences:
- “Čekám na autobus.”
– “I’m waiting for a bus.” - “Schovej ten dopis pod matraci.”
– “Hide the letter under the mattress.” - “Tenhle šálek kávy je pro babičku.”
– “This cup of coffee is for grandma.”
Prepositions with the locative case
The locative is the sixth case in Czech. It can only be used with prepositions – you cannot use the locative case without it being preceded by a preposition.
Here is a list of prepositions that take the locative case:
| Preposition | Translation |
|---|---|
| na | on |
| o | about |
| po | after |
| při | by, when (doing something) |
| v, ve | in |
Example sentences:
- “Na stole leží moje peněženka.”
– “My wallet is lying on the table.” - “Moje nejoblíbenější pohádka je ta o červené Karkulce.”
– “My favorite fairytale is the one about the Little Red Riding Hood.” - “Při nástupu na palubu letedla prosím ukažte letenku.”
– “Please show your ticket when boarding the plane.” - “Po představení pojedeme zpátky vlakem.”
– “We’ll be taking the train back after the performance.”
Prepositions with the instrumental case
The seventh and final case in Czech is the instrumental case, which can be used both with and without a preposition.
Here is a list of the most common Czech prepositions used with the instrumental case:
| Preposition | Translation |
|---|---|
| mezi | between |
| nad | above, over |
| pod | below, under |
| před | in front of, before, ago |
| s, se | with |
| za | behind |
Example sentences:
- “Na zemi mezi skříní a postelí leží vysavač.”
– “The vacuum cleaner is on the floor between the closet and the bed.” - “Pavel jde do kina s Monikou.”
– “Pavel is going to the cinema with Monika.” - “Za těmito dveřmi se nachází králova ložnice.”
– “Behind these doors is the king’s bedroom.”
Some rules for the proper use of prepositions
You may have noticed that sometimes, there are two options when it comes to some Czech prepositions, such as “s,” “z,” “v,” and “k.” Sometimes, Czech people might say “se,” “ze,” “ve,” or “ke” instead.
This depends on which word the preposition is in front of. The rule is simple: Czechs use the “-e” version of a preposition when the version without the vowel would be too difficult to pronounce.
This mostly happens in the following cases:
1) Words beginning with “s,” “z,” “f,” “v,” and “k”If the word following the preposition begins with one of the letters above, it would be almost impossible for a Czech person to pronounce the phrase without adding a little “-e” to the end of the preposition.
For example:
- “se sestrou” (not “s sestrou”)
– “with (the/a/my) sister” - “se zeleninou” (not “s zeleninou”)
– “with vegetables” - “ze Zličína” (not “z Zličína”)
– “from Zličín (a district in Prague)” - “ve Francii” (not “v Francii”)
– “in France” - “ve vaně” (not “v vaně”)
– “in the bath” - “ke Katce” (not “k Katce”)
– “to Katka (woman’s name)”
The Czech language is renowned for its consonant clusters, which can be particularly challenging for both native speakers and new learners. There are words in Czech, such as “krk” (neck) or “skrz” (through), that consist entirely of consonants, making them particularly tricky to pronounce.
Czechs frequently use the “-e” version of prepositions to facilitate pronunciation when a word begins with more than one consonant. For instance:
- “se mnou” (not “s mnou”)
– “with me” - “ve hvězdách” (not “v hvězdách”)
– “in the stars” - “ze dveří” (not “z dveří”)
– “from the door”
Unfortunately, this second rule has some exceptions. While it may be a good rule of thumb you can often follow, it doesn’t apply in all cases. For example:
- “z krabice” (not “ze krabice”)
– “from the box” - “v hrnci” (not “ve hrnci”)
– “in the pot” - “s knihou” (not “se knihou”)
– “with (a/the) book”
The best thing to do here is to listen to Czechs speaking and read Czech books. Because there are so many exceptions, you may ultimately have no choice but to memorize which words don’t follow the rules above and which do.
ConclusionPrepositions are not the easiest part of learning the Czech language. There are many that you will have to memorize.
In Czech, some prepositions can be used in many different ways, with different grammatical cases – others are more straightforward and can only be used with one particular grammatical case.
The best way to master Czech prepositions is to try and memorize each one with the cases that it can be used with. Memorizing a list of them with just their meanings, but without the cases, won’t get you very far. Declension is an important part of the Czech language, and without it, many speakers may struggle to understand you.
If you want to learn more about the Czech language, you can check out our guides to Czech pronouns and How to write an email in Czech.
