LingoflyPreposition and case: who drags whom
Every preposition demands its own noun form, and a few of them are worth flagging because English maps them differently. For example: “Ми запізнилися через затор” (My zapiznylysia cherez zator) — We were late because of a traffic jam. A rule from the Ukrainian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Every preposition demands its own noun form, and a few of them are worth flagging because English maps them differently.
The of form has the biggest crowd. Bez tsukru, dlia tebe, pislia obidu, pid chas zustrichi, navkolo budynku, zamist mene, proti vitru, bilia vikna.
The object form follows pro and cherez: pro robotu, cherez mist, cherez hodynu. The -om form follows mizh, nad, pid, pered, za: mizh namy, nad stolom, pered domom.
Now the three surprises. Because of is cherez with the object form: cherez dosh, cherez zator. About is pro: rozpovid pro viinu, dumaty pro tse. And toward is do with the of form, not the object form: idu do likaria, do vokzalu. Those three are where the ear trips most.
Table
| preposition | the case it wants | example |
|---|---|---|
| bez, dlia, pislia, bilia | the of form | bez tsukru |
| pro, cherez | the object form | cherez mist |
| mizh, nad, pered | the -om form | mizh namy |
| do | the of form | do likaria |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Cherez, pro, do: prepositions and their cases?
Now the three surprises. Because of is cherez with the object form: cherez dosh, cherez zator. About is pro: rozpovid pro viinu, dumaty pro tse. And toward is do with the of form, not the object form: idu do likaria, do vokzalu. Those three are where the ear trips most.
What does it look like in a Ukrainian example sentence?
“Ми запізнилися через затор” (My zapiznylysia cherez zator) — We were late because of a traffic jam. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.