Which prepositions are associated with each grammatical case

Virtually no idea can be conveyed without using a preposition. The number of basic prepositions is rather small and they serve as a great clue for determining the case of the noun that follows.

Obviously, no prepositions are used with the 1st (nominative) and the 5th (vocative) cases. Their use with the other cases looks as follows.

Typical prepositions for grammatical cases

2nd case (genitive) od, do, z, bez, u, kromě, vedle, místo, kolem, podle, během za
3rd case (dative) k, naproti, kvůli, díky, vůči
4th case (accusative) pro, mimo, přes, skrz o, na, v, po před, nad, pod, mezi za
6th case (locative) při o, na, v, po
7th case (instrumental) s před, nad, pod, mezi za

Prepositions shown in black relate only to one grammatical case. Learn them and you’ll never need to guess the correct case any more.

Prepositions shown not in black relate to two, sometimes three, grammatical cases. The situation is not so complicated though.

 

The orange group: o, na, v, po

Prepositions o, na, v, po are mainly used with the locative case. When used with this case, the preposition o expresses the subject or topic that we are talking, speaking, discussing, etc. about:

Mluvili jsme o plánech na léto.
We were talking about the plans for the summer.
Vláda rozhodovala o rozpočtu na příští rok.
The government was deciding about the budget for the next year.

Prepositions na and v are used to indicate the location where something or somebody is situated:

Květiny rostou na balkoně.
Flowers grow on the balcony.
Jana je v pokoji.
Jana is in the room.

The preposition po is used to describe the order of events in time:

Po obědě jsem si šel lehnout.
After dinner I went to lie down.
Po práci jdeme s kamarády na pivo.
After work we go for a beer with our friends.

Prepositions v and o also serve to describe the position of events in time:

V neděli mám volno.
On Sunday I have a day off.
Sejdeme se o víkendu.
We’ll meet on the weekend.

 

As can be seen in the table, in addition to the locative case, prepositions o, na, v, po are also used with the accusative case. When used with this case, the preposition na also indicates location. However in this instance one is not speaking about where somebody or something is situated, but where somebody or something is moving or directed to:

where? – locative where to? – accusative
Jsem na záchodě. Jdu na záchod.
I am in the toilet. I am going to the toilet.
Kocour sedí na střeše. Kocour leze na střechu.
The tomcat is sitting on the roof. The tomcat is climbing to the roof.

In addition, the preposition na is used with the accusative case with certain verbs (e.g. čekat – to wait, ptát se – to ask and dívat se – to look at, to watch), when the action is aimed directly at an object or a person:

Dlouho jsme čekali na autobus.
We were waiting for the bus for a long time.
Než si něco objednám, zeptám se na cenu.
Before I order something, I’ll ask the price.
Rád se podívám na tento film.
I like to watch this film.

 

Note

The verb dívat se is also used with the genitive case, when followed by the preposition do. The logic behind this is simple. When a location takes the preposition na when we are situated in this location, then when we are moving to this location, the preposition na remains unchanged, but the case changes from the locative to the accusative. We discussed this situation above.

However when the location takes the preposition v when we are situated in this location, when we are moving to this location v changes to do. This is exactly the situation when dívat se will be followed by do and, therefore, by the genitive case:

where? – locative where to? (on what?) – accusative where to? (in what?) – genitive
Pták je na stromě. Dívám se na strom.  
The bird is on the tree. I am looking at the tree.  
Ryba je ve vodě.   Dívám se do vody.
The fish is in the water.   I am looking into the water.

 

The preposition o is used with the accusative case with a fairly large number of verbs, such as: starat se o – to look after, prosit o – to ask, pokusit se o – to try, žádat o – to apply for, přijít o – to lose, zajímat se o – to be interested, hádat se o – to argue, opřít se o – to lean. You can find example sentences with these verbs in another ‘observation’.

Prepositions v and po are used with the accusative case only rarely and with a limited number of specific verbs or in a particular meaning:

Věříte v lásku na první pohled?
Do you believe in love at first sight?
Dům stál po léta bez využití.
The house stood without use for years.

 

The blue group: před, nad, pod, mezi + za

Prepositions před, nad, pod, mezi and za behave similarly to those of the orange group. With the instrumental case they express position in space or time. With the accusative case they express a situation where one is moving or is directed to a certain location:

where? – instrumental where to? – accusative
Stáli před vstupem a čekali. Šli před vstup, aby tam počkali.
They were standing before the entrance and waiting. They went to the entrance in order to wait there.
Za řekou začíná les. Nevěděli jsme, jak se dostat za řeku.
The forest begins behind the river. We did not know how to get behind the river.
Nad městem visí vrtulník. Vrtulník vyletěl vysoko nad město.
The helicopter is hanging above the town. The helicopter rose high above the town.
Pes leží pod stolem. Pes zalezl pod stůl.
The dog is lying under the table. The dog crawled under the table.
Mezi větvemi je vidět obloha. Díval jsem se mezi větve a viděl jsem oblohu.
Through the branches the sky can be seen. I was looking through the branches and seeing the sky.
when? – instrumental  
Přestěhovala jsem se do nového bytu před měsícem.  
I moved to a new flat a month ago.  

Note

Unlike the preposition před, the preposition za, when denoting a time span, is used with the accusative case:

Vrátím se za chvíli.
I’ll come back in a minute.
Za týden se ozvu.
I’ll get back to you in a week.

 

The green group: za

The difference in the use of the preposition za with the instrumental and the accusative case when denoting location or time has been discussed above. However this preposition is also used with the genitive case, but only in one meaning of během – during, while:

Stihneme dokončit práci ještě za světla.
We’ll manage to finish the work yet during daylight.
Telefonovat za jízdy je nebezpečné.
Talking on the phone while driving is dangerous.
Pracovali za slunce i za deště.
They were working both in the sunshine and in the rain.

 

This description of the usage of prepositions with grammatical cases is not exhaustive. Some verbs make use of prepositions to convey meanings other than the ones discussed here. Nevertheless, the general rule is that the black prepositions are always followed by the particular case, and the colourful prepositions require selection of one of the two or three cases as discussed above. And after all, even in complex verb and preposition combinations, no other grammatical case than the one(s) specified here for a particular preposition will be used.

 

Now let’s consolidate the newly acquired knowledge. Write 5 to 10 sentences with these words and send them to me to check:

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