па + Locative

Around and Along with Па

Level 3Sounds Like pa + mesny

Па + locative means moving around or along a place: Мы гулялі па горадзе (We walked around the city).

How It Works

1. Around or along a place. Па + locative describes movement spread over an area or along a line:

  • гуляць па горадзе (to walk around the city)
  • ісці па вуліцы (to walk along the street)
  • бегаць па пакоі (to run around the room)
  • плысці па рацэ (to sail along the river)

2. Belarusian uses the locative. Russian uses the dative here (по городу). Standard Belarusian puts masculine and neuter nouns after па in the locative, ending in -е, -і or -у: па горадзе, па лесе, па пакоі, па парку. For feminine nouns the locative and dative look the same: па вуліцы, па рацэ. In the plural the ending is -ах: па вуліцах, па гарадах. See locative endings.

3. Sound changes. The usual locative changes apply: горад → горадзе (д → дз), рака → рацэ (к → ц). See consonant changes before -е.

4. A means of communication. Па + locative also marks the channel: размаўляць па тэлефоне (to talk on the phone), выступаць па тэлебачанні (to speak on television).

5. Keep it apart from other па phrases. Па + accusative means going to fetch: ісці па ваду (to go for water), but ісці па вадзе means to walk on water. Праз means across: праз парк (through the park), while па парку means around the park.

Examples (6)

  1. Мы гулялі па горадзе.

    We walked around the city.

    Горад → горадзе: the locative, with д changing to дз.

  2. Яна ідзе па вуліцы.

    She is walking along the street.

  3. Дзеці бегаюць па пакоі.

    The children are running around the room.

    Пакой → пакоі in the locative.

  4. Я люблю хадзіць па лесе.

    I love walking in the forest.

    Лес → лесе.

  5. Мы доўга размаўлялі па тэлефоне.

    We talked on the phone for a long time.

    Па + locative can mark a means of communication.

  6. Лодка плыве па рацэ.

    The boat is sailing along the river.

    Рака → рацэ: к changes to ц before -э.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the dative, as in Russian.

    Мы гулялі па гораду.
    Мы гулялі па горадзе.

    Standard Belarusian puts the noun after па in the locative: па горадзе.

  • Using the dative for a means of communication.

    Я размаўляў па тэлефону.
    Я размаўляў па тэлефоне.

    The Belarusian norm is па тэлефоне, with the locative ending -е.

  • Using the accusative, which changes the meaning.

    Мы гулялі па горад.
    Мы гулялі па горадзе.

    Па + accusative means going to fetch something. For walking around a place, use the locative.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

па + LocativeLevel 3Around and Along with Па

Learn This First

Па + locative needs locative endings and motion verbs.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

па