па + Locative Meaning After

After with Па and the Locative

Level 6Sounds Like pa + mesny času

па абедзе = пасля абеду: after lunch. Па with the locative is the literary way to say after.

How It Works

You know па with the locative from phrases like гуляць па горадзе (to walk around the city). With nouns that name an event or a period, the same combination can mean after:

  • па абедзе after lunch
  • па вайне after the war
  • па смерці after death
  • па дажджы after the rain

Register. This use is standard (the main dictionary gives it with no style label), but it is most common in fiction, history writing and fixed phrases. In everyday speech, say пасля with the genitive: пасля абеду, пасля вайны. Both are correct; just do not mix them.

Locative forms. Use the usual locative endings, with the usual consonant changes: абед → па абедзе, дождж → па дажджы, вайна → па вайне, вяселле → па вяселлі.

Not every па + locative means after. With seasons and plural times of day, па can simply mean in or during: па вясне (in spring), па начах (at night, night after night). The noun decides: an event that ends (a meal, a war, rain) gives after; a season or recurring time gives during.

Examples (6)

  1. Па абедзе ўсе пайшлі адпачываць.

    After lunch everyone went to rest.

    Word by Word: After lunch-LOC all went to-rest.

  2. Па вайне бацька вярнуўся ў родную вёску.

    After the war, Father returned to his home village.

    Word by Word: After war-LOC father returned to native village.

  3. Па дажджы ў лесе поўна грыбоў.

    After rain the forest is full of mushrooms.

    Word by Word: After rain-LOC in forest full of-mushrooms.

  4. Па смерці пісьменніка яго дзённікі выдалі асобнай кнігай.

    After the writer's death his diaries were published as a separate book.

    Word by Word: After death-LOC of-writer his diaries published separate book-INSTR.

  5. Па вяселлі маладыя паехалі да мора.

    After the wedding the newlyweds went to the seaside.

    Word by Word: After wedding-LOC newlyweds went to sea.

  6. Па вясне ў вёсцы сеялі проса.

    In spring the village sowed millet.

    Word by Word: In spring-LOC in village sowed millet.

    With a season, па means in or during, not after.

Common Mistakes

  • Mixing пасля with the locative ending.

    Мы сустрэнемся пасля абедзе.
    Мы сустрэнемся пасля абеду.

    Пасля takes the genitive: пасля абеду. Only па takes the locative: па абедзе.

  • Using the dative after па.

    Па абеду ўсе пайшлі адпачываць.
    Па абедзе ўсе пайшлі адпачываць.

    When па means after, it takes the locative: па абедзе, па вайне.

How It Connects

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

па + Locative Meaning AfterLevel 6After with Па and the Locative

Learn This First

After with па needs па and пасля.

Words in This Pattern

папасля