праз

Through, In and Because of with Праз

Level 3Sounds Like praz

Праз + accusative means through (праз парк), in a stretch of time from now (праз гадзіну, in an hour) and because of (праз цябе).

How It Works

1. Through or across. Праз marks a path that goes through or across something:

  • Мы ішлі праз парк. (We walked through the park.)
  • Я глядзеў праз акно. (I looked through the window.)

For crossing over something, цераз is a close synonym: цераз дарогу (across the road).

2. After a stretch of time. Праз + a length of time says how much later something happens: Я вярнуся праз гадзіну (I will be back in an hour), Ён прыйшоў праз гадзіну (He came an hour later). To say how long ago, use таму: гадзіну таму. To say how long something took, use за: за гадзіну.

3. By way of. Праз can name a go-between: Мы размаўлялі праз перакладчыка (We talked through an interpreter). A person after праз takes the animate accusative: перакладчыка, яго.

4. Because of. Праз names a cause, usually one that led to something bad: Мы спазніліся праз цябе (We were late because of you), Праз дождж мы засталіся дома (Because of the rain we stayed home). For a good cause, use дзякуючы: дзякуючы табе (thanks to you).

5. Pronouns. Third-person pronouns after праз have no н-: праз яго, праз яе, праз іх.

Examples (6)

  1. Мы ішлі праз парк.

    We walked through the park.

    Парк stays the same in the accusative.

  2. Я вярнуся праз гадзіну.

    I will be back in an hour.

    Праз + гадзіну: an hour from now.

  3. Праз тыдзень у нас адпачынак.

    Our vacation starts in a week.

  4. Мы спазніліся праз цябе.

    We were late because of you.

    Праз names the cause of something unwelcome.

  5. Мы размаўлялі праз перакладчыка.

    We talked through an interpreter.

    Перакладчык is a person, so the accusative looks like the genitive.

  6. Праз дождж мы засталіся дома.

    Because of the rain we stayed at home.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the noun after праз in the genitive.

    Мы ішлі праз парка.
    Мы ішлі праз парк.

    Праз always takes the accusative. An inanimate masculine noun like парк keeps its dictionary form.

  • Combining праз with таму.

    Я прыехаў праз тыдзень таму.
    Я прыехаў тыдзень таму.

    Таму already means ago. Праз means later, so the two cannot be combined.

  • Using за to say you will be back an hour from now.

    Я вярнуся за гадзіну.
    Я вярнуся праз гадзіну.

    За says how long something takes to finish. For the time after which you will be back, use праз.

How It Connects

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

празLevel 3Through, In and Because of with Праз

Learn This First

Праз uses the accusative.

Words in This Pattern

праз