počínaje / konče + Instrumental

The pattern počínaje/konče + instrumental is an elegant way to express ranges or starting points in formal, journalistic, or educated Czech.

1. Usage and Meaning
When illustrating a range within a category, this pattern often follows a broader anchor noun (e.g., ovoce, všechno, produkty). However, an anchor noun is completely unnecessary when establishing a temporal or spatial boundary. When paired together, the items bracketed by these words typically follow a logical progression (e.g., chronological, smallest to largest, A to Z). They can be linked by the conjunction a (e.g., počínaje jablky a konče melouny - starting with apples and ending with watermelons) or simply separated by a comma. Both words can also be used individually: počínaje to establish a strict starting boundary (e.g., počínaje 1. lednem - starting January 1st), and konče to establish an end boundary. You may also encounter the highly common variation počínaje [instrumental] až po [accusative] (e.g., počínaje jablky až po čokoládu) when expressing a range. This is a fully recognized and standard construction in modern Czech. Note that the construction počínaje od + genitiv is also fully codified and accepted as standard usage (listed in the official dictionary SSJČ), even though some might view it as slightly redundant. However, splicing two different frameworks by pairing them as bookends (e.g., od jablek konče melouny) is a mixed construction known as contamination (kontaminace) or crossing of valencies (křížení vazeb). Mixing konče with až po is also considered a mixed construction (křížení vazeb), as it incorrectly splices the instrumental valency of konče with the prepositional boundary až po. You may occasionally see these errors in casual native usage. On the other hand, konče frequently and correctly combines with other prepositions to establish an endpoint, such as u + genitive (e.g., konče u maličkostí - ending with the little things) or locative prepositions like na or v (e.g., konče na pobřeží - ending on the coast). These are standard, correct valencies of the verb končit.

2. Grammar and Word Order
These words typically require their complement to be in the instrumental case (7. pád). Verbs of beginning in Czech (like začínat) naturally take an instrumental object on their own (e.g., začít předkrmem - to start with an appetizer), and the verb končit (to end) does the exact same thing (e.g., končit dezertem - to end with dessert). Note that while the finite verb počínat takes the accusative or s + instrumental, it is specifically the frozen transgressive počínaje that governs the bare instrumental. Interestingly, they act as ambipositions—they can appear before the noun (počínaje pátkem) or after it (pátkem počínaje). Placing them after the noun is especially common with longer, heavier phrases. Because they have grammaticalized into secondary prepositions, they are exempt from the mandatory comma rules for active transgressives. However, when this pattern is used to give a range of examples, the entire phrase acts as an inserted apposition (přístavek) and must be bracketed by commas to separate it from the rest of the sentence (e.g., Všechno ovoce, počínaje jablky a konče melouny, bylo snědeno.). When used as a standard prepositional phrase establishing a boundary, no commas are needed (e.g., Počínaje 1. lednem platí nové ceny. - Starting January 1st, new prices apply.).

3. Frozen Transgressives
Historically, these are forms of the přechodník přítomný (present transgressive). While active transgressives are largely obsolete, počínaje and konče have grammaticalized into secondary prepositions. They are frozen, meaning you do not need to change their endings to match the subject's gender or number, though you may occasionally see the alternative frozen variants počínajíc and končíc. Becoming confident with them gives you a highly natural tool for expressing ranges in contemporary Czech.