pa + Accusative
Along and Through: Pa
Use pa with the accusative to say which way something moves: along a road, around a town, through a window. It also names how a message travels: pa telefonu (on the phone).
How It Works
1. The route of a movement. Pa shows the surface or space something moves along, around or through:
- iet pa ceļu (to walk along the road)
- staigāt pa pilsētu (to walk around the town)
- skatīties pa logu (to look out of the window)
- ienākt pa durvīm (to come in through the door; durvis is plural, so it takes the dative)
2. A channel. Pa names the way a message or a thing is sent: runāt pa telefonu (to talk on the phone), sūtīt pa pastu (to send by post), dzirdēt pa radio (to hear on the radio).
3. A stretch of time. Pa dienu means during the day and pa nakti means during the night: Pa dienu neviena nav mājās (During the day nobody is at home).
4. Plural: the dative. As with almost every preposition, a plural noun takes the dative (see plural nouns after prepositions): staigāt pa ielām (to walk through the streets), ceļot pa kalniem (to travel through the mountains).
5. Useful fixed phrases. Pa labi (to the right) and pa kreisi (to the left) give directions. Pa ceļam, with a dative ending, means on the way: Pa ceļam es nopirku maizi (On the way I bought bread). With the dative, pa can also mean one at a time; see pa with the dative.
Examples (6)
- Mēs gājām pa meža taku.
We walked along a forest path.
Taka → pa taku: the path you follow.
- Vakarā mēs staigājām pa pilsētu.
In the evening we walked around the town.
Pa pilsētu means moving about inside the town, not going to it.
- Viņš skatās pa logu.
He is looking out of the window.
Pa logu names the opening the view passes through.
- Es runāju ar mammu pa telefonu.
I am talking to Mum on the phone.
Ar mammu is the person you talk with, and pa telefonu is the channel.
- Pa dienu es strādāju, bet vakarā mācos.
During the day I work, but in the evening I study.
Pa dienu gives a stretch of time: during the day.
- Tūristi staigā pa vecās pilsētas ielām.
Tourists walk through the streets of the old town.
Ielas is plural, so pa takes the dative plural ielām.
Common Mistakes
Using ar for talking on the phone.
Es runāju ar telefonu.Es runāju pa telefonu.Ar telefonu would mean with the phone, as if the phone were the person you talk to. The channel of a call takes pa.
Using the locative after pa.
Mēs staigājām pa parkā.Mēs staigājām pa parku.After pa, a singular noun takes the accusative. Without pa, the locative parkā means in the park: Mēs staigājām parkā.
Using the accusative plural after pa.
Mēs staigājām pa ielas.Mēs staigājām pa ielām.With a plural noun, pa takes the dative: ielas → pa ielām.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Pa works like par.
Related Patterns
- uz + Accusative (Direction)Going to a Place
Uz names the goal of a movement, while pa names the route.
Level 1 - caur / gar / ap / pret / starp + AccusativeThrough, Along, Around, Against and Between
Caur (through) and gar (along) also describe routes, with slightly different meanings.
Level 3 - pa + Dative (One by One)One by One: Pa with the Dative
With the dative, pa means one at a time: pa vienam.
Level 5 - Plural Nouns After Prepositions
Why pa takes the dative with plural nouns.
Level 2 - The Accusative for Objects
The accusative singular endings that pa uses.
Level 1 - Locative -ā, -ī, -ē, -ūThe Locative for in and at
The locative says where something happens; pa says which way something moves.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice pa + Accusative in Bubblegum
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