aplink + accusative
Around with Aplink
Aplink means around and takes the accusative: Vaikai sėdi aplink stalą. (The children are sitting around the table.)
How It Works
1. The form. Put the noun or pronoun after aplink in the accusative:
- stalas → aplink stalą (around the table)
- namas → aplink namą (around the house)
- ežeras → aplink ežerą (around the lake)
- aš → aplink mane (around me)
2. Surrounding something. Aplink namą auga seni medžiai. (Old trees grow around the house.)
3. Moving in a circle. Žemė sukasi aplink Saulę. (The Earth goes around the Sun.) Verbs with the prefix ap- often go with aplink: apeiti aplink namą (to walk around the house).
4. On its own. Without a noun, aplink means all around: Aplink buvo tylu. (It was quiet all around.) Apsidairiau aplink. (I looked around.)
5. Aplink or apie? For a place, apie can also mean around, so apie stalą and aplink stalą are both fine. But only apie means roughly or about a topic: apie penktą valandą (around five o'clock), apie dvidešimt žmonių (about twenty people), kalbėti apie darbą (to talk about work).
Examples (6)
- Vaikai sėdi aplink stalą.
The children are sitting around the table.
Stalas becomes stalą in the accusative.
- Aplink namą auga seni medžiai.
Old trees grow around the house.
Aplink describes things that surround a place.
- Žemė sukasi aplink Saulę.
The Earth goes around the Sun.
Aplink also describes movement in a circle.
- Vakare apėjome aplink ežerą.
In the evening we walked around the lake.
The prefix ap- and aplink often go together.
- Aplink mane visi kalbėjo lietuviškai.
Everyone around me was speaking Lithuanian.
Pronouns take the accusative too: aplink mane.
- Apsidairiau aplink, bet nieko nemačiau.
I looked around, but I didn't see anyone.
Here aplink stands alone, with no noun after it.
Common Mistakes
Using the genitive after aplink.
Vaikai sėdi aplink stalo.Vaikai sėdi aplink stalą.Many place words, like prie and virš, take the genitive, but aplink always takes the accusative.
Using aplink for a rough time or number, as with English around.
Ateik aplink penktą valandą.Ateik apie penktą valandą.For roughly or approximately, Lithuanian uses apie. Aplink is only for surrounding or circling something.
Using the genitive form of a pronoun after aplink.
Aplink manęs visi kalbėjo lietuviškai.Aplink mane visi kalbėjo lietuviškai.Prie manęs uses the genitive, but after aplink the pronoun is accusative: mane, tave, jį, ją.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Aplink selects an accusative thing surrounded or circled.
Related Patterns
- apie + accusativeAbout and Around with Apie
Apie can also mean around a place, and it is the word for rough numbers and topics.
Level 3 - Prefix ap-The Prefix Ap-
Ap- verbs such as apeiti often go with aplink.
Level 4 - virš + genitiveAbove with Virš
Another place word: virš means above and takes the genitive.
Level 4 - prie + genitiveBy and at with Prie
Prie means by or at and takes the genitive, unlike aplink.
Level 2 - per + accusativeThrough, Across and During with Per
Per also takes the accusative and means through or across.
Level 2 - Personal Pronoun Case Forms
Shows the accusative pronouns used after aplink: mane, tave, jį, ją.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice aplink + accusative in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Lithuanian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
