Old Direction Cases: laukan, vakarop
Old Direction Cases: Laukan and Vakarop (Recognition)
-n means into: laukan (outside), vidun (inside). -op means toward: vakarop (toward evening).
How It Works
1. The illative: into. It ends in -n in the singular (plural -sna) and means movement into something. Some forms have become ordinary standard adverbs:
- laukan (outside, out): Vaikai išbėgo laukan. (The children ran outside.)
- vidun (inside, in): Užeikite vidun. (Come inside.)
- šalin (away, off): Šalin rankas! (Hands off!)
In poetry, folk songs and some eastern dialects you will also meet it with other nouns: miškan (into the forest), žemėn (to the ground), ratuosna (into the cart).
2. The allative: toward. It ends in -op and means movement toward something. As a case it has died out, but a few time and fixed words remain:
- vakarop (toward evening), rudenop (toward autumn)
- galop (in the end, finally)
- velniop (to the devil), as in Eik velniop! (Go to hell!)
3. Direction versus place. The spatial forms answer kur? in the sense of where to?; time words such as vakarop answer when?. For a location, use the locative: laukan (to the outside) but lauke (outside, as a place). The same pair exists in namie and namo.
Examples (6)
- Vaikai išbėgo laukan.
The children ran outside.
Laukan is direction: out of the house.
- Užeikite vidun.
Come inside.
- Šalin rankas!
Hands off!
Šalin means away. It is a firm, fixed command.
- Vakarop pradėjo lyti.
Toward evening it started to rain.
- Rudenop dienos trumpėja.
Toward autumn the days get shorter.
- Galop jis sutiko.
In the end he agreed.
Common Mistakes
Using laukan for a location instead of a direction.
Vaikai žaidžia laukan.Vaikai žaidžia lauke.Laukan means to the outside, with movement. For where something happens, use the locative lauke.
Mixing up šalin (away) with šalia (next to).
Atsisėsk šalin manęs.Atsisėsk šalia manęs.Šalia with the genitive means next to. Šalin means away and does not directly govern a genitive like šalia.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Old direction-case forms are recognition items contrasted with ordinary modern destination expressions.
Related Patterns
- namie / namoAt Home and Homeward
Namo (homeward) is another old direction form, paired with namie (at home).
Level 2 - aukštyn / žemyn / pirmynUpward, Downward and Forward
These are other direction adverbs that answer where to.
Level 3 - link + genitiveToward with Link
Link (toward) is the modern way to say toward a place, where the allative once was used.
Level 6 - Short Locatives in Speech and Song
Short locatives are another case form you will meet in ordinary speech as well as songs and poetry.
Level 6
Words in This Pattern
Practice Old Direction Cases: laukan, vakarop in Bubblegum
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