pro + accusative
Past and Through with Pro
Pro + accusative means past or through an opening: Pravažiavome pro bažnyčią (We drove past the church), Žiūriu pro langą (I am looking out of the window).
How It Works
1. Past something. With verbs of movement, pro means you go by something and keep going. These verbs often start with the prefix pra-, which also means past:
- Pravažiavome pro bažnyčią. (We drove past the church.)
- Jis praėjo pro mane ir nepasisveikino. (He walked past me and did not say hello.)
The fixed phrase pro šalį means by or past: Ėjau pro šalį ir užsukau (I was passing by, so I dropped in).
2. Through an opening. Pro also names the hole or gap that something goes or looks through:
- Žiūriu pro langą. (I am looking out of the window.)
- Išėjome pro galines duris. (We went out through the back door.)
- Saulė šviečia pro debesis. (The sun is shining through the clouds.)
For going in or out through a window or door you will also hear per, but for looking through a window the standard language uses pro langą.
3. Pro or per? Pro is about passing by or going through a narrow opening. Per is about crossing a whole space from one side to the other: Ėjome per parką (We walked through the park) but Ėjome pro parką (We walked past the park).
4. Always the accusative. Pro never takes any other case: pro langą, pro duris, pro mane, pro debesis.
Examples (6)
- Pravažiavome pro bažnyčią.
We drove past the church.
Bažnyčią is accusative. The prefix pra- on the verb also means past.
- Žiūriu pro langą.
I am looking out of the window.
Word by Word: I-look through window.
For looking through a window, use pro.
- Katė įlindo pro skylę tvoroje.
The cat crept in through a hole in the fence.
Skylę is the opening the cat went through.
- Saulė šviečia pro debesis.
The sun is shining through the clouds.
- Jis praėjo pro mane ir nepasisveikino.
He walked past me and did not say hello.
Pronouns take the accusative too: pro mane.
- Išėjome pro galines duris.
We went out through the back door.
Durys is a plural-only noun, so its accusative is duris.
Common Mistakes
Putting the noun after pro in the genitive.
Pravažiavome pro bažnyčios.Pravažiavome pro bažnyčią.Pro always takes the accusative. The genitive would be right after words like prie or šalia, but not after pro.
Using pro when you mean crossing a whole area.
Ėjome pro parką, kad sutrumpintume kelią.Ėjome per parką, kad sutrumpintume kelią.If the shortcut crosses the park, use per. Pro parką is grammatical but means going past the park; taking a shortcut does not by itself tell us the route.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Pro selects an accusative landmark or opening that an action passes by or through.
Related Patterns
- Prefix pra-The Prefix Pra-
Verbs with pra-, such as praeiti and pravažiuoti, pair naturally with pro.
Level 4 - Prefixes Paired With Prepositions
Many prefixes match a preposition in the same sentence, like pra- with pro.
Level 4 - į + accusativeInto and to with Į
Į also takes the accusative, but it means into or to rather than past.
Level 1 - aplink + accusativeAround with Aplink
Aplink is another accusative preposition of place, meaning around.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice pro + accusative in Bubblegum
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