Prefix par-

The Prefix Par-

Level 4

Par- adds the idea of back home: eiti (to go) → pareiti (to come home). Kada pareisi namo? (When will you get home?)

How It Works

1. Coming home.

  • eiti → pareiti (to come home on foot)
  • važiuoti → parvažiuoti (to come home by vehicle)
  • skristi → parskristi (to fly back home)
  • bėgti → parbėgti (to run home)

2. Bringing something home.

  • nešti → parnešti (to carry home)
  • vežti → parvežti (to bring home by vehicle)
  • vesti → parvesti (to take someone home)

With -si-, it means bringing something home for yourself: parsivežti (to bring back from a trip), parsinešti (to take home). See Reflexive -si- After a Prefix.

3. Par-, at- and grįžti. At- means arriving at any place: atvažiavo į Vilnių (arrived in Vilnius). Par- means arriving home: parvažiavo namo (came home). Grįžti (to return) works for any place you come back to.

4. Down to the ground. With a few verbs, par- means falling or knocking something to the ground: pargriūti (to fall down), parmušti (to knock down).

5. Not every par- is this prefix. In parašyti, paruošti and parodyti, the prefix is pa- and the verb itself starts with r. Parduoti (to sell) is a separate word to learn on its own.

Examples (6)

  1. Kada pareisi namo?

    When will you get home?

    Pareiti is coming home on foot.

  2. Tėtis parvažiavo iš darbo šeštą.

    Dad got home from work at six.

    Parvažiuoti is coming home by car, bus or train.

  3. Parnešk duonos iš parduotuvės.

    Bring some bread home from the shop.

    Duonos is in the genitive because it means some bread.

  4. Pavasarį parskrenda gandrai.

    In spring, the storks fly back.

    For birds, home is the place where they nest.

  5. Iš Italijos parsivežėme sūrio.

    We brought some cheese back from Italy.

    Parsivežti means bringing something home for yourself.

  6. Vaikas paslydo ir pargriuvo.

    The child slipped and fell down.

    Here par- means falling to the ground.

Common Mistakes

  • Using pa- instead of par- for coming home.

    Vakare paeisiu namo.
    Vakare pareisiu namo.

    Paeiti can mean walking a little way. For the intended arrival home on foot, use pareiti.

  • Using par- for leaving home on a trip.

    Rytoj parvažiuoju į Paryžių atostogauti.
    Rytoj išvažiuoju į Paryžių atostogauti.

    Here Paris is a holiday destination away from home, so išvažiuoti expresses setting off. Parvažiuoti would fit if Paris were the place you were returning home to.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Prefix par-Level 4The Prefix Par-

Learn This First

Par- marks motion back home or to one's own place.