Prefix pra-
The Prefix Pra-
pra- = past, through: eiti → praeiti (pass by), važiuoti → pravažiuoti (drive past); also pradėti (begin).
How It Works
1. Passing by or through. praeiti (to walk past), pravažiuoti (to drive past), prabėgti (to run past). The place takes pro with the accusative: Praėjome pro parką.
2. Time passing. Praeiti also means that time goes by: Praėjo dveji metai. (Two years went by.) Praleisti means to spend time: Kaip praleidai savaitgalį?
3. Missing. Going past can mean missing something: pravažiuoti stotelę (to miss your stop), pramiegoti (to oversleep), praleisti pamoką (to miss a class).
4. Beginning. pradėti (to begin something) and prasidėti (to begin, intransitive): Pradėkime! (Let's begin!) Pamoka prasideda devintą. (The class starts at nine.) See starting and stopping.
5. Spelling: pra-, not pro-. The prefix is pra-, and the preposition is pro: praeiti pro namą.
Examples (6)
- Praėjome pro parką.
We walked past the park.
Word by Word: We-passed past park.
- Autobusas pravažiavo pro mus.
The bus drove past us.
Word by Word: Bus drove-past past us.
- Pamoka prasideda devintą.
The class starts at nine.
Word by Word: Lesson begins at-ninth.
Prasidėti makes the starting event the subject; pradėti can take the thing started as its object.
- Pramiegojau ir pavėlavau į darbą.
I overslept and was late for work.
Word by Word: I-overslept and was-late to work.
- Kaip praleidai savaitgalį?
How did you spend the weekend?
Word by Word: How you-spent weekend?
- Praėjo dveji metai.
Two years went by.
Word by Word: Passed two years.
Common Mistakes
Spelling the prefix like the preposition pro.
Proėjome pro parką.Praėjome pro parką.The verb prefix is pra-. Only the separate preposition is spelled pro.
Using pradėti with the starting event as the subject.
Pamoka pradeda devintą.Pamoka prasideda devintą.Mokytoja pradeda pamoką names who starts the lesson. Pamoka prasideda makes the lesson the subject without naming who starts it.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Pra- commonly describes movement past or through, with other lexical meanings.
Related Patterns
- Prefix per-The Prefix Per-
Per- means across or through; pra- means past.
Level 3 - pradėti / baigti / nustoti + infinitiveStarting and Stopping
Pradėti is the pra- verb for starting an action.
Level 3 - Things That Happen by Themselves
Prasidėti describes an event starting without naming who starts it.
Level 4 - Reflexive -si- After a Prefix
Reflexive pra- verbs become prasi-, as in prasidėti.
Level 3 - Prefixes Paired With Prepositions
Praeiti pro is one of the prefix-and-preposition pairs.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice Prefix pra- in Bubblegum
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