преко + Genitive / кроз + Accusative
Across and Through
преко + genitive means 'across' or 'over' (flat surfaces like streets, bridges, or barriers like fences).
кроз + accusative means 'through' (3D interior volumes like tunnels, forests, crowds, or openings like doors).
How It Works
In Serbian, expressing movement across an area requires distinguishing between open surfaces and enclosed volumes, each governing a different grammatical case.
1. Преко + Genitive (Across / Over)
The preposition преко always takes the genitive case. It is used for:
• Surface traversal: Crossing an open area, path, or water (e.g., преко трга = across the square, преко реке = across the river). Direct physical contact with the ground is completely normal.
• Obstacle clearance: Leaping, climbing, or flying over a barrier (e.g., преко зида = over the wall, преко ограде = over the fence).
2. Кроз + Accusative (Through)
The preposition кроз strictly requires the accusative case (both singular and plural). It is used for:
• Enclosed spaces & mediums: Moving inside a three-dimensional environment surrounded by trees, rock, walls, or people (e.g., кроз тунел = through the tunnel, кроз шуму = through the forest, кроз гужву = through the crowd, кроз прсте = through one's fingers).
• Openings & apertures: Entering or passing through an aperture (e.g., кроз прозор = through the window, кроз врата = through the door).
• Variant form 'кроза': Before certain difficult consonant clusters or specific pronouns, кроз can take a mobile final vowel to become кроза (e.g., кроза зубе = through clenched teeth, кроза све = through everything).
3. Conceptual Shift: 'Парк' and City Spaces
Some locations can take either preposition depending on your perspective:
• Идем преко парка = I am taking a shortcut across the park grounds to reach the street on the other side.
• Идем кроз парк = I am strolling through the trees and interior paths of the park.
Examples (5)
- Пешаци су прешли преко улице на пешачком прелазу.
The pedestrians crossed the street at the pedestrian crossing.
Word by Word: Pedestrians auxiliary crossed across street on pedestrian crossing.
'Улица' takes the genitive form 'улице' after 'преко' because a street is treated as an open 2D surface being traversed.
- Аутомобил је брзо прошао кроз дугачак тунел.
The car drove quickly through the long tunnel.
Word by Word: Car auxiliary quickly passed through long tunnel.
'Тунел' is an enclosed three-dimensional interior, requiring 'кроз' followed by the accusative case ('дугачак тунел').
- Лопта је прелетела преко ограде у комшијино двориште.
The ball flew over the fence into the neighbor's yard.
Word by Word: Ball auxiliary flew-over over fence into neighbor's yard.
'Ограда' is a barrier that is cleared from above, requiring 'преко' + genitive ('преко ограде').
- Мачка је искочила у двориште кроз отворен прозор.
The cat jumped out into the yard through an open window.
Word by Word: Cat auxiliary jumped into yard through open window.
A window represents an aperture or portal passed through, taking 'кроз' + accusative ('кроз отворен прозор').
- Често шетамо кроз густу шуму поред реке.
We often walk through the dense forest by the river.
Word by Word: Often we-walk through dense forest beside river.
The forest is treated as a surrounding medium, taking 'кроз' with the feminine accusative 'густу шуму'.
Common Mistakes
Using the accusative instead of the genitive after 'преко'.
Пешак је прешао преко мост.Пешак је прешао преко моста.Learners often assume motion always demands the accusative. However, 'преко' strictly governs the genitive case, so masculine nouns take the genitive ending '-а' ('преко моста').
Using 'кроз' for crossing open thoroughfares and squares.
Ишао сам кроз улицу до продавнице.Ишао сам преко улице до продавнице.English speakers often translate 'through the street' literally. In Serbian, streets and squares are open surfaces crossed from side to side using 'преко' + genitive.
Using the genitive instead of the accusative after 'кроз'.
Воз је прошао кроз тунела.Воз је прошао кроз тунел.'Кроз' strictly requires the accusative case. For inanimate masculine nouns like 'тунел', the accusative matches the nominative form ('тунел', not 'тунела').
How It Connects
Learn This First
To contrast and use 'преко' (across/over) and 'кроз' (through), you need to know which cases they trigger: 'преко' requires the genitive case, whereas 'кроз' requires the accusative case. Basic motion verbs like 'ићи' provide the context of movement.
- Genitive With Prepositions
Understanding that prepositions govern the genitive case is necessary to properly use преко with its required genitive form.
Level 2 - Direct Objects
The preposition кроз requires the accusative case to indicate passage through a space, making accusative singular endings essential.
Level 1 - ићиGoing Somewhere
Spatial prepositions of movement like преко and кроз are typically used alongside motion verbs like ићи.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- Plural Direct Objects
When passing through multiple items or using pluralia tantum nouns (such as 'кроз врата' or 'кроз тунеле'), 'кроз' governs the accusative plural.
Level 2 - поред / близу / око + GenitiveNearby and Around
These prepositions also denote spatial relationships and require the genitive case.
Level 2 - у / на + Accusative / LocativeDestination and Location
Unlike 'у' and 'на' which alternate between accusative (motion) and locative (location), 'преко' and 'кроз' each govern a single fixed case.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice преко + Genitive / кроз + Accusative in Bubblegum
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