nad / pod / pred / za / medzi + Instrumental

Above, Under, In Front, Behind and Between

Level 3

Nad (above), pod (under), pred (in front of), za (behind) and medzi (between) take the instrumental for where something is: pod stromom, pred domom, za rohom.

How It Works

Five prepositions of position. nad above, over; pod under; pred in front of; za behind; medzi between, among.

Where? Instrumental. For a fixed position use the instrumental:

  • Lampa visí nad stolom. The lamp hangs above the table.
  • Pes spí pod stolom. The dog is sleeping under the table.
  • Čakám pred domom. I'm waiting in front of the house.
  • Záhrada je za domom. The garden is behind the house.
  • Sedel medzi mamou a otcom. He sat between his mom and dad.

Where to? Accusative. When something moves into that position, use the accusative, just as with na:

  • Zavesím obraz nad posteľ. I'll hang the picture above the bed.
  • Daj tašku pod stôl. Put the bag under the table.
  • Postav auto pred dom. Park the car in front of the house.
  • Loptička sa zakotúľala za skriňu. The ball rolled behind the wardrobe.

With pronouns. Nad, pod and pred add -o before mnou: nado mnou, podo mnou, predo mnou, but za mnou. Other pronouns: pred tebou, za ním, nad nami, medzi nami (see vowels added to prepositions).

Useful phrases. za rohom (around the corner), pred obedom (before lunch). Pred with a time word can also mean ago: see pred rokom. Movement out of these positions uses spod, spoza and the genitive: see spod and spoza.

Examples (6)

  1. Pes spí pod stolom.

    The dog is sleeping under the table.

    Word by Word: Dog sleeps under table(instr.).

    A fixed position, so the instrumental stolom.

  2. Daj tašku pod stôl.

    Put the bag under the table.

    Word by Word: Put bag under table(acc.).

    Movement to a position, so the accusative stôl.

  3. Stretneme sa pred divadlom.

    We'll meet in front of the theatre.

    Word by Word: We-meet ourselves in-front-of theatre(instr.).

  4. Obchod je hneď za rohom.

    The shop is just around the corner.

    Word by Word: Shop is right behind corner(instr.).

  5. Nad mestom visí hmla.

    Fog is hanging over the town.

    Word by Word: Above town(instr.) hangs fog.

  6. Sedel medzi mamou a otcom.

    He sat between his mom and dad.

    Word by Word: He-sat between mom(instr.) and dad(instr.).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative for a fixed position.

    Mačka je pod stôl.
    Mačka je pod stolom.

    The cat is already there and is not moving, so use the instrumental stolom.

  • Using the instrumental after a verb of movement.

    Daj to pod stolom.
    Daj to pod stôl.

    Dať shows movement to a place, so use the accusative stôl.

  • Using the accusative after medzi for a position.

    Sedím medzi Petra a Janu.
    Sedím medzi Petrom a Janou.

    Sedieť is a position, so both nouns after medzi are in the instrumental.

How It Connects

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

nad / pod / pred / za / medzi + InstrumentalLevel 3Above, Under, In Front, Behind and Between

Learn This First

Before Above, Under, In Front, Behind and Between, learn Instrumental Singular Endings and Going Onto and To: na. These prepositions take the instrumental for position. For movement they take the accusative, like na.

Words in This Pattern

nad