po- (One by One)

Doing Something One by One

Level 5

zatvoriť okno (close a window) → pozatvárať okná (close all the windows), umyť pohár → poumývať poháre (wash all the glasses), zhasnúť svetlo → pozhasínať svetlá (switch off all the lights).

How It Works

One after another. Distributive po- spreads one action over many things. It is usually added to an imperfective verb, very often a secondary imperfective:

  • zatvárať → pozatvárať: to close (all of them): pozatvárať okná
  • zbierať → pozbierať: to pick up (all of them): pozbierať hračky
  • umývať → poumývať: to wash (all of them): poumývať riad
  • ukladať → poukladať: to put away (all of them): poukladať knihy
  • zhasínať → pozhasínať: to switch off (all of them)

Many subjects. With intransitive verbs, it is the subjects that act one after another: Hostia sa porozchádzali. (The guests gradually left.) Muškáty cez zimu pomrzli. (The geraniums froze one after another over the winter.)

Always plural, always perfective. Because the meaning is "all of them", the object or subject is plural or a collective noun such as riad (dishes). The result is perfective, so pozatváram means I will close them all. For one window, use the ordinary perfective zatvoriť.

Examples (5)

  1. Pred búrkou som pozatváral všetky okná.

    Before the storm I closed all the windows.

    Word by Word: Before storm I-have closed-all all windows.

  2. Deti, pozbierajte si hračky!

    Children, pick up all your toys!

    Word by Word: Children, pick-up-all self toys!

  3. Poumývala som riad a poukladala ho do skrinky.

    I washed the dishes and put them all away in the cupboard.

    Word by Word: I-washed-all have dishes and put-away-all it into cupboard.

    Riad is a collective noun, so it works like a plural.

  4. Pred spaním pozhasínaj svetlá.

    Switch off all the lights before bed.

    Word by Word: Before sleeping switch-off-all lights.

  5. Hostia sa pomaly porozchádzali domov.

    The guests gradually went off home one by one.

    Word by Word: Guests self slowly dispersed-one-by-one home.

Common Mistakes

  • Using distributive po- with a single object.

    Pozatváral som okno.
    Zatvoril som okno. / Pozatváral som všetky okná.

    Distributive po- means many things one after another. For a single window, use zatvoriť.

  • Using budem with the perfective po- verb.

    Hneď budem pozbierať hračky.
    Hneď pozbieram hračky.

    Pozbierať is perfective, so its future is pozbieram.

How It Connects

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

po- (One by One)Level 5Doing Something One by One

Learn This First

Before Doing Something One by One, learn Doing Something for a While. Distributive po- is another use of the po- prefix.

Words in This Pattern

po-