Pronouns After Prepositions

Level 3

When he, she, it or they come after a preposition, the pronoun starts with n-. The possessives jeho, jej and ich (his, her, their) never change.

How It Works

Third person: add n-. The case is still set by the preposition, but the pronoun changes its first sound:

  • genitive (bez, do, od, u, okolo): bez neho, od nej, u nich
  • dative (k, proti): k nemu, k nej, k nim
  • accusative (pre, na, za, cez): pre neho, pre ňu, pre nich
  • locative (o, v, na, po, pri): o ňom, o nej, o nich
  • instrumental (s, nad, pod, pred, medzi): s ním, s ňou, s nimi

Them: nich or ne. In the accusative plural, use nich for a group that includes a man, and ne for everything else: Čakám na nich. (the boys) / Čakám na ne. (the girls, the letters).

Me and you: the long forms. pre mňa, pre teba, o mne, o tebe, so mnou, s tebou. Nás, vás, nám, vám, nami and vami do not change: k nám, s vami. Note so mnou and ku mne (see vowel-added prepositions).

His, her, their do not change. The possessives jeho, jej and ich never take n-: s jeho sestrou (with his sister) but s ním (with him).

In books you may also meet merged forms such as preňho, naňho or naň. They mean the same as pre neho and na neho.

Examples (6)

  1. Bez neho to nepôjde.

    It won't work without him.

    Word by Word: Without him it not-will-go.

  2. Idem s ňou do kina.

    I'm going to the cinema with her.

    Word by Word: I-go with her to cinema.

  3. Zajtra pôjdem k nemu.

    I'll go to his place tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Tomorrow I-will-go to him.

  4. Tieto kvety sú pre nich.

    These flowers are for them.

    Word by Word: These flowers are for them.

  5. Veľa sme o ňom počuli.

    We've heard a lot about him.

    Word by Word: Much AUX-we about him heard.

  6. Jej brat sedel vedľa nej.

    Her brother was sitting next to her.

    Word by Word: Her brother sat next-to her.

    Possessive jej stays jej; the pronoun after vedľa becomes nej.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the plain form after a preposition.

    Idem s jeho.
    Idem s ním.

    After s, him is ním. Jeho after a preposition can only mean his: s jeho sestrou.

  • Forgetting the n- in the dative.

    Idem k jemu.
    Idem k nemu.

    After a preposition, jemu becomes nemu.

  • Adding n- to the possessive her.

    Bol som u nej sestry.
    Bol som u jej sestry.

    Jej here means her (sister), a possessive, so it does not change. Only the pronoun her takes n-: u nej.

How It Connects

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

Pronouns After PrepositionsLevel 3

Learn This First

Before Pronouns After Prepositions, learn Long and Short Pronoun Forms and Pronouns After s and o. After prepositions the long forms are used. Pronouns after s and o are the first examples of this rule.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

onona