cez + Accusative

Through and Over: Cez

Level 3

Cez with the accusative means through, across, via or during: cez park (through the park), cez ulicu (across the street), cez víkend (over the weekend).

How It Works

Always the accusative. The noun after cez has its accusative form, so feminine nouns in -a change to -u: ulica → cez ulicu.

Through or across a space.

  • Išli sme cez park. We walked through the park.
  • Prejdi cez most. Cross the bridge.
  • Slnko svieti cez okno. The sun is shining through the window.

Via a place or channel. Do Prahy sme cestovali cez Brno. (We travelled to Prague via Brno.) Kúpil som to cez internet. (I bought it online.) Dozvedel som sa to cez kamaráta. (I found out through a friend.)

During a period. cez deň (during the day), cez víkend (over the weekend), cez leto (over the summer), cez prázdniny (during the holidays). The genitive preposition počas also means during and is a little more formal: počas leta.

Not for vehicles. English "by bus" is not cez. Use the instrumental of means: Idem autobusom.

For time, compare cez víkend (during the weekend) with na víkend (for the weekend, a planned stay) from na with the accusative.

Examples (6)

  1. Išli sme cez park.

    We walked through the park.

    Word by Word: We-went through park.

  2. Pozor, keď prechádzaš cez ulicu!

    Be careful when you cross the street!

    Word by Word: Attention, when you-cross across street(acc.)!

    Ulica becomes ulicu in the accusative.

  3. Cez víkend budem doma.

    I'll be at home over the weekend.

    Word by Word: Over weekend I-will-be at-home.

  4. Do Prahy sme cestovali cez Brno.

    We travelled to Prague via Brno.

    Word by Word: To Prague we travelled via Brno.

  5. Slnko svieti cez okno.

    The sun is shining through the window.

    Word by Word: Sun shines through window.

  6. Kúpil som to cez internet.

    I bought it online.

    Word by Word: I-bought it via internet.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a case other than the accusative after cez.

    Išli sme cez parku.
    Išli sme cez park.

    Cez always takes the accusative. For park the accusative looks like the nominative.

  • Leaving a feminine noun in the nominative.

    Prejdi cez ulica.
    Prejdi cez ulicu.

    Feminine nouns in -a take -u in the accusative.

  • Using cez for a vehicle, like English "by bus".

    Idem do práce cez autobus.
    Idem do práce autobusom.

    A vehicle you travel in is in the instrumental with no preposition.

How It Connects

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

cez + AccusativeLevel 3Through and Over: Cez

Learn This First

Before Through and Over: cez, learn The Accusative Case for Objects. cez takes the accusative.

Words in This Pattern