Prepositions and Cases

01

Most Prepositions Take the Genitive

The biggest group is followed by the genitive case:

• iš (from, out of), nuo (from, since), iki (until, up to)
• be (without), dėl (because of), prie (near, by)
• ant (on, on top of), virš (above), tarp (between, among)

• Aš iš Lietuvos.

  I am from Lithuania.

• Knyga ant stalo.

  The book is on the table.

• Kava be cukraus.

  Coffee without sugar.

• Sėdime prie stalo.

  We are sitting at the table.

02

Motion: "į" and "per" Take the Accusative

Prepositions of movement towards or through a goal take the accusative:

• Einu į parduotuvę.

  I am going to the shop.

• Važiuoju į Vilnių.

  I am driving to Vilnius.

• Einame per gatvę.

  We are crossing the street.

Notice the contrast with location, which needs no preposition at all and uses the locative (esu parduotuvėje "I am in the shop").

03

"su" Takes the Instrumental

To say "(together) with", use su followed by the instrumental:

• Einu su draugu.

  I am going with a friend.

• Arbata su citrina.

  Tea with lemon.

• Kalbu su mama.

  I am talking with mum.

04

Prepositions With Pronouns

A preposition forces a pronoun into its case just as it does a noun, so you meet the pronoun's genitive, accusative or instrumental forms here:

• dėl tavęs

  because of you. (genitive)

• be jo

  without him. (genitive)

• pas mane

  at my place. (accusative)

• su jais

  with them. (instrumental)

05

One Word, Different Cases

A few prepositions shift meaning with the case they take. po means "after" with the genitive but "under" with the instrumental; už means "behind / beyond" with the genitive but "for, in exchange for" with the accusative:

• po pamokos

  after the lesson. (genitive)

• po stalu

  under the table. (instrumental)

• už namo

  behind the house. (genitive)

• Ačiū už pagalbą.

  Thank you for the help. (accusative)

Learn such prepositions together with the case they pair with in a given sense, and the meaning falls into place.

06

Putting It Together

Because the preposition fixes the case, you always know what ending to reach for: after iš a genitive, after į an accusative, after su an instrumental. Master that link and prepositional phrases become routine:

• iš namų į darbą su draugu

  from home to work with a friend.