Case government of Ukrainian prepositions Prepositions governing the genitive

Preposition Meaning

біля close to, near

близько near

в = у at, near, from, among, to have

вдовж = удовж along

вздовж = уздовж along

від (од: archaic) from, since, than (with a comparative)

вподовж = уподовж along

впоперек = упоперек across

впродовж = упродовж along

всередині = усередині inside

для for

до to, until, up to, before

довкола (довкіл) around (rare, cited as an adverb in SUM)

з, зі, зо, із from, off, of

з-за, із-за from behind, through

замість, замісто instead of, in place of

збоку alongside, by the side of

зверх, зверху on top of, beyond (more than)

ззаду from the rear of, behind

з-перед from in front of, from before

з-під from under, from beneath

з-поміж (з-помежи) from among

з-понад from above

з-попід from under, from beneath

з-посеред from the midst of

з-проміж from among

коло around, near, by

край near, by

крім except (for), besides

мимо past

навколо (навкіл) around, round

навкруч (навкручи) around

навпроти directly opposite

накрай at the end/edge of

налад according to, in the form/shape of

напередодні a short time before (an action or event)

насупроти opposite

неподалік not far from

обабіч on/from both sides of

обік side by side, near

обіруч on all sides, from all sides (rare)

обіч beside, by

од: see від

окруч (окручи) around

опріч except, besides

(перше, rare, coll. before (in time))

після after

побіля nearby, close by (to)

поблизу near, close to

поверх over, on, above

повз past

повздовж along

подовж along

позад behind, after

позаду behind, at a certain distance behind

поздовж along

попереду before (temporally and spatially)

поперек across, through the centre of

поруч next to, alongside

поряд near, close to, along with

посеред in the middle of, amongst, among

проти (против dial.) against, opposite

ради for the sake of, on account of

серед in the middle of, amongst, among

спереду in front of, before

супроти (супротив, dial.) against, opposite, in the face of

y: see в

удовж: see вдовж

уздовж: see вздовж

уподовж: see взподовж

упоперек: see впоперек

упродовж: see впродовж

усередині: see всередині

This list clearly contains many synonymous (or nearly so) prepositions; com­pare, for example, the set 'along', which can be expressed by вздовж, вдовж, вподовж, впродовж, подовж, повздовж, поздовж. The key element in all of these particular prepositions is the root -довж- (< довг-) 'long'. Another large group of this kind expresses 'near', but not all of these forms are based on the same root. Some items may be considered by individual sources to be adverbs only (and then will be used with an unambiguous preposition, as in неподалік від 'not far from'); all forms listed here may, however, occur as bona fide prepositions and are included for the sake of completeness. Examples:

без сумніву without doubt, doubtlessly

без цукру without sugar

вздовж берега along(side) the bank (e.g. of a river)

від Миколи from Mykola

для Петра for Petro

до міста to the city

до приходу професора before the arrival of the professor

з-за дерева from behind the tree

замість горілки instead of horilka (Ukrainian vodka)

коло університету near the university

навпроти магазину opposite the store

після відпустки after the holiday

посеред студентів among the students

The form протягом 'during the course of, 'during' functions either as a preposition or as an adverb; as a preposition it governs the genitive:

протягом ночі during the night