10.2 – ‘to’ a destination
‘to’
If you want to say ‘to’ in Czech…
- If you would normally use v LOC to say ‘in, at’ a place, then use do GEN to say ‘to’
- If you would use na LOC to say ‘on, at’ a place, then use na ACC to say ‘to’ (i.e. the difference between ‘on, at’ and ‘to’ with the preposition na stems from what case follows the preposition)
- If you are saying to a person’s place (house, apartment, business[1], etc.), then use k DAT; The preposition k means either ‘to (a person’s place) or in some situations it can mean ‘towards’ (typically when the object of the preposition is not a person)
These rules are summarized in the chart:
|
‘from’ (odkud) source |
‘at’ (kde) location |
‘to’ (kam) destination |
v word |
z GEN jdu z hospody |
v LOC jsem v hospodě |
do GEN jdu do hospody |
na word |
z GEN jdu z koncertu |
na LOC jsem na koncertě |
na ACC jdu na koncert |
person, certain types of locations |
od GEN jdu od Pavla |
u GEN jsem u Pavla |
k DAT jdu k Pavlovi |
Například:
Často chodíme do hospody.
‘We often go to the pub.’
Jdeme na koncert.
‘We are going to a concert.’
Dneska večer jdeme k Pavlovi.
‘Tonight we’re going to Pavel’s (house, place, etc.).’
Images used in this document come from these sources.
[1] e.g. a doctor or lawyer