Learn the difference between the prepositions na and do
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Intro |
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| Michael: What is the difference between the prepositions na and do? |
| Veronika: And how do you know which one to use? |
| Michael: At CzechClass101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following scenario: Jozefína Jerabkova and Ben Lee have just finished their classes at their university. They begin to talk about their plans for the rest of the day. |
| "Where are you going?" |
| Jozefína: Kam jdeš? |
| Dialogue |
| Jozefína: Kam jdeš? |
| Ben: Já jdu na poštu. A ty? |
| Jozefina: Já jdu do supermarketu. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Jozefína: Kam jdeš? |
| Michael: "Where are you going?" |
| Ben: Já jdu na poštu. A ty? |
| Michael: "I’m going to the post office. And you?" |
| Jozefina: Já jdu do supermarketu. |
| Michael: "I’m going to the supermarket." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In the dialogue, you would notice that the preposition |
| Veronika: do |
| Michael: and the preposition |
| Veronika: na |
| Michael: both translate in English as the preposition "to," such as when Ben and Jozefina say "I’m going to." In Czech, the exact preposition to use will depend on a few factors. |
| Michael: Let’s take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Ben says "I’m going to the post office. And you?" |
| Veronika as Ben: Já jdu na poštu. A ty? |
| Michael: Here, Ben uses the preposition |
| Veronika: na |
| Michael: which is one of the prepositions in Czech grammar that takes the accusative case, particularly when the verb in the sentence answers the question "where to," or, |
| Veronika: kam |
| Michael: There is no one exact translation of this preposition in English and it could take on the meaning of "on," "onto," "at," "for," and "in." |
| Michael: Now let’s take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how Jozefina says "I’m going to the supermarket?" |
| Veronika: Já jdu do supermarketu. |
| Michael: Here, Jozefina uses the preposition |
| Veronika: do, |
| Michael: a preposition that takes the genitive case. Like the other preposition mentioned in this lesson, this preposition has several other translations in English, including, "into," "until," and "by." The easiest way to find out which of the two prepositions to use is to determine the case of the noun in the sentence. If the noun is in the accusative case, then you should use |
| Veronika: na |
| Michael: If the noun in the sentence is in the genitive case, then you should use |
| Veronika: do |
| Michael: Another thing to consider is the place where you are going. There are special locations that take the preposition |
| Veronika: na |
| Michael: such as when you say |
| Veronika: Jsou na cestě na letiště |
| Michael: or, "They’re on their way to the airport," or when you say |
| Veronika: Jdu na pláž |
| Michael: or "I am going to the beach." Names of well-known islands and certain countries also use this preposition. For instance, if you want to say "I am going to Santorini," you say, |
| Veronika: Jedu na Santorini. |
| Michael: On the other hand, most names of locations take the preposition |
| Veronika: do |
| Michael: such as when you say |
| Veronika: Jdu do místnosti |
| Michael: or "I’m going to the room," or |
| Veronika: Jdu do nemocnice |
| Michael: "I am going to the hospital." Over time, and the more you use these two prepositions, you will know which words to use them for and when. |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: So far, we have learned that the preposition |
| Veronika: na |
| Michael: takes the accusative case and is used when the verb in the sentence answers the question "to where" or |
| Veronika: kam |
| Michael: It is also used when the destination is the name of a well-known island, certain countries, and special locations. Have we mentioned that it’s also used when you’re talking about events? Meanwhile, we have learned that the preposition |
| Veronika: do |
| Michael: takes the genitive case. It is often used when the destination is a person, a special location, and anything not covered by the preposition, |
| Veronika: na |
| Michael: Now, let’s look at some examples. Our first example is |
| Veronika: Jedu na Sardinii. |
| Michael: "I am going to Sardinia." This uses the preposition |
| Veronika: na |
| Michael: because Sardinia is an island in Italy. The next example is |
| Veronika: Jedu na Slovensko |
| Michael: "I am going to Slovakia." Slovakia is one of the few countries that uses the preposition |
| Veronika: na |
| Michael: Another is Ukraine. The country of the Philippines is also an exception, considering that it’s a group of islands, which is why you say |
| Veronika: Příští rok jedu na Filipíny. |
| Michael: or "I’m going to the Philippines next year." We also mentioned that events also use the preposition in question. For instance, you can say, |
| Veronika: Jdu na konferenci |
| Michael: or "I am going to the conference." Here’s another example: |
| Veronika: Jdu na louku. |
| Michael: "I am going to the meadow." Names of some large, open spaces use the preposition, |
| Veronika: na |
| Michael: such as in this example. Other similar words that use this preposition include "mountain," "stage," "podium," "swimming pool," "shore," and "parking lot." Let’s move on to the next example: |
| Veronika: Jedu do Itálie. |
| Michael: "I am going to Italy." Italy is a name of a country, and most country names take the preposition |
| Veronika: do. |
| Michael: Another example is |
| Veronika: Jdu do garáže. |
| Michael: "I am going to the garage." You might think that names of small spaces take the preposition |
| Veronika: do. |
| Michael: That is not the case, though. For instance, you can use this preposition for large spaces too, such as when you say, |
| Veronika: Jdu do parku. |
| Michael: "I am going to the park." |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: One last thing. Keep in mind that the preposition |
| Veronika: do |
| Michael: is used much more often than the preposition |
| Veronika: na |
| Michael: This means, if you memorize the preposition |
| Veronika: na, |
| Michael: then you can use the preposition |
| Veronika: do |
| Michael: in all other cases! |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Veronika: Na shledanou! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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