Prepositions with the Accusative: pro, za, skrz, mimo | Czech Grammar

Czech prepositions each "govern" a case — they force the noun after them into a particular ending. This page covers the ones that always take the accusative no matter what: pro, skrz, mimo, plus the accusative uses of za and o. Learn these as fixed pairings and a lot of everyday Czech — gifts, prices, errands, comparisons — falls into place.

pro — "for (someone's benefit)" and "to fetch"

pro + accusative is the for of benefit and purpose: a present for you, a letter for the boss, something done for the kids.

Mám tady malý dárek pro tebe, snad se ti bude líbit.

I've got a little present here for you — I hope you'll like it.

Tohle je pro maminku, dej jí to, až přijde domů.

This is for mum — give it to her when she gets home.

Czech also uses pro for a meaning English handles with a whole verb: going to get / fetch something. Jdu pro chleba is not "I'm going for bread" in some vague sense — it specifically means "I'm going to fetch bread and bring it back."

Skoč pro chleba, došel nám, a hned jsi zpátky.

Run and get some bread, we've run out, and you'll be right back.

Musím jít pro děti do školky, končí ve čtyři.

I have to go pick the kids up from nursery, it finishes at four.

pro (fetch) vs kvůli (because of)

Here is a distinction Czech draws sharply and English does not. pro + accusative = "to fetch / for the benefit of." kvůli + dative = "because of / for the sake of." They look interchangeable in English for, but they are not in Czech.

Jdu pro doktora, hned ho přivedu.

I'm going to fetch the doctor — I'll bring him right away.

Jdu kvůli doktorovi, mám u něj objednáno.

I'm going because of the doctor — I have an appointment with him.

The first sends you off to collect the doctor; the second explains why you're going. Mixing them up produces sentences that are grammatical but mean something you didn't intend.

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If you can rephrase English "for" as "to go and get," it's pro + accusative. If you can rephrase it as "because of" or "owing to," it's kvůli + dative. Test the sentence before you choose.

za — "in exchange for," "per," and motion "behind"

za is a two-case preposition; its full split is treated on the two-case prepositions page. Here are its accusative jobs.

Price and exchange — what you give or get in return:

Koupil jsem ten kabát za tisíc korun ve výprodeji.

I bought that coat for a thousand crowns in the sale.

Mockrát děkuju za pomoc, hrozně jsi mi pomohl.

Thanks a lot for the help — you helped me enormously.

Per / frequency — once a week, twice a day:

Chodím do posilovny dvakrát za týden, většinou ráno.

I go to the gym twice a week, usually in the morning.

Motion to behind something (where the thing ends up behind a barrier — the accusative marks the destination):

Schovej se rychle za strom, ať tě nevidí!

Hide behind the tree quickly so they don't see you!

Note: za also means "in / within (an hour from now)" — za hodinu — which is covered on the accusative of time page.

skrz — "through" (passing across)

skrz + accusative is physical passage: through a window, through a crowd, through a forest. The longer form skrze is a (literary) variant with the same meaning.

Zloděj se dostal dovnitř skrz otevřené okno.

The thief got inside through an open window.

Prodírali jsme se skrz dav až k pódiu.

We pushed our way through the crowd up to the stage.

mimo — "outside / past / except"

mimo + accusative spans a cluster of related meanings: physically outside a place, off to the side of something, and "except for."

Bydlíme kousek za městem, mimo centrum, je tam klid.

We live just outside the city, away from the centre — it's quiet there.

Přišli všichni včas mimo Honzu, ten zase zaspal.

Everyone came on time except Honza — he overslept again.

You'll also meet it in the fixed phrase mimo provoz ("out of service / out of order"), where provoz is accusative.

Výtah je bohužel mimo provoz, musíme po schodech.

The lift is unfortunately out of order, we'll have to take the stairs.

o — "by (a margin)," "for," and "against"

The accusative o has three high-frequency jobs. The first is the margin of difference in comparisons — "by a year," "by ten percent." English often leaves this unmarked ("a year older"), but Czech makes it explicit with o.

Můj bratr je o rok starší, ale vypadáme skoro stejně.

My brother is a year older, but we look almost the same.

Přišli jsme o deset minut později, představení už začalo.

We arrived ten minutes later — the performance had already started.

Second, o = "for" with verbs of asking and striving: požádat o (ask for), prosit o (beg for), bát se o (fear for).

Včera ji požádal o ruku a ona řekla ano.

Yesterday he proposed to her (asked for her hand) and she said yes.

Third, o = "against / on" with verbs of leaning and tripping: opřít se o (lean against), zakopnout o (trip over).

Opři kolo o zeď, ať nespadne.

Lean the bike against the wall so it doesn't fall over.

Like za, o is two-case: with the locative it means "about (a topic)" — mluvíme o práci ("we're talking about work"). Keep the two apart by meaning; the two-case prepositions page lays out the split.

One more to recognise: přes

přes + accusative ("across, over, via, despite") is another always-accusative preposition you'll hear constantly: přes ulici (across the street), přes víkend (over the weekend), přes Brno (via Brno). It and a few others get their own treatment on the more accusative prepositions page.

Přejdi přes ulici na přechodu, ne tady.

Cross the street at the crossing, not here.

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Sort these prepositions into two mental boxes. pro, skrz, mimo, přes are "loyal" — they take the accusative and nothing else, so you never have to think. za and o are "two-faced" — accusative in the meanings on this page, but a different case (instrumental, locative) in others. With those two, let the meaning pick the case.

Common mistakes

❌ Jdu kvůli chleba.

Incorrect — fetching bread is pro chleba; kvůli means 'because of'.

✅ Jdu pro chleba.

I'm going to get some bread.

❌ Děkuju pro pomoc.

Incorrect — 'thanks for (in return for)' is za, not pro.

✅ Děkuju za pomoc.

Thanks for the help.

❌ Koupil jsem to pro sto korun.

Incorrect — a price uses za (in exchange for), not pro.

✅ Koupil jsem to za sto korun.

I bought it for a hundred crowns.

❌ Je starší o roce.

Incorrect — 'by a year' is the accusative o rok, not the locative.

✅ Je starší o rok.

He's a year older.

❌ Přišli všichni mimo Honzy.

Incorrect — modern standard mimo takes the accusative: mimo Honzu.

✅ Přišli všichni mimo Honzu.

Everyone came except Honza.

Key takeaways

pro
- accusative = "for (someone's benefit)" and "to fetch / go and get": dárek pro tebe, jdu pro chleba.
Keep pro (fetch / for the benefit of) apart from kvůli
- dative (because of): pro doktora vs kvůli doktorovi.
za
- accusative = price/exchange (za sto korun, díky za pomoc), "per" (dvakrát za týden), and motion behind (za strom).
skrz = through (passage); mimo = outside / except; o = by a margin (o rok starší), "for" (požádat o), "against" (opřít se o).
za and o are two-case prepositions — only their accusative uses are here; their other case lives on the two-case page.

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