The genitive governs more prepositions than any other Ukrainian case — it is the workhorse of the prepositional system. These are the prepositions of absence (без 'without'), benefit (для 'for'), origin and source (від, з 'from'), bounded destination (до 'to, up to'), proximity (бі́ля, ко́ло 'near'), sequence (після 'after'), and opposition or substitution (про́ти 'against', замість 'instead of'). Learn this cluster as a single block: it carries most of the "spatial and logical frame" of everyday speech, and almost every preposition here is a fixed pairing — the preposition and the genitive ending always travel together. This page lays out the set, sorted by sense, with one natural example each.
без — 'without' (absence)
без marks the absence of something. The thing that is missing goes into the genitive.
Я п’ю ка́ву без цу́кру, але́ з молоко́м.
I drink coffee without sugar, but with milk.
Без тебе́ ця вечі́рка була́ б зо́всім нудна́.
Without you this party would have been completely boring.
для — 'for' (the beneficiary)
для introduces the person or purpose that something is for — who benefits, or what it is meant for. This is the 'for' of a gift, not the 'for' of an exchange (that one is за + accusative — see the accusative prepositions).
Я купи́ла невели́кий пода́рунок для ма́ми на день наро́дження.
I bought a little present for Mum for her birthday.
Це впра́ва для поча́тківців, тож не хвилю́йся.
This is an exercise for beginners, so don't worry.
до — 'to / up to / until' (a bounded destination)
до is the 'to' that means toward a point you reach: a person, a building treated as a goal, or a limit in space or time. You go до лі́каря (to the doctor's), до Ки́єва (as far as Kyiv), and you work до п’я́тої (until five). This is one of the most important prepositions to get right, because English 'to' is split: до + genitive for reaching a person or bounded goal, but в/на + accusative for entering a space (see the contrast below and до vs в/на).
Я йду́ до лі́каря, а по́тім забіжу́ до ба́бусі на ча́шку ча́ю.
I'm going to the doctor's, and then I'll pop in to grandma's for a cup of tea.
Магази́н працю́є до деся́тої, ще встигне́мо.
The shop is open until ten, we'll still make it.
Дочека́йся мене́, я промо́к до ни́тки і му́шу переодягну́тися.
Wait for me, I'm soaked to the bone and have to change.
від / од — 'from' (a person or source)
від is 'from' in the sense of a source you move away from — a person, a sender, an emotion's cause, a starting point. A letter comes від бра́та (from your brother); you shiver від хо́лоду (from the cold). The form од is (archaic/literary); use від. Contrast with з below: від = away from a person/source, з = out of an enclosed place.
Я отри́мав пові́домлення від ше́фа — за́втра нара́да о дев’я́тій.
I got a message from the boss — there's a meeting at nine tomorrow.
Вона́ затремті́ла від хо́лоду й щі́льніше закута́лася в ко́вдру.
She shivered from the cold and wrapped herself more tightly in the blanket.
з / із / зі — 'from / out of' (an enclosed place)
з in its genitive sense means 'out of / from' an enclosed space or area you come out of: з Ки́єва (from Kyiv), зі шко́ли (from school), з кише́ні (out of the pocket). It contrasts neatly with від (away from a person) and is the mirror image of в ('into'). The form is chosen for sound — з / із / зі (see euphonic variants).
Він щойно поверну́вся з робо́ти і ще не встиг повече́ряти.
He's just got back from work and hasn't had time for dinner yet.
Діста́нь, будь ла́ска, молоко́ з холоди́льника.
Get the milk out of the fridge, please.
бі́ля, ко́ло, по́близу — 'near, beside, close to'
A small family of proximity prepositions, all genitive: бі́ля and ко́ло ('near, beside', interchangeable in most contexts) and по́близу ('in the vicinity of', a touch more formal). навпро́ти ('opposite') belongs here too.
Зустрі́немося бі́ля вхо́ду до метро́, як завжди́?
Shall we meet by the metro entrance, as usual?
Аптека там, навпро́ти ба́нку, бі́ля зупи́нки.
The pharmacy is there, opposite the bank, by the stop.
навко́ло, довко́ла, се́ред, посере́д — 'around, among, in the middle of'
These locate something within or encircling a region. навко́ло / довко́ла = 'around, all about'; се́ред = 'among, amid'; посере́д = 'in the very middle of'.
Навко́ло буди́нку росту́ть стари́й я́блуневий сад і висо́кі топо́лі.
Around the house grow an old apple orchard and tall poplars.
Се́ред но́чі задзвони́в телефо́н — я пере́лякалася на смерть.
In the middle of the night the phone rang — I was scared to death.
після, протя́гом, під час — sequence and span in time
The genitive frames time, too. після = 'after'; протя́гом = 'over the course of, throughout' (a span); під час = 'during' (an event). Note that під час is a two-word compound preposition and still governs the genitive.
Після уро́ків ді́ти зазвича́й біжа́ть на майда́нчик гра́ти у футбо́л.
After lessons the kids usually run to the playground to play football.
Протя́гом ти́жня я ма́ю закі́нчити цей звіт.
Over the course of the week I have to finish this report.
Під час ле́кції, будь ла́ска, ви́мкніть телефо́ни.
During the lecture, please switch off your phones.
про́ти, замість, крім / окрім, ра́ди / зара́ди — logic and substitution
The genitive also handles abstract relations: про́ти ('against, opposed to'), замість ('instead of'), крім / окрім ('except, besides'), and ра́ди / зара́ди ('for the sake of'). Each is a fixed genitive pairing.
Я нічо́го не ма́ю про́ти ко́та, але́ в нас але́ргія.
I've got nothing against the cat, but we're allergic.
Замість ка́ви візьму́ сього́дні зеле́ний чай.
Instead of coffee I'll have green tea today.
Усі́ прийшли́, крім Окса́ни — вона́ захворі́ла.
Everyone came except Oksana — she fell ill.
Зара́ди діте́й вони́ переї́хали ближче до шко́ли.
For the children's sake they moved closer to the school.
The whole set at a glance
| Preposition | Meaning | Example (genitive) |
|---|---|---|
| без | without | без цу́кру |
| для | for (the beneficiary) | для ма́ми |
| до | to / up to / until (a bounded goal) | до лі́каря, до п’я́тої |
| від / од | from (a person/source) | лист від бра́та |
| з / із / зі | from / out of (a place) | з Ки́єва, зі шко́ли |
| бі́ля, ко́ло, по́близу | near, beside, close to | бі́ля до́му |
| навпро́ти | opposite | навпро́ти ба́нку |
| навко́ло, довко́ла | around | навко́ло буди́нку |
| се́ред, посере́д | among, in the middle of | се́ред но́чі |
| після | after | після уро́ку |
| протя́гом | throughout, over (a span) | протя́гом ро́ку |
| під час | during (an event) | під час ле́кції |
| про́ти | against, opposed to | про́ти ві́тру |
| замість | instead of | замість ка́ви |
| крім, окрім | except, besides | крім ме́не |
| ра́ди, зара́ди | for the sake of | зара́ди діте́й |
Source-language comparison
For an English speaker, the headline is that three big English prepositions fan out across this genitive set, each into a fixed pairing you must learn whole:
- 'to' splits between до + genitive (reaching a person or a bounded limit: до ба́бусі, до п’я́тої) and в/на + accusative (entering a space: в кімна́ту, на робо́ту). See до vs в/на.
- 'from' splits between від + genitive (away from a person/source: від бра́та) and з + genitive (out of an enclosed place: з мі́ста).
- 'for' splits between для + genitive (the beneficiary: для ма́ми) and за + accusative (in exchange: дя́кую за допомо́гу).
There is no shortcut around this — the English mapping is one-to-many, so you build a mental table of preposition + sense and drill the pairings.
For a Russian speaker, the genitive set is closely parallel and transfers well, but note Ukrainian's standard до for 'to a person/limit', the standard від (not Russian от), the three-way euphonic з/із/зі, and the everyday крім / окрім for 'except'.
Common Mistakes
❌ без цу́кор (nominative after без)
Incorrect — без governs the genitive: без цу́кру.
✅ без цу́кру
without sugar — без + genitive.
❌ іду́ до магази́н (nominative after до)
Incorrect — до governs the genitive: до магази́ну.
✅ іду́ до магази́ну
I'm going to the shop — до + genitive.
❌ іду́ до робо́ти (до for entering a space)
Incorrect for 'into' — entering a space is на/в + accusative: іду́ на робо́ту. (до робо́ти would mean 'up to/until work'.)
✅ іду́ на робо́ту
I'm going to work — на + accusative for entering.
❌ пода́рунок за ма́ми (за for the beneficiary)
Incorrect — the beneficiary 'for' is для + genitive: пода́рунок для ма́ми.
✅ пода́рунок для ма́ми
a present for Mum — для + genitive.
❌ лист з бра́та (з for 'from a person')
Incorrect — 'from a person' is від + genitive: лист від бра́та. (з + gen is 'out of a place'.)
✅ лист від бра́та
a letter from your brother — від + genitive.
Key Takeaways
- The genitive governs the largest preposition set — the prepositions of absence, benefit, origin, bounded destination, proximity, sequence, and opposition.
- Core chant: без, для, до, від, з, бі́ля, після, про́ти.
- до = 'to a person / up to a limit' (genitive); в/на = 'into a space' (accusative). від = 'from a person/source'; з = 'out of a place'. для = 'for the beneficiary'; за = 'in exchange' (accusative).
- Every one of these is a fixed pairing — store the preposition and the genitive ending together.
Now practice Ukrainian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Ukrainian→Related Topics
- Prepositions and Case Government: OverviewA2 — The founding principle of the Ukrainian prepositional system: every preposition GOVERNS a case — you cannot use a preposition without putting its noun in the case it demands. Only five of the seven cases are governable (gen/dat/acc/instr/loc); some prepositions take different cases for different meanings (на + acc motion vs на + loc location; з + gen 'from' vs з + instr 'with'); and the relationship lives in the preposition AND the ending together, with euphonic variants (з/із/зі, у/в, від/од) chosen for sound.
- Which Case After Which PrepositionA2 — The master map of preposition–case government: which case each Ukrainian preposition demands. Genitive (без, для, від, до, з, бі́ля, пі́сля, про́ти), dative (завдяки́, всу́переч), accusative for motion/topic (про, че́рез, plus в/на/за/під for direction), instrumental for accompaniment and static position (з 'with', над, під, за, пе́ред, між), and the always-locative у/в, на, при, по, о. Plus the crucial alternating prepositions (в/у, на, за, під, над, пе́ред, між) that flip case to mark motion (куди? → accusative) versus location (де? → locative/instrumental).
- До and Від: The 'to/from' PairA2 — До 'to / up to / until' and від 'from / away from' both take the GENITIVE and work as a directional pair: до marks motion toward a person or a bounded point (іду́ до лі́каря, до Ки́єва, до кінця́), від marks motion away from a source or person (лист від ма́ми, ліки́ від ка́шлю), and від… до… spans a range.
- До vs В/На for 'to' (Direction)B1 — The decision page for 'to/toward'. До + genitive for people, countries, institutions and bounded goals (до лі́каря, до Украї́ни, до шко́ли, до Ки́єва); в/у + accusative or на + accusative for 'into/onto' a space or event (в кімна́ту, на робо́ту, на конце́рт), mirroring the в/на location choice. Motion to a PERSON is always до — до Марі́ї, never в Марі́ю.
- Genitive Singular: FormsA2 — The genitive singular endings by declension — feminine -и/-і, neuter -а/-я, soft-feminine -і — and the famous masculine -а/-у split, where countable, animate, and short nouns take -а (бра́та, ножа́, Ки́єва) while abstract, mass, and many foreign place nouns take -у (цу́кру, снігу, Ло́ндону), a semantically-governed choice with no clean Russian parallel.
- Genitive: Possession and 'of'A2 — How Ukrainian shows possession and the English 'of' relationship — by putting the owner in the genitive AFTER the thing owned (кни́га бра́та 'the brother's book', центр мі́ста 'the centre of the city'), with no apostrophe-s and no separate word for 'of', and with the WHOLE possessor phrase declining (маши́на мого́ дру́га), contrasted with possessive pronouns like мій/твій that agree instead.