After and around (po)

The Preposition "Po" (After and Around)

The preposition po takes the Locative case and has two primary meanings:

  • Time: "After" an event or activity.
  • Space: Moving "around" a place or "on" a surface.

Use po to talk about actions that happen after a specific situation, meeting, or routine event.

We will talk after the conversation with the boss.
Porozmawiamy po rozmowie z szefem.
What do you do after classes?
Co robisz po zajęciach?

Moving Around with "Po"

With verbs of motion, po describes movement that is scattered or covers an area, rather than heading in a straight line. It typically translates to moving "around" a place.

They wandered around the mountains alone.
Wędrowali sami po górach.

This naturally pairs with verbs like oprowadzać (to show around).

to show around
oprowadzać
The teacher is showing these tourists around the museum.
Nauczyciel oprowadza tych turystów po muzeum.

When describing movement across a specific physical surface, such as the ground or grass, po translates closer to "on."

You must not walk on the grass!
Nie wolno chodzić po trawie!

Bringing It Together

Because both meanings use the exact same grammar, they are often used together in a single sentence to explain what you did after an event and where you did it.

After this conversation, she walked around the park alone.
Po tej rozmowie spacerowała sama po parku.
After work, we wander around the park.
Po pracy wędrujemy po parku.

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