Inherited fromProto-Slavic*po-.(Canthis(+) etymology besourced? Particularly: “True? The PS term doesn't appear to have had a comparative meaning, and Old Bulgarian apparently evolved the comparative much later.”)[1]
Sreznevsky, Izmail I. (1912), “по”, inМатеріалы для Словаря древне-русскаго языка по письменнымъ памятникамъ [Materials for the Dictionary of the Old East Slavic Language Based on Written Monuments][2] (in Russian), volume 3(Р – Ꙗи дополненія), Saint Petersburg: Department of Russian Language and Literature of the Imperial Academy of Sciences,column979
used broadly to indicate action, typically involving movement, across a surface or across several things in a generally flat plane;across,on,along,down,up,all over, (all)around:
Тарака́нбе́галпостолу́. ―Tarakán bégalpo stolú. ―The cockroach ranacross the table.
Онплылпореке́. ―On plylpo reké. ―He swamdown the river.
used with numbers when there is distribution among multiple objects or repetition across multiple instances in time (dative case is used with the numbers one, a thousand, a million, a billion, a trillion etc. and numbers ending in these words)
used with numbers when there is distribution among multiple objects or repetition across multiple instances in time (inanimateaccusative case is used with numbers other than one, a thousand, a million, a billion, a trillion etc. or numbers ending in these words)
When used with numbers in the distributive meaning, the following should be noted:
The case of any associated noun follows the normal case rules for numbers. This means full agreement when dative is used (поодному́вопро́су(po odnomú voprósu)) and genitive singular or plural (depending on the last digit) when accusative is used (потривопро́са(po tri voprósa),посемьвопро́сов(po semʹ voprósov)).
Withдва(dva),три(tri) andсто(sto) (but not numbers ending in these numbers), the stress is optionally drawn ontoпо:
Ядалимпо́два /подва́рубля́. ―Ja dal impó dva /po dvá rubljá. ―I gave themtwo roubles each.
йти внизпо ріці́ ―jty vnyzpo ricí ―to follow the river downstream (literally, “to go downin the direction of the river”)
плисти́по ві́трі ―plystýpo vítri ―to sailin the direction of the wind
used to indicate a direct object upon which an action is performed.
Мене́ вда́рилипо голові́. ―Mené vdárylypo holoví. ―I was hiton the head.
Він зи́ркаєпо на́товпі час від ча́су. ―Vin zýrkajepo nátovpi čas vid čásu. ―He looksat the crowd from time to time.
(colloquial)used to indicate someone or something that is being mourned over.
По ньо́му пла́кала вся Украї́на. ―Po nʹómu plákala vsja Ukrajína. ―All of Ukraine was mourning his death. (literally, “All of Ukraine was cryingover him.”)
Пам'ята́й, си́нку:по те́мній но́чі завжди́ настає́ сві́тлий ра́нок. ―Pamʺjatáj, sýnku:po témnij nóči zavždý nastajé svítlyj ránok. ―Remember, son:after a dark night, a bright morning always comes.
(colloquial)used to indicate the disappearance, irreparable damage, or death of someone or something.
Ку́хлик ви́слизнув з мої́х рук іпо ньо́му ста́ло! ―Kúxlyk výslyznuv z mojíx ruk ipo nʹómu stálo! ―The mug slipped out of my hands and it broke! (literally, “The mug slipped out of my hands andthe aftermath of it has become!”)
(colloquial)used to indicate a time-frame during which an action occurs.
по яскра́вому мі́сяці ―po jaskrávomu mísjaci ―when a bright moon (rises)
по ночах ―po nočax ―during the night (literally, “at nights”)
(dialectal)used with a temporal noun to indicate the age of something
Йому́ було́по шо́стому ро́ці коли́ він пішо́в до шко́ли. ―Jomú bulópo šóstomu róci kolý vin pišóv do škóly. ―He was six years old when he went to school. (literally, “He wasat the sixth year when he went to school.”)
used to indicate the object with which an action is performed.
підня́тисяпо моту́зці ―pidnjátysjapo motúzci ―to climb a rope (literally, “to climbvia a rope”)
транслюва́типо ра́діо ―transljuvátypo rádio ―to broadcaston a radio
used to indicate a justification by which one arrives at a conclusion.
По її́ поведі́нці мо́жна було́ зрозумі́ти, що щось не так. ―Po jijí povedínci móžna buló zrozumíty, ščo ščosʹ ne tak. ―One could tell something is wrongby her behaviour.
Не суди́ кни́жкупо обкла́динці. ―Ne sudý knýžkupo obkládynci. ―Don't judge a bookby its cover.
Лю́ди ви́мушені чека́типо ти́жні, аби отри́мати ї́жу. ―Ljúdy výmušeni čekátypo týžni, aby otrýmaty jížu. ―People are forced to waitfor a week to get food.
used to indicate distance traveled in a certain period of time.
Мандрівники́ прохо́дятьпо п'ятна́дцать кіломе́трів на годину ―Mandrivnyký proxódjatʹpo pʺjatnádcatʹ kilométriv na hodynu ―Travelers travel fifteen kilometres each hour. (literally, “Travelers travelby fifteen kilometres each hour.”)
(colloquial)used to indicate the purpose of an action.
Івасько́ прийшо́в до ньо́гопо ді́лу. ―Ivasʹkó pryjšóv do nʹóhopo dílu. ―Ivan came to himto do business.
(colloquial)used to indicate the reason for an action.
Мипо ду́рості забу́ли ви́мкнути пра́ску вдо́ма. ―Mypo dúrosti zabúly výmknuty prásku vdóma. ―We have forgotten to turn off the iron at homedue to our foolishness.
Я коха́тиму тебе́по смерть! ―Ja koxátymu tebépo smertʹ! ―I will love youuntil death!
Міст буду́єтьсяпо сей день. ―Mist budújetʹsjapo sej denʹ. ―The bridge is still being built to this day. (literally, “The bridge is being builtuntil this day.”)
(with a personal pronoun)used to indicate an action done according to someone's wish or request.
По is not used with thedative case in standard, literary Ukrainian. However, under the influence of Russian, some speakers may use the dative instead of thelocative case in both spoken and occasionally written language; this usage, however, is considered incorrect.
