# Lithuanian: pažvelgti į + case



## chatkigazouille

Hello all,

I was reading a passage where it we use the galininkas case after pažvelgti į (to look at). The sentence that I was looking at goes like this:
_> Mano siela_ šlovina _Viešpat_į,

> mano dvasia _džiaugiasi Dievu, savo Gelbėtoju,_

_> nes jis pažvelgė į nuolankią savo tarnaitę._

My questions:
1) Is it the case that we use galininkas after pažvelgti į, even if "į" is a preposition? I would think that "į" would be followed by an indirect object (therefore requiring naudininkas).

2.
a) Could pažvelgti be used without į in this sentence
b) If it (2a) can, would it change the meaning/declension?

Thank you!


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## AndrasBP

chatkigazouille said:


> 1) Is it the case that we use galininkas after pažvelgti į, even if "į" is a preposition? I would think that "į" would be followed by an indirect object (therefore requiring naudininkas).


Just like in German or Russian, Lithuanian prepositions are "governed" by a certain case. Don't worry about the meaning of the preposition, you should just learn which preposition goes with which case. Most prepositions require the genitive (_kilmininkas_) or the accusative (_galininkas_) case. A few others need the instrumental case (_įnagininkas_).

*į, apie, prieš, pagal, pas, per + galininkas
ant, iki, iš, nuo, tarp + kilmininkas
su, ties, po (under) + įnagininkas*



chatkigazouille said:


> 2.
> a) Could pažvelgti be used without į in this sentence
> b) If it (2a) can, would it change the meaning/declension?


As far as I know, "pažvelgti" is normally used together with "į", it's just like "at" in English "look at".


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## chatkigazouille

Thank you @AndrasBP ! I had second thoughts too, if it should be translated as in the French "regarder" (which goes with direct object)


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## elroy

AndrasBP said:


> Just like in German or Russian, Lithuanian prepositions are "governed" by a certain case.


 In German, some prepositions govern more than one case.  Is that not the case in Lithuanian?


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## AndrasBP

elroy said:


> In German, some prepositions govern more than one case. Is that not the case in Lithuanian?


If you mean the distinction between *location *and *direction*, e.g. "*auf dem *Dach" vs. "*auf das *Dach", it's something that works in Russian, pretty much the same way as in German, but _not _in Lithuanian. Depending on the phrase, the two meanings are sometimes expressed with the same preposition and case, creating some ambiguity, which is resolved by context (like in English: "the book is *on* the desk" vs. "put it *on* the desk"). Sometimes they use two different prepositions, and in the case of "locative *in*", no preposition is used, just the locative case: "Lietuva - Lietuv*oje*" = "Lithuania - *in* Lithuania".

However, some Lithuanian prepositions do govern different cases, but then they have very different meanings:
"*po* + Genitive" means "after", but "*po* + Instrumental" means "under".


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