The Lithuanian Verb ‘Cheat Code’: Unlock Hundreds of Words by Learning Prefixes

You’ve made it past the basics of Lithuanian. You know your ‘Labas’ from your ‘Ačiū’. You can probably introduce yourself, order a coffee, and talk about your hobbies. You’ve dutifully memorized verbs like eiti (to go), važiuoti (to go by vehicle), rašyti (to write), and skaityti (to read).

But then you open a real Lithuanian news article or try to listen to a podcast, and you’re hit with a wall of words that look almost familiar, but not quite: ateiti, išeiti, pereiti, suvažiuoti, parašyti, perskaityti… It feels like for every verb you learn, there are ten more secret variations you have to memorize from scratch. 😫

This is a classic A2 level challenge, and it’s where many learners get stuck. It feels like your vocabulary isn’t growing fast enough to keep up with the real world.

But what if I told you it’s not about memorizing hundreds of new verbs? What if it’s about learning a simple “cheat code” that unlocks the meaning of all these variations at once?

That cheat code is verb prefixes (priešdėliai).

Mastering these tiny additions to the verbs you already know is the single most powerful way to level up your Lithuanian, moving from simple statements to expressing nuanced, precise actions.

The Problem: One Verb, Many Meanings

Let's take a simple verb: eiti - to go, to walk.

You might want to say, "I am going to the park." - Aš einu į parką. Simple enough.

But what about these situations?

• How do you say you arrived at the park?
• How do you say you left the house?
• How do you say you crossed the street?
• How do you say you went up the stairs?

In English, we use separate words: arrive, leave, cross, go up. In Lithuanian, you often just add a prefix to eiti. This might seem confusing at first, but once you understand the system, it’s incredibly efficient. It’s a system of logic, not just random words.

Think of prefixes as power-ups for your verbs. The base verb gives you the core action (walking, driving, writing), and the prefix gives you the direction, completion, or nuance of that action.

Let’s break down some of the most common and useful Lithuanian prefixes.

Prefix 1: at- (The “Arrival” Prefix)

The prefix at- often signifies movement towards something, or the act of arriving. It’s the answer to the question “where to?” becoming “here!”.

• Base verb: eiti (to go/walk)
• With prefix: **at**eiti (to arrive by walking, to come to)

Draugas **eina** į parduotuvę. - The friend is going to the store. (The action is in progress). Draugas **atėjo** į parduotuvę. - The friend arrived at the store. (The action is complete, he is here now).

See the difference? It’s not just tense; the prefix changes the entire focus of the verb to the result of the movement.

This works with other motion verbs too:

• važiuoti (to go by vehicle) -> **at**važiuoti (to arrive by vehicle)
• skristi (to fly) -> **at**skristi (to arrive by flying)
• nešti (to carry) -> **at**nešti (to bring something, to carry it to a location)

Prefix 2: iš- (The “Departure” or “Out Of” Prefix)

If at- is for arriving, iš- is its logical opposite. It signifies movement out of or away from a place. It’s the prefix of departure.

• Base verb: eiti (to go/walk)
• With prefix: **iš**eiti (to leave by walking, to go out)

Aš **išėjau** iš namų septintą valandą. - I left the house at seven o'clock.

Again, compare it to other verbs:

• važiuoti -> **iš**važiuoti (to depart by vehicle)
• skristi -> **iš**skristi (to depart by flying)

But iš- is more versatile than just leaving. It can also mean to do something thoroughly, or to complete an action that affects the whole object, like “using up”.

• plauti (to wash) -> **iš**plauti (to wash thoroughly, e.g., wash out a stain)
• gerti (to drink) -> **iš**gerti (to drink up, to finish the drink)

Prefix 3: per- (The “Through” or “Across” Prefix)

Per- is your go-to prefix for movement that goes through, across, or over something. It’s the prefix of crossing boundaries.

• Base verb: eiti (to go/walk)
• With prefix: **per**eiti (to cross by walking)

Reikia **pereiti** gatvę. - It is necessary to cross the street.

Let's apply it elsewhere:

• važiuoti -> **per**važiuoti (to cross by vehicle, e.g., a bridge or intersection)
• plaukti (to swim) -> **per**plaukti (to swim across, e.g., a river)

Per- also has a second powerful meaning: re-doing something.

• rašyti (to write) -> **per**rašyti (to rewrite)
• skaityti (to read) -> **per**skaityti (to re-read)
• statyti (to build) -> **per**statyti (to rebuild)

Understanding this dual meaning is a huge step towards fluency.

Prefix 4: su- (The “Together” or “Completion” Prefix)

Su- is a social prefix. Its primary meaning is doing something together with others. It also often implies successful completion of an action.

• Base verb: eiti (to go/walk)
• With prefix: **su**eiti (to come together, to gather by walking)

Visi studentai **suėjo** į auditoriją. - All the students gathered in the auditorium.

Other examples:

• važiuoti -> **su**važiuoti (to gather by vehicle, to drive together to one place)
• kalbėti (to speak) -> **su**kalbėti (to agree upon something by talking)
• rinkti (to collect) -> **su**rinkti (to collect together, to assemble)

Su- can also mean completion, similar to finishing something successfully:

• valgyti (to eat) -> **su**valgyti (to eat up, to consume completely)
• rasti (to find) -> **su**rasti (to find, often implying a successful search)

From Theory to Active Use: The Real Challenge

Okay, that’s a lot of information. You might be thinking, “Great, I understand the logic now. iš- means out, at- means arrival. I get it.” 🧠

But here’s the million-dollar question: How do you make this knowledge automatic? How do you go from slowly decoding atvažiuoti in a text to naturally writing “Mano traukinys atvažiuos vėlai” (My train will arrive late) without even thinking about it?

This is the gap between passive recognition and active production. And this is where simply reading grammar tables fails. To truly master these prefixes, you need a systematic loop of practice:

1. Encounter them in natural context.
2. Understand their specific meaning in that context.
3. Practice using them yourself.
4. Get feedback on your usage.
5. Reinforce what you’ve learned until it sticks.

Doing this on your own is tough. Finding A2-level texts that are interesting is hard. Getting instant feedback on your writing is nearly impossible unless you have a private tutor available 24/7.

This is precisely the learning cycle we designed the Toritark app to solve.

Supercharge Your Learning with the Right Tool

Think of the theory above as your map. Toritark is the vehicle that helps you explore the territory quickly and efficiently. Here’s how it helps you master concepts like verb prefixes:

Step 1: Create Your Perfect Practice Material 📖

Instead of hunting for articles that might be too hard or too boring, you can tell Toritark’s AI exactly what you need.

Want to practice motion verbs? Just type in a topic like “A trip to the seaside” or “My morning commute.” In one tap, the app generates a unique, short story at your A2 level, filled with natural examples of verbs like išvažiuoti, atvažiuoti, and pereiti. You get the perfect, context-rich content on demand.

Step 2: Read and Learn Without Breaking Your Flow 🔎

As you read your custom story, you’ll see these prefixes in action. If you encounter a new word like susitikti (to meet up) and you’re not sure of the meaning, you don’t have to leave the app. Just long-press the word to see its translation and, crucially, save it to your personal vocabulary list. This builds a learning list that is 100% relevant to what you actually need to learn.

Step 3: Move from Passive to Active with Story Retelling ✍️

This is the magic step. After reading the story, Toritark doesn't just give you a simple quiz. It prompts you: “Retell this story in your own words.”

This is your chance to actively use the prefixes you just learned. You might try to write, “The man go out of the shop and cross the street.” (Vyras eina iš parduotuvės ir eina per gatvę.)

This is where Toritark’s AI tutor shines. After you submit your text, you get instant, detailed feedback:

• Overall Score: See your progress at a glance.
• Detailed Corrections: It will highlight your sentence and suggest a more natural version: “Vyras išeina iš parduotuvės ir pereina gatvę.”
• Clear Explanations: Most importantly, it will tell you why in simple terms. You’ll get a note like: “Use the prefix iš- with eiti to express ‘going out of’ a place. Use per- to express ‘crossing’ something.”

This is like having a personal grammar coach who spots your mistakes with prefixes and helps you fix them immediately.

Step 4: Make It Stick with Contextual Practice 🎯

Finally, all those prefixed verbs you saved, like išeiti and pereiti, don’t just go into a boring flashcard deck. In the “Learn words” section, Toritark creates fill-in-the-blank exercises using the exact sentences from the stories you read.

You won’t just be memorizing pereiti. You’ll be completing the sentence: Jiems reikėjo _______ upę. (...pereiti...). This locks the word, its prefix, and its context together in your brain, making it unforgettable.

Stop Memorizing, Start Seeing Patterns

Lithuanian verb prefixes aren’t a list of exceptions to memorize. They are a logical system—a cheat code that, once understood, multiplies your vocabulary and expressive power.

But understanding the theory is only the first step. To truly own this knowledge, you need to immerse yourself in a cycle of contextual reading, active writing, and intelligent feedback.

Stop feeling overwhelmed by verb variations. Start seeing them as the powerful tools they are. Take the next step from simply recognizing Lithuanian words to using them with confidence and precision.

Ready to try the full learning cycle? Generate your first story and get instant feedback on your writing at Toritark.