pro (per)

Meaning. pro means per or for each. You use it to state a rate or a ratio: a price per unit, a frequency per time span, or an amount per person.

Case government. Grammatically pro takes the accusative. You rarely see the ending, though, because pro is almost always followed by a bare noun with no article: pro Person, pro Tag, pro Kilo, pro Stunde. When an article or adjective does appear, it stands in the accusative: pro angefangenen Monat (per started month), pro verkauften Artikel (per sold item).

When to use it.

• Prices and rates: zehn Euro pro Person, drei Euro pro Kilo, 100 km pro Stunde.
• Frequency with time words: einmal pro Woche, dreimal pro Tag.
• Distribution: ein Geschenk pro Kind, ein Vertrag pro Haushalt.

Most common mistake. Learners add an article - pro der Tag is wrong; use the bare noun pro Tag. Also, do not confuse German pro (= per) with English pro (= professional). A close everyday synonym is je (je Person), which sounds a touch more formal or bureaucratic.

Examples.

• Der Eintritt kostet zehn Euro pro Person. - The entry costs ten euros per person.
• Wir treffen uns einmal pro Woche. - We meet once a week.
• Wie viel verdienst du pro Monat? - How much do you earn per month?

'pro' (per / for each) takes the accusative and is almost always used with a bare noun (no article): pro Tag, pro Person.

'pro' means 'per / for each' and governs the accusative, but the noun is normally used without an article: pro Tag, pro Woche, einmal pro Woche.

'pro' (je / für jede/-n) steht mit dem Akkusativ und meist ohne Artikel: pro Tag, pro Person.