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Prepositions in the Russian language

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As you probably know, prepositions are words or groups of words which are used before a noun, a noun phrase, a pronoun or a numeral to connect them to other words. For example, if you want to say in Russian „They came after us“, you need:

 

  1. the pronoun “they“ = «они» in Russian (it’s the subject in our sentence, so you don’t need to decline the word);
  2. the verb in the past tense (as you remember, we only have one past tense in Russian) “came” = «пришли»;
  3. the preposition “after“ = «после»; important here is that this preposition  must be followed by the Genetive case:
  4.  us = «нас»;

 

„They came after us“ = «Они пришли после нас».

 

Prepositions are extremely useful words, you encounter them in many situations when speaking a language, so it’s always a good idea to learn the most common ones. Below are some of the most frequently used prepositions in the Russian language (in their most frequently used meanings) with examples of use.

For a more exhaustive list you should consult your grammar book.

 

Very common prepositions in Russian are:

 

 

  • в/во + Prepositional case (to describe the place of something or someone, or the place where an action occurs; you are answering the question «Где)or Accusative case (to describe motion towards something; a noun in the Accusative case designates the purpose of motion; you are answering the question «Куда)

 

 

This preposition can correspond to several English words: in, at, into, to

 

For example:

 

Я живу в центре. Дети гуляют во дворе. Мы будем ждать вас в аэропорту (all these sentences answer the question «Где?»,so we use the Prepositional case)

 

Я еду в центр. Они пойдут в лес. Мы поедем в аэропорт (all these sentences answer the question «Куда?», so we use the Accusative case)

 

You can also use the preposition в/во to say when something happened. Then you will use the Prepositional case with month, year or century and the Accusative with hour and days of the week.

 

For example:

Этот писатель жил в девятнадцатом веке. Марина родилась в тысяча девятьсот девяносто пятом году. В марте мы поедем в Москву. Давай встретимся в три часа. В следующий понедельник мы не работаем.

 

 

 

  • за + Instrumental case (to describe the place of something or someone; you are answering the question «Где)or Accusative case (to describe motion towards something; you are answering the question «Куда)

 

 

This preposition corresponds to English words: behind, beyond

 

For example:

 

Этот магазин сразу за мостом (this sentence answers the question «Где?»,so we use the Instrumental case)

Завтра мы поедем за город (this sentence answers the question «Куда?»,so we use the Accusative case)

 

 

  • из + Genetive case

 

 

This preposition corresponds to the English word: from

 

For example:

Я из России. Тебе пришла открытка из Москвы.

 

 

  • к + Dative case

 

 

This preposition corresponds to the English word: towards

 

For example:

Я зайду к ним после обеда.

 

 

  • на + Prepositional case (the meaning of place; you are answering the question «Где)or Accusative case (meaning of direction; you are answering the question «Куда)

 

 

 

This preposition corresponds to English words: onto, on, to

 

For example:

На улице холодно (this sentence answers the question «Где?»,so we use the Prepositional case)

Мы вышли на улицу (this sentence answers the question «Куда?»,so we use the Accusative case)

You can also use this preposition with the word «неделя» (week) to say when something happened:

 

For example:

На прошлой неделе было холодно. На этой неделе у меня не будет времени с Вами встретиться. На следующей неделе мы едем в Италию.

 

 

  • о/об + Prepositional case

 

 

 

This preposition corresponds to the English word: about

 

For example:

Я еще не думал об этом. О чём эта книга?

 

 

  • от + Genetive case

 

 

 

This preposition corresponds to the English word: from

 

For example:

Тебе пришла открытка от Марины.

 

 

  • по + Dative case

 

 

 

This preposition corresponds to the English words: along, according to

 

For example:

Вам нужно ехать по этой дороге, никуда не сворачивая.

По их мнению, не нужно было этого делать.

 

 

  • с + Instrumental case

 

 

 

This preposition corresponds to the English word: with

 

For example:

Мы с тобой пойдем туда вместе. Ты пьёшь чай с сахаром или без?

You can also use this preposition to say since when something has been happening. In this case use the Genetive.

 

For example:

Она не работает с марта две тысячи десятого года. Я в отпуске с понедельника.

 

 

  • у + Genetive case

 

 

 

This preposition corresponds to the English words: by, at, near

 

For example:

У тебя дома тепло? У кого ты взял эту книгу? Давай встретимся у метро.

We also use this preposition to translate the English construction „Someone has (got) something“.

 

For example:

У меня есть собака.

 

 

  • без + Genetive case

 

 

 

This preposition corresponds to the English word: without

 

For example:

Я пью кофе без молока. 

 

Russian grammar is difficult but interesting. If you need the professional help while learning the Russian language, our online tutors are ready to help! 

 

Sign up for a trial lessons in Russian! 

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