Russian/Prepositions

Prepositions are small words that precede a phrase and connect it to the rest of the sentence. Example of prepositions in English include 'He went in the shop', 'She spoke about him, 'They went by the shops', etc. Russian prepositions work just like their English counterparts, with one important difference: they all place the next phrase in one of the six grammatical cases. As such, a good understanding of the Russian case system is needed to use prepositions. Some cases are used primarily or even entirely with prepositions, while others are used more in their main function than with prepositions- this page assumes familiarity of Russian cases and pronunciation.

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Prepositions

Nominative

Usually, nominative has no prepositions, but there are several cases where some scholars believe it has:

(что) за - (what a)
в - into, as a (plural denoting new state)

Accusative

в(о) - to
на - to
с(о) - approx
за - for
о - against (physical contact)
под - under
по - up to, as far as
про - on the topic of
сквозь - through, across
через - in, after, by

Genitive

без - without
близ - near, close
вдоль - along
вместо - instead of
вне - outside of
внутри - inside, within
возле - by, near
вокруг - about, around
впереди - ahead of
для - for
до - until
из(о) - of, outside of, from
из-за - from behind
из-под - from below
кроме - except (for)
мимо - past (movement)
накануне - on the eve
около - around
от(о) - off, (away) from
после - after
(на)против - against, across from
ради - for the sake of
с(о) - (down) from
(по)среди - among
у - at, close to. Equivalent to the French "chez"

The following prepositions are also used in genitive plural:

мало - few, little
много - a lot, many, much
несколько - a few, not many
ско́лько - how much? how many?

Dative

к(о) - to, towards
по - many meanings in English; no direct translation
благодаря - thanks to
вопреки - contrary to, despite
наперекор - in defiance of (more intense than вопреки)
согласно - according to, in accordance with

Instrumental

над - above, on top of
под - under, beneath
за - behind, before
перед - in front of
между - in between
с(о) - with

Russian/Prepositions Instrumental quiz

Prepositional

в(о) - in
на - on
при - in times of, in the presence of
о(б) - about (becomes обо before мне, что and inflected forms of весь)

A rule of thumb to distinguish between в(о) and на: if one can inhabit or enter a space where something is happening, it is на and otherwise it is в(о). Note that there are many exceptions to this rule which must be learnt by rote.

Prepositions with 2 cases

Like in German, some prepositions can have 2 cases. The accusative (again, like in German) and the genitive cases are used to express movement: accusative pertains to destination, while genitive indicates the source of movement. The instrumental and the Prepositional are used to express staticness.

Accusative and Prepositional

в or во - in, inside of
на - on, on top of

Accusative and instrumental

за - for, behind
под - under

Prepositions with 3 cases

Accusative, Genitive, Instrumental

с - approximately (acc.), from (gen.), with (inst.)

Accusative, Prepositional, Dative

по - to & including; apiece (acc.), upon, directly after (prep.), along, according to (dat.)

Examples

Nominative:

Он пришёл к нам в гости.: He came to visit us.

Accusative:

Книга упала на пол.: The book fell on the floor.
За Родину!: For the Motherland!

Genitive:

Четыре стула стоят вокруг стола.: Four chairs are standing around the table.
Диван стоит у стены.: The couch is standing against the wall.
Он выходит из университéта.: He's coming out of the university.
Bозвращáюсь с рабóты.: I'm coming back from work.

Dative:

Ваза пододвинута к краю стола.: The vase is moved towards the edge of the table.
Идý к роди́телям.: I'm going to my parents'.

Instrumental:

Лампа висит под потолком.: The lamp hangs under the ceiling.
Игорь идёт с другом.: Igor walks with a friend.
Он стоит за дверью.: He's standing behind the door.

Prepositional:

Стол и стулья стоят в центре комнаты.: The table and the chairs are in the middle of the room.
Ваза стоит на столе.: The vase stands on the table.
Книга и вещи лежат на столе.: The book and the things are lying on the table.
Телевизор стоит на столике.: The television is on the small table.
Картина висит на стене.: The painting hangs on the wall.

Note: using the preposition "в/во" when saying you're in a place, or going to a place, works in the majority of cases; however, some places require you to use "на" instead of "в/во".

For example:

Pабóтаю в университéте.: I work at the university.

but:

Pабóтаю на факультéте (чего-нибудь).: I work at the faculty (of something).

Similarly:

Идý в бюро.: I'm going to the office.

but:

Идý на работу.: I'm going to work.

And more. There is a limited number of those, but the use of "на" over that of "в/во" is mandatory in these cases.