О чём ты говоришь? What are you talking about? Introduction to the Russian Prepositional Case

In this post we’ll learn about the Russian prepositional case. The prepositional case, or the предложный падеж, is always used after prepositions, hence its name. (For an overview of Russian cases, check out this post.) First, we’ll start with an overview of the prepositional case, including uses and form. Next, we’ll look at the most common and important prepositions that are followed by the prepositional case. After that, we’ll look at some common verbs that are typically followed by prepositional case phrases. Finally, we’ll wrap up with just a few quick notes for learners.

Overview of the Russian Prepositional Case

First, let’s start with an overview of the function and form of the prepositional case.

Function

The prepositional case is one of the most common Russian noun cases. It is mainly used after certain prepositions to express:

• location or position (in, at, on)
• topic (about)

It’s pretty much only used after prepositions, little words of location like в (in, at) or на (on, at) or topic like о (about).

Form

Let’s start with an overview of the form of the Russian prepositional case. We’ll get into details in a moment. Like all Russian cases, the prepositional is marked with certain endings. The typical case endings for the prepositional case are as follows. (If you’d like more details on Russian noun declensions, check out this post.)

• Masculine: -е in the singular, –ах or –ях in the plural
• Feminine: -е or -и in the singular, –ах or –ях in the plural
• Neuter: -е or -ии in the singular, –ах or -(и)ях in the plural.

For example, when these nouns come after the preposition в (in/at), they take the prepositional case endings:

• парк > в парке (in the park)
• школа > в школе (at school)
• Россия > в России (in Russia)

Details: Strong vs. Weak Declensions

Now let’s take a more detailed look at when to use which prepositional endings. It all comes down to three things: gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), number (singular or plural), and type of ending strong or weak).

Russian nouns of all three genders may have strong or weak (also called “soft”) endings, and these determine which conjugation pattern to use. It’s fairly easy to tell which category a noun falls into just by looking at its ending:

	masculine	feminine	neuter
strong	consonants стол (table)	–а комната (room)	–о окно (window)
weak	–й/–ь музей – (museum)	–я/–ь Россия (Russia) площадь (square, plaza)	–е/-ие море (sea) здание (building)

Singular Prepositional Case Endings

In the singular, the most common prepositional case ending is -е. That’s used for all strong nouns, as well as for some weak nouns. But you’ll also see -и or -ии in a few predictable situations.

Singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
strong	–е на столе (on the table)	-е в комнате (in the room)	-е в окне (in the window)
weak	–е в музее (in the museum)	-и в России (in Russia) на площади (on the square)	–е (-ии) на море (on the sea) в здании (in the building)

Plural Prepositional Case Endings

In the plural, the strong prepositional ending is –ах, and the weak ending is –ях .

Plural	masculine	feminine	neuter
strong	–ах на столах (on the tables)	-ах в комнатах (in the rooms)	-ах в окнах (in the windows)
weak	-ях в музеях (in the museums)	-ях на площадях (in the squares/plazas	-ях на морях (on the seas) в зданиях (in the buildings)

Common Prepositions that Take the Russian Prepositional Case

Now that we’ve learned about the form and use of the prepositional case, let’s look at the most important prepositions that use it.

В (во) (in, inside, at)

The preposition в is extremely common. With the prepositional case, it expresses location in, inside, or at a place. Before в or ф, в becomes во.

• Я живу в Москве. Ты живёшь во Франции.
  I live in Moscow. You live in France.
• Она работает в банке.
  She works at a bank.
• Мы сейчас в ресторане.
  We are in a restaurant now.
• Книги лежат в комнате.
  The books are in the room.

На (on, at)

The preposition на is used for location on surfaces (on), or for location at many public places or events (at).

• Телефон лежит на столе.
  The phone is on the table.
• Он работает на заводе.
  He works at a factory.
• Мы были на концерте вчера.
  We were at the concert yesterday.
• Дети играют на улице.
  The children are playing outside/on the street.

О / Об / Обо (about)

This preposition means about or concerning. It changes form slightly depending on the sound that directly follows it. Before most consonants, it’s о. Before vowels, it’s об. and before many consonant clusters it’s обо.

• о книге (about a book)
• об истории (about history)
• обо мне (about me)

• Мы говорим о фильме.
  We are talking about the movie.
• Она думает о работе.
  She is thinking about work.
• Я читал книгу об истории России.
  I read a book about the history of Russia.
• Они спорят о политике.
  They are arguing about politics.

При (by, under, in the time of)

При is somewhat more formal and has several meanings depending on context. It can express:

• near/by/attached to/affiliated with
• under conditions or circumstances
• during/under/in historical periods (for example, under the reign of)

• При школе есть библиотека.
  There is a library attached to the school.
• Он работает при университете.
  He works at/is affiliated with the university.
• При Петре Первом Россия изменилась.
  Under Peter the Great, Russia changed.
• При хорошей погоде мы гуляем в парке.
  In good weather, we walk in the park.

По: Certain Uses with the Prepositional Case

Usually, по takes the dative case, but in some expressions, it can appear with the prepositional case, especially in older, literary, or fixed expressions. For learners, the most useful thing is simply recognizing a few common examples.

• Он специалист по истории.
  He is a specialist in history.
• Экзамен по математике был трудным.
  The math exam/exam in math was difficult.
• Книга по философии лежит на столе.
  The philosophy book/book on philosophy is on the table.
• Мы говорили по приезде.
  We spoke on/upon arrival.
  

Common Verbs Often Used with the Prepositional Case

Many verbs naturally combine with prepositions that require the prepositional case. Let’s look at a few common examples in this section.

Location Verbs

Many verbs that express a location, or verbs of actions that happen at a particular location, naturally are followed by a prepositional phrase in the prepositional case. For example, these verbs are very often followed by в or на, followed by a location:

• жить (to live)
• работать (to work)
• учиться (to study)
• быть (to be)
• сидеть (to sit)

• Она учится в университете.
  She studies at the university.
• Мы сидим на кухне.
  We are sitting in the kitchen.

Verbs of Topics or Subjects

Many common verbs that are followed by about or of in English are followed by a phrase with о:

• говорить (to speak)
• думать (to think)
• читать (to read)
• знать (to know)
• рассказывать (to tell)

• Я думаю о семье.
  I am thinking about my family.
• Он рассказывает о путешествии.
  He is talking about the trip.

Important Tips for Learners

Finally, let’s wrap up our discussion of the Russian prepositional case with a few important tips for learners.

1. Location vs. Motion

The prepositional case is used for location, not motion. Several common Russian prepositions are followed by the prepositional case when they express location, but a different case – often the accusative – when they express motion. (Think of the distinction in English between in (location) and into (motion).

• Я в школе.
  I am at school. (location: prepositional)
• Я иду в школу.
  I am going to school. (motion: accusative)
• Книга на столе.
  The book is on the table. (location: prepositional)
• Я положил(а) книгу на стол.
  I put the book on the table.  (motion: accusative)

2. Some Masculine Nouns Have Special Forms

A few common masculine nouns use irregular stressed endings like -у/-ю in certain location expressions with в (in, at) or на (on, at).

• пол (floor) > на полу́ (on the floor)
• сад (garden) > в саду́ (in the garden)
• лес (forest) > в лесу́ (in the woods)
• угол (corner) > в/на углу́ (in/on the corner)
• мост (bridge) > на мосту́ (on the bridge)
• Крым (Crimea) > в Крыму́ (in the Crimea)
• край (edge) > на краю́ (on the edge)
• год (year) > в прошлом году́ (last year)
• порт (port) > в порту́ (in port)
• аэропорт (airport) > в аэропорту́ (at the airport)

With other prepositional case prepositions, though, you’ll see regular prepositional endings.

• о саде (about the garden)
• о лесе (about the forest)

3. Fleeting Vowels

In some cases, the final vowel of the nominative form will drop out when the prepositional case ending is added.

• угол (corner) > в/на углу́ (in/on the corner)
• рот (mouth) > во рту (in the mouth)

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