Mastering Russian Prepositions that Take the Accusative

In this post we’ll look at Russian prepositions that take the accusative, that is, prepositions that take objects in the accusative case. We’ll see that these prepositions often involve movement toward, but that is only a rough rule of thumb. First, we’ll start with a list of the most common Russian prepositions that take the accusative. Then we’ll take a closer look at each one, giving a range of meanings and several examples.

List of Common Russian Prepositions That Take the Accusative

These are the most frequently used prepositions that take the accusative case. Keep in mind that prepositions are very difficult to translate, because they’re often used very differently across languages. So take each translation as more of a general idea that a literal word-for-word translation.

• в(о) (into, to)
• на (onto, to)
• за (behind, beyond, for)
• через (through, across, in [time])
• под (under – motion)
• о/об/обо (about, against)
• про (about [colloquial])
• сквозь (through, across)

Now let’s dive into each one.

в — into, to

The preposition в (into, to) is used with the accusative when motion is involved (going into a place). If location is meant, в takes the prepositional. Notice that в becomes во to aid pronunciation, for example if the object begins with в or ф.

• Я иду в школу.
  I am going/walking to school.
• Он положил книгу в сумку.
  He put the book into the bag.
• Мы поехали в Москву.
  We went to Moscow.
• Дети прыгнули в воду.
  The children jumped into the water.
• Я еду во Францию.
  I’m going to France.

на — onto, to

The preposition на also expresses direction or motion toward a surface or event. Again, if на expresses static location, it triggers the prepositional rather than accusative case. But here we’ll focus on the movement cases.

• Мы едем на дачу.
  We are going to the dacha.
• Он положил чашку на стол.
  He put the cup on the table.
• Я иду на концерт.
  I’m going to a concert.
• Она вышла на улицу.
  She went out onto the street.

за — behind, beyond, for

The preposition за usually expresses beyond, behind, or around, meaning to and then beyond a certain limit. It takes the accusative when used with motion verbs, although if it refers to static location it will take the instrumental.

• Он зашёл за угол.
  He went around the corner.
• Машина уехала за город.
  The car went out of/beyond the city.
• Птица улетела за море.
  The bird flew overseas/beyond the sea.
• Она вышла за дверь.
  She went over/through the door.

через — through, over, in

The preposition через has both spatial and temporal meanings. Spatially, it usually expresses through or over. Temporally, it means in (a period of time.)

• Мы прошли через парк.
  We walked through the park.
• Дорога идёт через лес.
  The road goes through the forest.
• Он прыгнул через забор.
  He jumped over the fence
• Я уеду через неделю.
  I will leave in a week.

под — under

The preposition под takes an accusative object when it describes motion toward a position under something.

• Кошка прыгнула под стол.
  The cat jumped under the table.
• Он встал под дерево.
  He (went and) stood under a tree.
• Мы спрятались под мост.
  We (went and) hid under the bridge.
• Мышь побежала под бревно.
  The mouse ran under a log.

о / об / обо — against (impact)

The preposition о and its alternate forms об / обо mean against when they’re used with verbs that mean bumping, hitting, or crashing against something. Use о before most consonants. Use об before vowels, and use обо before consonant clusters beginning with м or в.

• Я ударился о дверь.
  I bumped into the door.
• Он стукнулся о стену.
  He hit the wall.
• Мяч ударился о потолок.
  The ball hit against/into the ceiling.
• Ты ударился обо меня!
  You bumbed into me!

про — about (colloquial)

The preposition про is used in informal and colloquial speech to mean about. In more formal or written contexts, the preposition о (об / обо) is used with the prepositional case to mean about.

• Я читал книгу про космос.
  I read a book about space.
• Он рассказал историю про деда.
  He told a story about his grandfather.
• Мы говорили про отпуск.
  We talked about the vacation.
• Я думаю про книгу.
  I’m thinking about the book.

сквозь — through (emphasizing penetration)

The preposition сквозь means through, but it is more literary or formal than через. It is often used with physical barriers and stresses penetration.

• Свет пробивался сквозь туман.
  The light shone through the fog.
• Он прошёл сквозь толпу.
  He walked through the crowd.
• Вода текла сквозь трещину.
  Water flowed through the crack.

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