In this lesson we will introduce the prepositional case. It will also attempt to expand your vocabulary to include a number of places.
The prepositional case is one of the easiest Russian cases to learn. It is also one of the most useful. It will allow you to expand your use of
Russian phrases to include useful phrases like “I live in Russia”. The prepositional case has no meaning of it’s own. It is simply used after certain
Russian prepositions. Afterwards we will introduce you to the Russian words for ‘to go’.
The prepositional case is used after the prepositions “в” (in), “на” (on/at), “о” (about).
Forming the prepositional case
To form the prepositional case you should take the nominative form (dictionary form) and do the following to the end of the word:
Masculine Nouns:
1. Add : “е”.
2: Some nouns (mostly single syllable) take “у” (but not after preposition “о”)
Feminine Nouns:
1. Replace “а” with “е”.
2. Replace “я” with “е”.
3. Replace “ь” with “и”.
4. Exception: Replace “ия”, it becomes “ии”
Neuter Nouns:
1. Replace “о” with “е”
2. “е” remains unchanged.
Using prepositions and the prepositional case.
As with any language, Russian prepositions can sometimes have slightly different uses and meanings than in English. Here are some tips to help you, although these aren’t precise rules.
The word “в” (in) is used to replace the English word “at”, when you are referring to enclosed spaces or buildings. (Eg. ‘at school’)
The word “на” (on/at) replaces the English word “at” when you are talking about open spaces or places that were traditionally open spaces. (Eg. ‘at work’, ‘at a station’, ‘at a concert’).
Now you can easily tell people where you live:
Где вы живёте? - Where do you live?
Я живу в Москве - I live in Moscow.
Я живу в Лондоне - I live in London.
Я живу в Петербурге - I live in St. Petersburg.
Я живу в Сибири - I live in Siberia.
As with "Лондоне" you should change the case of other cities, suburbs and places, even though they are not Russian.
You can also describe where something or someone is:
Где она? - Where is she?
на вокзале - at the station
на почте - at the post office
в саду - in the garden
в лесу - in the forest
на улице - on the street
Что на столе? - What is on the table?
На столе книга и карандаш - On the table is a book and a pencil.
Other Places
Here are some names of other useful places. (They are in dicionary form)
кино - cinema
театр - theatre
аптека - pharmacy
парк - park
стадион - stadium
школа - school
библиотека - library
кафе - cafe
площадь - square
ресторан - restaurant
банк - bank
гостиница - hotel
музей - museum
больница - hospital
Location and Direction
Sometimes, prepositions have more than one meaning, you can tell this by the case.
When answering questions asked with the word "Где" (Where is (location)), your answer will involve the prepositional case.
However, when you answer questions asked with "Куда" (Where to), you would use the accusative case.
Here are some examples for you to compare.
Куда вы идёте - Where are you going (to)? (Indicates direction)
Я иду в школу - I am going to school.
Где вы работаете? - Where do you work? (Indicates a location)
Я работаю в школе - I work at (in) a school.
Here are some useful words and phrases for finding your way around Russia.
прямо - Straight ahead.
налево - To the left.
направо - To the right.
прямо потом направо - Straight ahead then to the right.
Going Places in Russian
In Russian there are two words that can be used to express “I am going”. The first indicates you are going on foot, the second indicates that you are going by some form of transport. Both these words are verbs of motion, and are grammatically quite complex, but as these words are so important for basic Russian, we will introduce them now in a simple way. A more detailed lesson on verbs of motion will follow at a later stage
Each of these 2 verbs (and all verbs of motion) come in pairs. The first indicates ‘to go in one direction’, the second indicates ‘to go in more than one direction’ or to ‘go somewhere repetitively’. You will notice from the examples that this often relates to when you use 'going' or 'go' in English. So to express ‘to go’ in Russian, there are actually four ways:
Идти - To go on foot, in one direction.
(Я иду, Ты идёшь, Он идёт, Мы идём, Вы идёте, Они идут)
Я иду в школу - I am going to school.
Я иду в кино - I am going to the cinema.
Ты идёшь в кино? - Are you going to the cinema?
Он идёт в гостиницу - He is going to the hotel.
Мы идём в кафе - We are going to the cafe.
я иду в университет - I am going to the university
Ходить - To go on foot, in more than one direction, or repetitively.
(Я хожу, Ты ходишь, Он ходит, Мы ходим, Вы ходите, Они ходят )
Я хожу в школу - I go to school.
Я часто хожу в кино - I often go to the cinema
Мы ходим в кафе каждый день - We go to the cafe every day.
Ехать - To go by transport, in one direction.
(Я еду, Ты едешь, Он едет, Мы едем, Вы едете, Они едут )
Я еду в школу - I am going to school. (by transport)
Я еду в кино на метро - I am going to the cinema on the metro.
Он едет в гостиницу на такси - He is going to the hotel by taxi.
Мы едем в кафе - We are going to the cafe. (by transport)
Он едет в Лондон - He is going to London
Ездить - To go by transport, in more than one direction, or repetitively
(Я езжу, Ты ездишь , Он ездит , Мы ездим, Вы ездите, Они ездят)
Он часто ездит в Лондон - He often goes to London
Я езжу в театр каждый день - I go to the theatre every day.
Они часто ездят в Амстердам - They often go to Amsterdam
Conclusion
You should now be comfortable using the prepositional case. Combined with the your knowledge from the previous lessons, you should
be a little more confortable expressing yourself in Russian. If you have reached this point in the lessons, then you now know
a number of basic phrases and concepts that will help you get by in Russia. You may not yet sound like a native Russian speaker, but you
will definitely be in a better position to make yourself understood by others. The people you meet on your travels in Russian will no doubt
appreciate that you have made an attempt to learn Russian. In future lessons we will continue to introduce more vocabulary and grammar concepts.
Be sure to learn the different words for ‘to go’ as these are fundamental to using Russian effectively.
Vocabulary
Exercises
Home
