#48 How to Use the Prepositional Case in Russian

When you want to say things such as “I live in Moscow,” “I study at school,” or “I am talking about music” in Russian, the form of the noun indicating the place or topic changes.

For example, “in Moscow” is в Москве́, “at school” is в шко́ле, and “about music” is о му́зыке.

The case used in these expressions is the prepositional case, one of the six cases in Russian.

As its name suggests, the prepositional case is generally used together with a preposition. It appears especially often in expressions meaning “in,” “at,” or “about,” making it an essential case in everyday conversation.

In this article, I will explain what the Russian prepositional case is, from its basic endings to its main uses, with examples.

1. The Basics of the Prepositional Case

The Russian prepositional case is not used on its own. It is always used together with prepositions such as в, на, and о. This is also the origin of the name “prepositional case.”

Its main uses include expressing location and indicating the topic or object of discussion or thought.

• Я живу́ в Москве́.
  — I live in Moscow.
• Мы говори́м о рабо́те.
  — We are talking about work.

In these examples, Москва́ (Moscow) changes to the prepositional form Москве́, while рабо́та (work) changes to рабо́те.

In English, expressions such as “in Moscow” and “about work” are generally formed simply by adding a preposition, while the noun itself remains unchanged. In Russian, however, you must not only use a preposition but also change the following noun into the prepositional case.

However, a preposition does not always require the prepositional case. For example, в and на take the prepositional case when expressing location, but they take the accusative case when expressing a destination.

• Я в университе́те.
  — I am at the university. (Prepositional case)
• Я иду́ в университе́т.
  — I am going to the university. (Accusative case)

In the first sentence, университе́т changes to университе́те because the sentence expresses location. In the second sentence, университе́т is used in the accusative because it indicates a destination.

For this reason, when choosing a case in Russian, it is important not to look only at the preposition itself. You also need to consider what the sentence is expressing.

2. Basic Prepositional Case Endings

In the prepositional case, noun endings change according to gender and whether the noun is singular or plural.

In the singular, many nouns take -е, although some types take -и instead. In the plural, the basic endings are -ах / -ях.

Here, I will explain the main patterns for masculine, feminine, neuter, and plural nouns.

Masculine Nouns: Usually -е, -ий → -ии

Masculine nouns ending in a consonant generally take -е.

• стол → на столе́
  — table → on the table
• го́род → в го́роде
  — city → in the city

Masculine nouns ending in -й generally drop -й and take -е.

• музе́й → в музе́е
  — museum → in the museum

However, masculine nouns ending in -ий take -ии.

• санато́рий → в санато́рии
  — sanatorium → in the sanatorium

Feminine Nouns: -а / -я → -е, -ь → -и, -ия → -ии

For feminine nouns ending in -а / -я, the ending generally changes to -е.

• шко́ла → в шко́ле
  — school → at school
• комна́та → в комна́те
  — room → in the room

Feminine nouns ending in -ь take -и in the prepositional case.

• тетра́дь → в тетра́ди
  — notebook → in the notebook
• пло́щадь → на пло́щади
  — square → in the square

Feminine nouns ending in -ия are a special pattern and take -ии.

• Росси́я → в Росси́и
  — Russia → in Russia
• исто́рия → об исто́рии
  — history → about history

You will use Росси́я → в Росси́и very frequently when studying Russian, so I recommend learning this form early.

Neuter Nouns: -о → -е, -е → -е, -ие → -ии

Neuter nouns ending in -о generally replace -о with -е.

• окно́ → на окне́
  — window → by/on the window
• ме́сто → на ме́сте
  — place → in that place

Many neuter nouns ending in -е do not change in form in the prepositional case.

• мо́ре → на мо́ре
  — sea → at the sea
• по́ле → в по́ле
  — field → in the field

However, neuter nouns ending in -ие take -ии.

• общежи́тие → в общежи́тии
  — dormitory → in the dormitory
• зда́ние → в зда́нии
  — building → in the building

Plural Nouns: -ах / -ях

In the plural, gender is no longer relevant. The prepositional case generally takes -ах / -ях.

• го́роды → в города́х
  — cities → in the cities
• шко́лы → в шко́лах
  — schools → in the schools
• музе́и → в музе́ях
  — museums → in the museums

Although singular nouns change differently depending on gender and ending, the plural pattern is comparatively easy to remember because -ах / -ях is the basic form.

3. Some Masculine Nouns Have a Second Prepositional Form

Some masculine nouns in Russian have a special form used for location in addition to the regular prepositional case. This form is commonly called the second prepositional case or locative case.

Normally, masculine nouns ending in a consonant take -е in the prepositional case.

• го́род → в го́роде
  — city → in the city
• университе́т → в университе́те
  — university → at the university

However, some masculine nouns take -у́ / -ю́ instead of the regular -е when used with в or на to express a concrete location.

For example, лес (forest) changes as follows:

• лес → в лесу́
  — forest → in the forest
• Мы гуля́ем в лесу́.
  — We are walking in the forest.

The noun бе́рег (shore, bank) also has this form:

• бе́рег → на берегу́
  — shore → on the shore
• Они́ отдыха́ют на берегу́ мо́ря.
  — They are relaxing on the seashore.

Other common examples include:

• сад → в саду́
  — garden → in the garden
• угол → в углу́
  — corner → in the corner
• шкаф → в шкафу́
  — cupboard → in the cupboard
• аэропо́рт → в аэропорту́
  — airport → at the airport

With these -у́ / -ю́ forms, the stress is often placed on the ending, so the stress pattern may differ from that of the regular prepositional form.

The most important point about the second prepositional case is that it is mainly used for location.

For example, when лес refers to a location, you use:

• в лесу́
  — in the forest

However, when you mean “about the forest,” you use the regular prepositional form:

• о ле́се
  — about the forest

In other words, the same noun can take different forms depending on the preposition and meaning: в лесу́ / о ле́се

The same applies to сад:

• в саду́
  — in the garden
• о са́де
  — about the garden

Not all masculine nouns have this second prepositional form. It is limited to certain nouns.

For this reason, I recommend learning it through common combinations such as в лесу́, в саду́, на берегу́, and в шкафу́.

4. Expressing Location with “в / на + Prepositional Case”

One of the main uses of the prepositional case is to express location with в and на.

When you want to say where a person or thing is located, you generally use: “в / на + prepositional case”

• Я рабо́таю в о́фисе.
  — I work in an office.
• Она́ у́чится в университе́те.
  — She studies at a university.
• Мы бы́ли на конце́рте.
  — We were at a concert.
• Он рабо́тает на заво́де.
  — He works at a factory.

The preposition в basically means “in” or “inside” and is commonly used with places such as buildings, cities, and countries.

• в до́ме
  — in the house / at home
• в Москве́
  — in Moscow
• в Росси́и
  — in Russia

The basic meaning of на is “on.” However, in actual Russian usage, it is not limited to physical surfaces. Many workplaces, events, and certain facilities conventionally take на.

• на рабо́те
  — at work
• на по́чте
  — at the post office
• на конце́рте
  — at a concert

In many cases, whether you use в or на depends on the noun.

For this reason, I recommend learning the preposition and noun together as a fixed combination, such as в шко́ле, в университе́те, and на рабо́те.

5. The Difference Between “в / на + Prepositional” and “в / на + Accusative”

The prepositions в and на can be used not only with the prepositional case but also with the accusative case.

The basic distinction is:

• в / на + prepositional case — where someone or something is
• в / на + accusative case — where someone or something is moving to

Let us look at some examples.

• Я в шко́ле.
  — I am at school. (Prepositional case)
• Я иду́ в шко́лу.
  — I am going to school. (Accusative case)

In the first sentence, the speaker is already at school, so шко́ла changes to the prepositional form шко́ле.

In the second sentence, the speaker is moving toward school, so шко́ла takes the accusative form шко́лу.

The same distinction applies with на.

• Она́ на рабо́те.
  — She is at work. (Prepositional case)
• Она́ идёт на рабо́ту.
  — She is going to work. (Accusative case)

The first sentence expresses location, so the prepositional case is used. The second expresses a destination, so the accusative case is used.

It is also important to remember that a verb involving movement does not automatically require the accusative case.

For example:

• Я гуля́ю в па́рке.
  — I am walking in the park.

The verb гуля́ть involves movement, but парк is not the destination. It is the location where the activity takes place. Therefore, парк takes the prepositional form па́рке.

By contrast:

• Я иду́ в парк.
  — I am going to the park.

Here, the park is the destination, so the accusative case is used.

In English, location and direction are often distinguished mainly by changing the preposition, as in “in the office” and “to the office.” In Russian, however, the same prepositions в and на can be used while the case of the following noun changes.

For this reason, when you see в or на, do not determine the case from the preposition alone. You should first ask whether the sentence expresses a location or a destination.

6. Expressing “About” with “о + Prepositional Case”

Another important use of the prepositional case is with о to express a topic or the object of thought, meaning “about” or “concerning.”

The preposition о works similarly to English about and is commonly used in expressions such as “talk about” and “think about.”

• Мы говори́м о му́зыке.
  — We are talking about music.
• Я ду́маю о рабо́те.
  — I am thinking about work.
• Она́ расска́зывает о Росси́и.
  — She is talking about Russia.

A noun or pronoun following о takes the prepositional case. For example:

• му́зыка → о му́зыке
  — music → about music
• рабо́та → о рабо́те
  — work → about work
• Росси́я → о Росси́и
  — Russia → about Russia

The preposition о can also appear as об or обо, depending on the following word.

In general, об is used before words beginning with a vowel to make pronunciation smoother.

• об А́нглии
  — about England
• об исто́рии
  — about history

Before certain words, обо is used.

• обо мне
  — about me
• обо всём
  — about everything

Although о / об / обо have different forms, their basic meaning is the same. I recommend first learning the basic pattern “о + prepositional case” = “about”, and then becoming familiar with when об and обо are used.

7. Summary

The prepositional case is used with prepositions mainly to express location and topics of discussion or thought.

Its main characteristics can be summarized as follows:

The prepositional case is essential for expressing basic ideas such as where someone is, where an action takes place, and what someone is talking about.

As you study it, I recommend starting with common expressions such as в шко́ле, на рабо́те, and о Росси́и, while paying particular attention to the second prepositional case and the distinction between “в / на + prepositional” and “в / на + accusative.”

Yuri Miyajima

Writer

I’m a Japanese writer with a deep interest in Russia. Through my articles, I explore a wide range of topics related to the country, including its culture, history, traditions, food, everyday life, and language.