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GrammatikPräpositiv

Alles über den Russischen Präpositiv.

Präpositiv

Hinweis: Die Grammatikartikel sind noch neu und wir arbeiten teilweise noch daran. Zurzeit sind sie nur auf Englisch verfügbar, in circa zwei Monaten dann aber auch in Deutsch.

In Russian, the Prepositional Case (предло́жный паде́ж) is unique because it can only be used with a preposition. While it is most famous for indicating location, answering the question где? (where?), many common verbs demand this case to express what/who someone is thinking or talking about.

When to use Prepositional

Here is the overview on when to use the Prepositional case:

ContextExample
Location (Where?)
в, на - in, on		 - I live in London.
- The book is on the table.
About Someone or Something
о / об / обо - about		 - We are talking about the movie.
Time (Months and Years) - in January
Verbs with fixed prepositions - I play the guitar.
In the presence/time of
при - at/under		 - under Peter the Great
After/upon (rare, formal)
по - upon		 - Upon arrival

1. Location (Where?)

The most common use is to indicate a location. When you are at or in a place, you use the prepositional case with в or на. Choosing between the two is not always obvious - see article в vs на for the full rules.

Preposition: в - in

Used for enclosed spaces, cities, and countries.

  • - I live in London.
  • - I am in the room.
  • - The kid is in the car.

Preposition: на - on/at

Used for surfaces, open spaces, events (concerts, lessons) and specific buildings like на по́чте (at the post office) or на вокза́ле (at the station).

  • - The book is on the table.
  • - I am at work.
  • - Mom is in the kitchen.
  • - We are at a concert.

Note that в and на are "dual-case" prepositions. They use the Accusative if there is movement (куда́? where to?) and the Prepositional if there is no movement (где? where at?).
Я иду́ в парк. - I am going to the park. (Accusative: movement into the park)
Я гуля́ю в па́рке. - I am walking in the park. (Prepositional: location in the park)

Some verbs describe where someone lives, works, studies or spends time, so they naturally appear with в or на + Prepositional:

VerbExample
жить / пожи́ть
to live
I live in Moscow.
рабо́тать / порабо́тать
to work
He works in the office / on the post.
учи́ться / вы́учиться
to study
She studies at the university.
находи́ться / найти́сь
to be located
The museum is on this street.
гуля́ть / погуля́ть
to walk/stroll
We are walking in the park.

2. About Something or Someone

Use this case when expressing the topic of a thought, speech, or piece of media.

О / ОБ / ОБО - About

О is used before most consonants: - about the movie.

Depending on the context, the word о is written as об or обо instead:

  • об is used before vowels: - about history.
  • обо is used before certain clusters or "me": - about me, - about everything.

These verbs of thinking, speaking and remembering take о + Prepositional to name their topic:

VerbExample
ду́мать / поду́мать
to think
I'm thinking about you.
говори́ть / сказа́ть
to speak/talk
We are talking about the weather.
мечта́ть / помечта́ть
to dream
He dreams about a car.
расска́зывать / рассказа́ть
to tell/narrate
She is telling about work.
вспомина́ть / вспо́мнить
to recall
I often recall [the] summer.
спра́шивать / спроси́ть
to ask
They are asking about prices.
узнава́ть / узна́ть
to find out
We found out about this yesterday.

3. Verbs with fixed prepositions

Some verbs combine with a fixed preposition and use the Prepositional case in ways that don't translate directly as "location" or "about."

  • игра́ть на - To play a musical instrument
    • - I play the guitar.
  • е́здить на - To travel by a specific mode of transport
    • - We are going by train.
  • нужда́ться в - To be in need of
    • - They need help.
  • сомнева́ться в - To doubt
    • - I doubt this.

4. при - In the time/presence of

The preposition при is strictly Prepositional. It implies being "near" or "under the conditions of."

  • Proximity: - a school at/attached to the embassy
  • Circumstance: - while walking
  • Historical: - under Peter the Great

5. (rare) по - After/Upon

The preposition по is one of the most versatile in Russian and usually uses the Dative case (e.g., walking along the street).

In formal or literary Russian, по + Prepositional means that one event happens immediately after another. It often carries a sense of "upon completion of."

  • - Upon arrival
  • - Upon graduation/finishing
  • - Upon return

In casual speech, most Russians will just say по́сле (after) + Genitive. You will mostly see this version in official documents, literature, or formal announcements.

Prepositional endings with -у (Locative)

Usually, masculine nouns in the Prepositional case end in -е (e.g., в па́рке). However, a specific group of common masculine nouns uses a stressed -у (or -ю) ending when used with в or на to indicate location.

Important Rule:

This -у ending only happens when you are talking about where something is (location). If you use the preposition о (about), the ending reverts to the standard -е.

Location: - in the cupboard

About: - about the cupboard

This is actually a "ghost" of an old Slavic case (the Locative) that merged with the Prepositional case but kept its unique ending for these specific, frequently used words.

Common masculine nouns with -у Ending

аэропо́рт
Airport
in the airport
шкаф
Cupboard/Closet
in the cupboard
сад
Garden
in the garden
лес
Forest
in the forest
мост
Bridge
on the bridge
бе́рег
Shore/Bank
on the shore
пол
Floor
on the floor
у́гол
Corner
in the corner
Крым
Crimea
in Crimea
год
Year		в ... году́, e.g.
in ... year (e.g., in this year)
ряд
Row
in the row
бой
Battle/Fight
in the battle

Notable phrases to remember

  • - Last year
  • - This year
  • - On the edge
  • - On board (a ship or plane)

Prepositional Case - Declension Overview

Quick reference for nouns full rules and tables

NounPrepositional SingularPrepositional Plural
Masculine-е / -и*
стол → столе́
ге́ний → ге́нии		-ах / -ях
столы́ → стола́х
учителя́ → учителя́х
Feminine-е / -и*
кни́га → кни́ге
ночь → но́чи
-ах / -ях
кни́ги → кни́гах
но́чи → ноча́х
Neuter-е / -и*
окно́ → окне́
зда́ние → зда́нии
-ах / -ях
о́кна → о́кнах
моря́ → моря́х
  • The -и Exception: In the singular, most nouns end in -е. However, three specific groups use -и: Feminine nouns ending in -ь (like ночь → но́чи). Nouns ending in -ия (like Росси́я → Росси́и). Nouns ending in -ие or -ий (like зда́ние → зда́нии or ге́ний → ге́нии).

The Locative -у: Some masculine nouns use -у́ when indicating location (e.g., в шкафу́, в лесу́, на мосту́).

Plural Simplicity: Just like Dative (-ам/-ям) and Instrumental (-ами/-ями), the Prepositional plural is very regular with -ах/-ях.

Quick reference for adjectives full rules and tables

Adjective TypePrepositional SingularPrepositional Plural
Masculine-ом / -ем
но́вый → но́вом
си́ний → си́нем		-ых / -их
но́вые → но́вых
си́ние → си́них
Feminine-ой / -ей
но́вая → но́вой
си́няя → си́ней
-ых / -их
но́вые → но́вых
си́ние → си́них
Neuter-ом / -ем
но́вое → но́вом
си́нее → си́нем
-ых / -их
но́вые → но́вых
си́ние → си́них

The -ом / -ем Trap: A common mistake for students is confusing the Prepositional Adjective ending -ом with the Instrumental Noun ending -ом. С но́вым столо́м - With a new table О но́вом столе́ - About a new table

Feminine Consistency: For Feminine adjectives, the Genitive, Dative, Instrumental, and Prepositional cases all share the same endings (-ой / -ей).

Plural: Again, the plural ending -ых / -их is universal across all three genders.

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