If you want to learn Russian or already learning it, you should know that there are six cases in the Russian language. Prepositional by a lot of the Russian teachers is claimed to be one of the easiest cases. The reason for this suggestion lies in the name of it – it is used only after certain prepositions. In this article, we are going to talk about the history of the Prepositional case, its prepositions, and its usage.
Why “Prepositional”? Which prepositions are used?
The name of the case, Prepositional or Предло́жный паде́ж in Russian, is said to be invented by the famous Russian scholar, Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, founder of the best Russian university – Moscow State University. Maybe you know from teachers in your Russian school that a long time ago there were more cases in the Russian language. Six modern Russian cases “swallowed” the meanings of the rest, so the modern Prepositional case unites two ancient cases: Locative case (Ме́стный), which indicated a location, and Skazatelnyy case (Ска́зательный) that was used to refer to an object of speech.
Three main prepositions are used with the Prepositional case: ‘в’, ‘на’, and ‘о’. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
‘В’ or ‘во’ depending on the context means ‘in’ or ‘at’.
For example,
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I live in Moscow.
– Сейча́с я в шко́ле.
Now I am at school.
Во is used with words that start with double consonants.
– Я роди́лся во Владивосто́ке.
I was born in Vladivostok.
The next preposition, ‘на’, means ‘on’, ‘in’ or ‘at’:
– Кот сиди́т на столе́.
Cat is sitting on the table.
– На уро́ке мы изуча́ли Предло́жный паде́ж.
We were learning the Prepositional case at the lesson.
– Я была́ на кани́кулах на Мальди́вах.
I was on vacation in the Maldives.
The last preposition we are going to talk about has three forms: ‘о’, ‘об’, ‘о́бо’. All of them mean ‘about’. ‘Об’ is used with words that start with a vowel, ‘о́бо’ – with the ones that start with double consonants.
For example:
– Я ду́маю о тебе́.
I am thinking about you.
– Я мечта́ю об автомоби́ле.
I dream about an auto.
– Я забы́ла обо всём.
I forgot about everything.
In the next part, we are going to look at the meanings of the Russian Prepositional case.
When do we use the Prepositional case?
As we could understand from the history of the Prepositional case, it has two main functions: it helps us to talk about objects or locations. Let’s investigate each function in more detail.
1. When we talk about an object:
In general, it can be any object or person that we talk about (using the preposition ‘o’):
– Я говорю́ о Ма́ше.
I am talking about Masha.
– Мы разгова́риваем о спо́рте.
We are talking about sports.
– Они́ ду́мают о соба́ке.
They are thinking about a dog.
But there are also some groups of objects that can be united in smaller groups. These are:
– dreams:
When we talk about our dreams in Russian, we always use the verb ‘мечтать’ (‘to dream’) with the preposition ‘o’:
– Она́ мечта́ет о коте́.
She dreams about having a cat.
– transport:
With vehicles we use the verbs ‘ездить’ or ‘ездить’ (‘to drive/ride’) with the preposition ‘на’:
– Они́ е́дут на авто́бусе.
They are taking a bus.
Also, in Russian, we use Prepositional case while ‘riding’ a snowboard, ski, or other sport equipment that can be seen as ‘transport’. In this case, we use the verb ‘кататься’ – ‘to ride’:
– Мы ката́емся на скейтбо́рде.
We are riding a skateboard.
– musical instruments:
When you want to say in your Russian courses that you play guitar, you should use the verb ‘играть’ (‘to play’), preposition ‘на’ and the Prepositional case:
– Я игра́ю на скри́пке.
I play the violin.
Now let’s move on to the locative function.
2. When we talk about a place:
When you want to define a location, you should use the Prepositional case with the preposition ‘в’ or ‘на’. There can be some nuances in choosing the preposition but the general rule is: when you talk about an event or a place in an open space, you should use ‘на’, in all other cases – в. I am sure that during your Russian course or with your private Russian teacher you will go through the usage of the prepositions in more detail.
An important note – you should use the Prepositional case determining a location if you don’t talk about movement. Prepositional case is static. If you want to say that you are moving to some location, use Accusative!
The Prepositional case is often used with the verbs ‘жить’ (‘to live’) ‘быть’, ‘находиться’ (both mean ‘to be somewhere’):
– Я живу́ в го́роде.
I live in the city.
– Я была́ в музе́е.
I was at the museum.
– Музе́й нахо́дится на пло́щади.
The museum is located in the square.
Probably now you can understand why a lot of Russian language teachers believe that it is good to start with the Prepositional case, as it is very well structured. Now when you know all the theory, you should practice the grammar in your Russian school or with your teacher. Good luck!