How to Practice the Prepositional Case in Russian

The Russian language is not an easy one to master. With a whole new alphabet, plenty of different pronunciation sounds, and grammar rules that are unheard of in English, it takes a lot of commitment and practice. But if you put your mind to it and practice, you'll get there eventually! To help you take the next step on your journey toward fluency, we've put together a brief guide on how to use and practice the Russian prepositional case.

What is the Prepositional Case in Russian Grammar?

The Russian prepositional case is commonly used after the prepositions in (в), at/on (на), and about (o). It can also be used after on (По) or in the presence of/at/what (При). However, these prepositions can still be used with other Russian cases, which slightly changes their meaning. Yes, it's a bit confusing, but as a beginner, you should try to focus on the overall meaning of the prepositional case, and things will get a bit easier. The Russian prepositional case answers questions such as:

• About what?
• About who?
• Where?
• In/on what?
• In whose presence?

Remember, the genitive case in Russian shows possession, the Russian accusative case indicates the direct object, and the Russian instrumental case indicates with whom/what. Each case has it's own job, so if you can separate these, it can help you better understand when and why each one is needed.

Changes to Nouns in the Prepositional Case in Russian

As with all the Russian cases, there are changes to the noun endings in the Russian prepositional case. Each depends on gender and number, so take the time to memorize these and put them into practice. Luckily, the Russian prepositional case is commonly associated with the ending change of "e," making it a little easier to conjugate.

Some of the changes are actually similar to the noun endings in the Russian dative case, especially for feminine nouns. However, it's still important to understand the reason for the changes to gain fluency and understand the meaning of your sentences. To help you practice, download Tandem and match with a native speaker today.

For masculine nouns, the following changes occur:

• Consonants > consonant + e
• й ending > е 
• ь ending > е

For neuter nouns, the following changes occur: 

• о ending > е
• е ending > е
• ие ending > ии
• мя ending > мени

For feminine nouns, the following changes occur:

• а ending > е
• я ending > е
• ия ending > ии
• ь ending > и

Plural noun endings are also different in the Russian prepositional case. These changes only rely on the ending letter of the noun, so for masculine, neuter, and feminine plural nouns, the changes are as follows:

• Consonants > consonant + ах
• а ending > ах
• о ending > ах
• й ending > ях
• ь ending > ях
• е ending > ях
• я ending > ях

Examples of How to Use the Russian Prepositional Case

Consider some of the following examples to give you a few practical applications of the Russian prepositional case. 

• Я живу в доме. - I live in the house.
• Мы гуляем в парке. - We walk in the park.
• Она работает в офисе. - She works in the office.
• Они учатся в школе. - They study in the school.
• Кот спит на кровати. - The cat sleeps on the bed.
• Я читаю книгу на диване. - I read a book on the couch.
• Он играет в футбол на стадионе. - He plays soccer at the stadium.
• Они путешествуют в Европе. - They travel in Europe.
• Мы отдыхаем на пляже. - We relax on the beach.
• Она ждет в магазине. - She is waiting in the store.

When the Russian Prepositional Case is Used

The Russian prepositional case is most commonly associated with the prepositions в and на, but there are other instances where you'll need to apply it. To help you get comfortable using the prepositional case in Russian, consider all of the situations where you'll need it.

1. To Express Location

When you want to talk about where you live, where you're eating dinner, or where you left your phone, you'll use the Russian prepositional case. It's most commonly used to express the location of something or someone in a sentence, as demonstrated by the following examples:

• Я живу в России. - I live in Russia.
• Она сидит в кафе. - She is sitting in the cafe.
• Мой рюкзак лежит на столе. - My backpack is lying on the table.
• Они плавают в бассейне. - They are swimming in the pool.
• Кот сидит на крыше. - The cat is sitting on the roof.

2. To Talk About Transport

The Russian prepositional case is also applied when you want to talk about different manners of transport. This is usually always associated with the preposition на, but rare exceptions exist. Some examples include the following:

• Я езжу на работу на автобусе. - I go to work by bus.
• Мы приехали на море на поезде. - We arrived at the sea by train.
• Он летит в Москву на самолете. - He is flying to Moscow by plane.
• Они путешествуют по Европе на машине. - They are traveling around Europe by car.
• Она едет в школу на велосипеде. - She goes to school by bicycle.

3. To Talk About Languages

The prepositional case will be applied when speaking in Russian about other languages. For example, if you wanted to tell someone that you were reading a book "in English" or "in Chinese," you'd change the ending of the noun based on what is used with the prepositional case. Some examples include the following:

• Я говорю на русском. - I speak in Russian.
• Она читает на китайском. - She reads in Chinese.
• Они общаются на испанском. - They communicate in Spanish.
• Она интересуется французским. - She is interested in French.
• Мы разговариваем на немецком. - We converse in German.

4. To Talk About Time

The Russian prepositional case is also used when you want to talk about time. For example, if you want to say that you will see your family "on Christmas," you'll use the noun for Christmas that forms the prepositional case. You can also use this to say "during the week" or "at eight o'clock in the morning."  Some examples of this are as follows:

• Вечером я часто гуляю в парке. - In the evening, I often walk in the park.
• Я приду к тебе в воскресенье. - I will come to you on Sunday.
• Он всегда завтракает в шесть часов утра. - He always has breakfast at six o'clock in the morning.
• Мы встретимся в среду после обеда. - We will meet on Wednesday after lunch.
• В пятницу у меня будет свободное время. - On Friday, I will have free time.

5. With Certain Russian Verbs

Some verbs that indicate the object of an action will also require the use of the prepositional case in Russian. These verbs often require the preposition o, which roughly translates to "about." For example, the following verbs indicate the prepositional case:

• Думать (о) - to think (about)
• Говорить (о) - to talk (about)
• Мечтать (о) - to dream (about)
• Беспокоиться (о) - to worry (about)
• Готовиться (к) - to prepare (for)
• Находиться (на/в) - to be located (on/in)

This is a similar rule to the other cases in the Russian language, so it's important to memorize and differentiate between the types of verbs you use. Some examples of applying the prepositional case include the following:

• Я думаю о тебе. - I think about you.
• Он говорит о своих планах. - He talks about his plans.
• Мы мечтаем о путешествии. - We dream about traveling.
• Она беспокоится о своем здоровье. - She worries about her health.
• Они готовятся к экзамену. - They are preparing for the exam.

6. With The Most Difficult Russian Preposition to Master

The preposition ПРИ is always associated with the prepositional case in Russian, but it's still quite challenging for many new language learners. It's considered the most difficult proposition as there are several different ways it's translated into English (e.g., by, with, in the presence of). It might take a little practice, but you can get started with some examples of how it's applied below:

• Я чувствую себя счастливым при ней. - I feel happy around her.
• Он всегда спокоен при сложных ситуациях. - He is always calm in difficult situations.
• Мы приготовили ужин при свечах. - We prepared dinner by candlelight.
• Она показала свои навыки при собеседовании. - She demonstrated her skills during the interview.
• При мне она всегда становится робкой. - She always becomes shy around me.

How to Practice and Use the Prepositional Case When Learning Russian

As you learn Russian grammar, you'll need to master all six cases in the Russian language—including the prepositional case. While the sheer number of changes can be overwhelming, many learners find the prepositional case in Russian to be the most fun and simplest to remember (next to the nominative case).

However, you'll still need to practice applying and using it in real-world conversations. Depending on your learning type, this may include a variety of reading, listening, and grammar activities. But if you really want to work on your fluency and improve your Russian language skills, the best way to do so is to put your knowledge to practice and talk to someone!

To help you make the most out of your Russian language journey, download Tandem today. Tandem allows you to connect with native speakers and practice using the Russian prepositional case in everyday conversations. With millions of members worldwide, you can match with a Russian speaker regardless of where you are. All you need to do is create a profile, match with a native speaker of your target language, and start communicating. Sign up for Tandem today to join our community and improve your fluency.