In Russian, we use words like для transcribed dlyameaning for, на transcribed nameaning for, чтобы transcribed SHTObymeaning in order to to introduce a word or phrase that describes the purpose or goal of an action.
A preposition of purpose + a noun phrase
preposition of purposenoun phraseОн копит на новую машину.Transcription: on KOpit na NOvooyu maSHEEnooTranslation: He’s saving up for a new car.A conjunction of purpose + a clause
conjunction of purposeclauseМы взяли кредит, чтобы сын мог учиться.Transcription: my VZYAli kriDEET SHTOby / dlya taVO SHTOby / shtop syn mok ooCHEEtsa.Translation: We took out a loan so that our son could study.
In this post we’ll focus primarily on Russian prepositions of purpose – which ones exist and how to use them, but we’ll give you a brief introduction to conjunctions of purpose as well, and direct you to further resources.
Ready to learn more? Let’s have a look!
What are prepositions of purpose in Russian?
In Russian, prepositions of purpose are words that introduce a noun or noun phrase that represents the purpose or goal of someone’s action.
The most common preposition of purpose in Russian is для transcribed dlyameaning for, which is generally followed by the genitive case.
However, there are others as well, and depending on which preposition you use, the noun may be in the genitive case, the accusative case, the dative case, or the instrumental case. Let’s go through some of the most common Russian prepositions of purpose.
Russian prepositions of purpose followed by genitive
The following Russian prepositions of purpose are followed by the genitive case.
| Genitive prepositions of purpose | |
|---|---|
для Transcription: dlya Translation: for | Мне нужно больше времени для моего хобби. Transcription: mnye NOOZHna BOLshe VRYEmini dlya maiVO KHObi Translation: I would like to have more time for my hobby. |
ради Transcription: RAdi Translation: for the sake of, for the love of | На что вы готовы ради достижения поставленных целей? Transcription: na shto vy gaTOvy RAdi dastiZHEniya paSTAVlinykh TSElyey Translation: What are you ready to do for the sake of achieving your goals? |
от Transcription: at Translation: from, of, against, for | Купи, пожалуйста, какое-нибудь лекарство от головы. Transcription: kooPEE paZHAlsta kaKOye-niBOOT liKArstva at galaVY Translation: Buy some headache medicine, please. Literally: Buy some medicine for/against the head, please. |
в интересах Transcription: v yntiRYEsakh Translation: in the interests of, in favor of, for the benefit of | Некоторые ученые в интересах науки ставили эксперименты на самих себе. Transcription: NYEkataryie ooCHOnyie v yntiRYEsakh naOOki STAvili ikspiriMYENty na saMIKH siBYE Translation: Some scientists conducted experiments on themselves for the benefit of science. |
во имя Transcription: va EEmya Translation: in the name of | Многие сражались во имя свободы. Transcription: MNOgiye sraZHAlis va EEmya svaBOdy Translation: Many were fighting in the name of liberty. |
во благо / на благо Transcription: va BLAga / na BLAga Translation: for the benefit of на благоis more frequently used | Этот фонд долго работал на благо общества. Transcription: Etat fond DOLga raBOtal na BLAga OPshchistva Translation: This foundation was long working for the benefit of society. |
с целью / в целях Transcription: s TSELyu / f TSElyakh Translation: with the purpose of с целью is more frequently used | Многие переезжают в столицу с целью заработка. Transcription: MNOgiye piriiZHAyut f staLEEtsoo s TSELyu ZArabatka Translation: Many move to the capital with the purpose of earning some money. |
в пользу Transcription: f POLzoo Translation: in favor of, in support of | В итоге они сделали выбор в пользу жизни за городом. Transcription: v yTOgye aNEE ZDYElali VYbar f POLzoo ZHEEZni ZA garadam Translation: Eventually they made a choice in favor of life in the country. |
Here are a few notes about the prepositions above.
Для is the most common preposition of purpose in Russian.
Ради often implies some sort of sacrifice. It is also used in popular phrases:
Ради БогаTranscription: RAdi BOgaTranslation: for God’s sake / pleaseХриста радиTranscription: khriSTA RAdiTranslation: for Christ’s sake / pleaseОт is used when the purpose of something is to counteract the noun that follows it, so something is working against something else. This is mostly used to describe the purpose of a substances like medicines or creams. For example:
сироп от кашляTranscription: siROP at KASHlyaTranslation: cough syrupLiterally: syrup for/against a coughкрем от морщинTranscription: kryem at marSHCHEENTranslation: wrinkle creamLiterally: cream for/against wrinklesNotice that the most natural translation into English often doesn’t use any preposition at all!
Russian prepositions of purpose followed by the accusative
Only two prepositions of purpose in Russian are followed by the accusative case: на transcribed na and за transcribed za.
The preposition на transcribed na is a bit more general, being used to describe the purpose of a variety of nouns and verbs:
accusative caseМы, наконец, получили разрешение на строительство дома.Transcription: my nakaNYETS palooCHEEli razriSHEniye na straEEtilstva DOmaTranslation: We finally got the permission to build (lit. for building) the house.Вот заявление на отпуск.Transcription: vot zaivLYEniye na OTpooskTranslation: Here is my vacation request letter.Literally: Here is my application for vacation.Он копит на новую машину.Transcription: on KOpit na NOvooyu maSHEEnooTranslation: He’s saving up for a new car.The combination за transcribed za + accusative is more restricted. It can only be used to introduce the goal or purpose of a fight, as in the examples below.
"fight"accusative caseЗавтра состоится бой за звание чемпиона мира.Transcription: ZAFTra sastaEEtsa boy za ZVAniye chempiOna MEEraTranslation: Tomorrow there is a World Champion title match.Literally: Tomorrow there is a fight for the title of World Champion.“Они сражались за Родину”Transcription: aNEE sraZHAlis za ROdinooTranslation: “They were fighting for the Motherland”This is the title of a famous USSR film about WWII.Here are the main the nouns and verbs whose purpose can be described with за transcribed za + accusative. They all mean “fight” or “a fight.”
Verbs Nouns боротьсяTranscription: baROtsaборьбаTranscription: barBAбитьсяTranscription: BEEtsaбитва / бойTranscription: BEETva / boyсражатьсяTranscription: sraZHAtsaсражениеTranscription: sraZHEniyeдратьсяTranscription: DRAtsaдракаTranscription: DRAkaконкурироватьTranscription: kankooREEravatTranslation: to compete in commerceконкуренцияTranscription: kankooRYENtsiyaTranslation: commercial competition
Russian prepositions of purpose followed by dative
The preposition к transcribed k followed by the dative case refers to a goal of an action, for example:
Russian prepositions of purpose followed by the instrumental
The Russian preposition of purpose за transcribed zameaning for can sometimes be followed by the instrumental case. Though we saw above that за transcribed za + accusative is used to describe the purpose of a fight, за transcribed za + instrumental is used to introduce a person or object that needs to be obtained, gained, or delivered. For example:
Conjunctions to express purpose
Another common way to talk about a purpose in Russian is with the use of the conjunction чтобы transcribed SHTObymeaning so that; in order to + a clause.
For example:
Я позвонил тебе вчера, ... Transcription: ya pazvaNEEL tiBYE fchiRA Translation: I called you yesterday… | + | infinitive …чтобы всё рассказать. Transcription: SHTOby fsyo raskaZAT Translation: …in order to tell you everything. |
Я звоню тебе сейчас, ... Transcription: ya zvaNYU tiBYE siCHAS Translation: I am calling you now… | past tense (subjunctive) …чтобы ты рассказал мне о своей новой работе. Transcription: SHTOby ty raskaZAL mnye a savYEY NOvay raBOtye Translation: …so that you (could) tell me about your new job. | |
Я позвоню тебе завтра, ... Transcription: ya pazvaNYU tiBYE ZAftra Translation: I will call you tomorrow… |
Apart from чтобы, there are other conjunctions of purpose, meaning “so that / in order to”:
чтоб transcribed shtop (colloquial form of чтобы)
для того, чтобы transcribed dlya taVO SHTOby
ради того, чтобы transcribed RAdi taVO SHTOby
с тем, чтобы transcribed s tyem SHTOby
затем, чтобы transcribed zaTYEM SHTOby
лишь бы transcribed leesh by
только бы transcribed TOLka by
The grammar after them is the same as after чтобы. To learn more about these, you can check out our post on conjunctions of reason, purpose, result, and concession in Russian!
Conclusion
We have looked at different prepositions and conjunctions of purpose and the grammar used around them.
Use genitive after для, ради, в целях and a number of other prepositions of purpose.
Use accusative after на and за meaning purpose.
Use dative after к and instrumental after за.
Use infinitive or subjunctive form of verbs in clauses of purpose after чтобы.
Now, download the exercises below to practice what you’ve learned! Or keep learning more about expressing purpose in Russian from our post on conjunctions of purpose!
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