In Russian, as in English, prepositions of place introduce a noun that represents a static location. For example, the words in bold below are all prepositions of place:
Where are my keys? → On the table, next to the lamp.
Have you seen my wallet? → I believe I saw it by the sink.
Where is the lunch meat I left on the counter yesterday? → In the fridge, behind the lunch container.
If you want to explain where things are in Russian, you need to know prepositions of place and how to use them properly, which includes case! Let’s dive right in!
What are the prepositions of place in Russian?
The prepositions of place in Russian are summarized in the table below:
| Preposition | Translation | Case of following noun |
|---|---|---|
в transcribed v | in, inside | prepositional |
на transcribed na | on, on top of | prepositional |
у transcribed oo | by, next to, near | genitive |
около transcribed Okala | by, next to, near | genitive |
возле transcribed VOZlye | by, next to, near | genitive |
вдоль transcribed vdol | along | genitive |
поперёк transcribed papiRYOK | across | genitive |
вокруг transcribed vaKROOK | around | genitive |
далеко от transcribed daliKO at | far from | genitive |
недалеко/близко от transcribed nidaliKO/BLEESka at | not far from | genitive |
слева/справа от transcribed SLYEva/SPRAva at | left/right of | genitive |
напротив transcribed naPROtif | opposite, across from | genitive |
перед transcribed PYErit | in front of | instrumental |
за transcribed za | behind | instrumental |
над transcribed nat | above, over | instrumental |
под transcribed pat | under | instrumental |
между transcribed MYEZHdoo | between | instrumental |
рядом с transcribed RYAdam s | next to, near | instrumental |
по transcribed pa | along, down, around | dative |
Now let’s go through some examples of how to use each one, and compare their use in Russian to English!
How to say “in” and “on” in Russian?
In Russian, в transcribed v means “in” or “inside” while на transcribed na means “on” or “on top of.” Both prepositions are followed by the prepositional case.
| в transcribed vmeaning in + prepositional | на transcribed nameaning on + prepositional |
|---|---|
 |  |
Here are a few examples:
It is not always a straightforward, one-to-one translation though! Many expressions that you say with “in” in English are said using на transcribed on in Russian, and vice versa. And sometimes we might translate either of these prepositions using the word “at” instead. For example:
To learn more about when to use each one, check out our post on на vs. в in Russian!
How to say “by” or “next to” in Russian?
In Russian, there are three synonymous prepositions — у transcribed oo, около transcribed Okala, and возле transcribed VOZlye — that all mean “next to,” “near,” or “by,” though y transcribed oo implies somewhat closer proximity. All three are followed by the genitive case. It is also possible to express this concept using the phrase рядом с transcribed RYAdam s before the instrumental case.
| “by” / “beside” / “next to” / “near” | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Here is an example of how you can use the prepositions before the genitive case:
The preposition y is frequently used before the names or titles of people to imply that you are discussing their house, office, shop, etc., for example:
And here is an example of the use of рядом с:
How to say “along,” “across,” and “around” in Russian?
In Russian, the words вдоль transcribed vdol, поперёк transcribed papiRYOK, and вокруг transcribed vaKROOK, mean “along,” “across,” and “around.” All three are followed by the genitive case.
The words вдоль transcribed vdolmeaning along and поперёк transcribed papiRYOKmeaning across are opposites. Use вокруг for something parallel to a long object, and поперёк to something that is perpendicular to a long object.
| вдоль transcribed vdolmeaning along + genitive | поперёк transcribed papiRYOKmeaning across + genitive |
|---|---|
 |  |
For instance:
The preposition вокруг transcribed vaKROOKmeaning around is used when something completely surrounds an object.
| вокруг transcribed vaKROOKmeaning around + genitive |
|---|
 |
For example:
How to say “far from,” “close to,” “left of,” and “right of,” in Russian?
The Russian phrases that mean “far from,” “left of,” and “right of” all end in the preposition от transcribed atmeaning from before the genitive case. We put this preposition together with adverbs to create a range of different meanings.
далеко от transcribed daliKO atmeaning far from + genitive | близко от transcribed BLEESka atmeaning close to + genitive |
 |  |
слева от transcribed SLYEva atmeaning left of + genitive | справа от transcribed SPRAva atmeaning right of + genitive |
 |  |
For instance:
How to say “opposite” or “across from” in Russian?
The Russian preposition напротив transcribed naPROtif means “opposite” or “across from.” It should be followed by the genitive case, as well.
| напротив transcribed naPROtifmeaning opposite, across from + genitive |
|---|
 |
For example:
How to say “in front of” and “behind” and “between” in Russian?
In Russian, the words перед transcribed PYErit, за transcribed za, and между transcribed MYEZHdoo mean “in front of,” “behind,” and “between,” respectively. All three are used before nouns in the instrumental case.
перед transcribed PYEritmeaning in front of + instrumental | за transcribed zameaning behind + instrumental |
 |  |
между transcribed MYEZHdoomeaning between + instrumental | |
 | |
For example:
How to say “over” and “under” in Russian?
In Russian, the words for “over” and “under” are над transcribed natmeaning above, over and под transcribed patmeaning under. Both are used before the instrumental case.
| над transcribed natmeaning over + instrumental | под transcribed patmeaning under + instrumental |
|---|---|
 |  |
For example:
How to say “along (on)” or “around on” in Russian?
When you want to describe movement that is happening “along,” “down,” or “up” a path or “around on/in/at” a location in Russian, you’ll use the preposition по transcribed pa before the dative case.
| по transcribed pa + dative | |
|---|---|
 |  |
dative case ехать по улице Transcription: YEkhat pa OOlitse Translation: to go down the street подниматься по лестнице Transcription: padniMAtsa pa LYEsnitse Translation: to go up the stairs | dative case Гулять по лесу Transcription: gooLYAT pa LYEsoo Translation: to walk around/in the forest плыть по озеру Transcription: plyt pa Oziroo Translation: to sail on the lake Ходить по комнате Transcription: khaDEET pa KOMnatye Translation: to walk around the room Путешествовать по стране Transcription: pootiSHEstvavat pa straNYE Translation: to travel around a country |
Conclusion
In this post we have looked at cases that must be used after Russian prepositions of place, namely:
Use prepositional after в, на
Use genitive after у, около, возле, вдоль, поперёк, вокруг, от, напротив
Use instrumental after перед, за, над, под, между, рядом с
Use dative after по
To review what you’ve learned, download the Russian prepositions of place table, or our Russian prepositions of place activities using the links below. Happy learning!
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