How to use the prepositional case in Russian?

We use the prepositional case in Russian after certain prepositions, particularly if we are describing things we think or say, the place where something happened, and the time. But we also use prepositional case for other things, like to say what clothes someone is wearing, describe a means of transport, or to say someone is playing an instrument.

In this post, we’ll introduce you to the prepositional case in Russian. First, we’ll cover the forms of nouns, adjectives, and pronouns in this case, then we’ll turn to the various uses of the prepositional case in Russian. Along the way, we’ll direct you to some resources where you can learn more. Let’s have a look!

To form the prepositional case in Russian, you will generally use one of the endings listed below:

• For nouns:

  • -е / -и for singular nouns

  • -ах / -ях for plural nouns

• For adjectives:

  • -ом / -ем for singular (masculine and neuter)

  • -ой / -ей for singular (feminine)

  • -ых / -их for plural adjectives

But how do you choose which ending to use for a given noun? Let’s have a look!

As its name implies, the prepositional case is used mostly after prepositions. However, it is not used after every preposition! Let’s have a look at these different meanings and how adjectives are used with them.

• Objects of speech and thought

  The prepositional case is used after verbs like думать (transcribed DOOmat, meaning “to think”) or говорить (transcribed gavaREET, meaning “to talk”) and the preposition o (transcribed a, meaning “about”) to specify the object, for instance:

  prepositional case

  Он долго рассказывал о своей любимой домашней еде.

  Transcription: on DOLga rasKAzyval a svaYEY lyuBEEmay daMASHnyey yeDYE

  Translation: He was talking a long time about his favorite homemade food.

  To learn more about this use of the prepositional case, have a look at our post on how to use the prepositional case after “about” in Russian!

• Place

  The prepositional case is widely used to answer the question где? (transcribed gdye, meaning “where?”) in Russian with the prepositions в (transcribed v, meaning “in”) and на (transcribed na, meaning “in/at/on”), for example:

  prepositional case

  Я живу в небольшом старинном городе.

  Transcription: ya zhiVOO v nibalSHOM staREEnam GOradye

  Translation: I live in a small, ancient town.

  На узких улицах не так много машин, как на широких.

  Transcription: na OOSkikh OOlitsakh ni tak MNOga maSHEEN kak na shiROkikh

  Translation: There are not as many cars on narrow streets as there are on wide ones.

  Have a look at our post on using Russian prepositional case to discuss places to learn more!

• Time

  You need to use the prepositional case with years, months, and weeks when giving an answer to the question “when?,” and sometimes adjectives may come along as well, like in the following phrases:

  prepositional case

  в прошлом году

  Transcription: f PROSHlam gaDOO

  Translation: last year

  в дождливом октябре

  Transcription: v dazhdLEEvam aktibRYE

  Translation: in rainy October

  на следующей неделе

  Transcription: na SLYEdooshchey niDYElye

  Translation: next week

  Have a look at our post on using Russian prepositional case to discuss time to learn more!

• Musical instruments

  While you don’t need a preposition in English to say that you play an instrument, in Russian you do. We literally say, “play ON an instrument,” thus the prepositional case is required after the preposition на (transcribed na, meaning “on”).

  It’s not often that you would need an adjective there, but you might need to specify the instrument or answer the questions на каком инструменте (transcribed na kaKOM instrooMYENtye, meaning “(on) which instrument”):

  prepositional case

  Они играют на различных народных инструментах: балалайках, дудочках и ложках.

  Transcription: aNEE igRAyut na razLEECHnykh naRODnykh instrooMYENtakh balaLAYkakh DOOdachkakh i LOSHkakh

  Translation: They play (on) various folk instruments: balalaikas, reed pipes, and spoons.

• Method of transport

  To say, “by plane” or “by car” in Russian, you need the preposition на (transcribed na, meaning “by”) and the prepositional case for the means of transportation itself, for example:

  prepositional case

  Она уехала в аэропорт на жёлтом нью-йоркском такси.

  Transcription: aNA ooYEkhala v aeraPORT na ZHOLtam nyuYORKskam takSEE

  Translation: She went to the airport by a yellow New York taxi.

• Clothes

  The prepositional case is often used to provide a description of the clothes someone is wearing, normally with the preposition в (transcribed v, meaning “in”) after the verb “to be,” for example:

  prepositional case

  Он был в длинном пальто и кожаных ботинках.

  Transcription: on byl v DLEEEnam palTO i KOzhanykh baTEENkakh

  Translation: He was wearing a long coat and leather shoes.

  Literally: lit. He was in a long coat and leather shoes.

As you have seen from the post, nouns in the prepositional case can be used for a lot of different purposes. In this post we have looked at:

• How to form nouns, adjectives, and pronouns in the prepositional case — careful with the exceptions from the standard ending pattern!

• When the prepositional case is used:

  • After verbs like говорить or думать and the preposition о

  • To talk about place/location

  • To talk about time

  • To say, “play a musical instrument”

  • To talk about transport

  • To describe clothes

Ready to practice? Download the activity sheet linked below! Or, if you’d rather start studying, have a look at the downloadable ending chart for the Russian prepositional case. Happy learning!