The Russian Prepositional Case: Endings & Examples

The prepositional is the one case that never appears alone - it always follows a preposition, which is exactly why it is so predictable. It covers location ("where?") and the topic of speech ("about").

What the prepositional case does

The prepositional answers о ком? / о чём? ("about whom/what?") and где? ("where?"). It marks location after в and на - «книга на столе» ("the book is on the table"), «я живу в Москве» ("I live in Moscow") - and the topic of speech after о/об - «мы говорим о погоде» ("we are talking about the weather").

Its name says it all: it only ever exists after a preposition. There are just four: в (in), на (on / at), о/об/обо (about) and при (in the presence of / attached to). That small, fixed set makes it the easiest case to recognize.

When to use it: location vs. motion

Use the prepositional after в and на for a static location - "where?" - and after о/об for the subject you are talking or thinking about. The key contrast is with the accusative: в and на take the prepositional for location («я в школе» - I am at school) but the accusative for motion toward («я иду в школу» - I am going to school).

Use об instead of о before a vowel (об Анне), and обо in a few fixed phrases (обо мне). The preposition при means "in the presence of" or "during the time of": «при царе» (under the tsar), «при мне» (in my presence).

Prépositions qui déclenchent le Prépositionnel

в / во, на, о / об / обо, при

Prepositional singular endings

Almost everything takes -е: стол -> о столе, книга -> о книге, окно -> об окне. The exceptions take -и: feminine -ь nouns (ночь -> о ночи), nouns in -ия/-ие (армия -> об армии, здание -> о здании), and masculine -ий nouns. A small group of masculine nouns also takes a stressed -у after в/на to show location (в лесу, на полу).

Prépositionnel terminaisons (singulier)
Sexe	Tige dure	Tige molle	Remarque / exemple
Masculin	-е	-е	(о) столе, (о) коне
Féminin	-е	-е / -и	-ь nouns and -ия take -и (о ночи, об армии)
Neutre	-е	-е / -и	-ие nouns take -и (о здании)

Exemples de phrases

Книга на столе.
Kniga na stole.
The book is on the table.
Я живу в Москве.
Ya zhivu v Moskve.
I live in Moscow.
Мы говорим о погоде.
My govorim o pogode.
We are talking about the weather.
Он работает в школе.
On rabotayet v shkole.
He works at a school.
Я думаю о тебе.
Ya dumayu o tebe.
I am thinking about you.
Кот спит на диване.
Kot spit na divane.
The cat is sleeping on the sofa.
Мы были в театре.
My byli v teatre.
We were at the theater.
Расскажи о книге.
Rasskazhi o knige.
Tell me about the book.

Pratique : de quel cas s’agit-il ?

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Книга на столе.

Kniga na stole.

Why is «столе» in this case?

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FAQ

When do you use the prepositional case in Russian?

Use the prepositional after в and на for a static location (в Москве, на столе), after о/об for the topic of speech (о погоде), and after при. It never appears without one of these prepositions.

What are the prepositional endings in Russian?

Most nouns take -е (о столе, о книге, об окне). Feminine -ь nouns and nouns in -ия/-ие take -и (о ночи, об армии, о здании). A few masculine nouns take a stressed -у after в/на (в лесу).

What is the difference between в + prepositional and в + accusative?

в (and на) take the prepositional for location, answering "where?" (я в школе - I am at school), but the accusative for motion, answering "where to?" (я иду в школу - I am going to school).

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Lock in location and "about"

The prepositional is the easiest case to spot - and you will use it constantly. Daily Cyrillic drills it in real sentences with audio.

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