< Vocabulary 13—Prepositions
< Vocabulary 13—Prepositions
When you are just starting to speak Russian you can memorize rules about which preposition to use when, but there is no substitute for a deep understanding of the core meaning of each preposition. Such a deep understanding will allow you to both make and to understand innovative uses of prepositional phrases.
In the chart below we explain what a preposition says about the relationship between its object (the word which comes after it) and the action which the verb represents. This is explained for literal objects. In the examples you will see abstract and figurative meanings derived from the literal meaning. In many cases the “action” is simply being. When we refer to things as “solid bodies” and “surfaces” we mean that that is how the narrator has chosen to view them. They may in fact have interior spaces which are irrelevant in the given context.
The most commonly used prepositions have been marked with an asterisk (*).
| Preposition | Case | Object of Preposition Describes | Examples |
| без/безо* | gen. | a thing which is missing |
чай без молока—tea without milk без суда и следствия—without trial or investigation |
| близ | gen. | landmark not far from which the action takes place | близ Рима—not far from Rome |
| в/во* | acc. | enclosed space into which the action goes |
войти в дом—to enter the house упасть в воду—to fall into the water попасть в беду—to get into peril or adversity |
| prep. | enclosed space to which the action is confined |
сидеть в доме—to be sitting in the house быть в затруднении—to be in a difficult situation |
|
| nom. pl. | a role which the subject of the sentence may play (rare usage) |
идти в гости—to go as guest(s) кандидат в президенты—candidate for president |
|
| вдоль | gen. | long body along which the action takes place | вдоль реки—alongside the river |
| вместо | gen. | person or thing for which a substitution is made | карандаш вместо ручки—a pencil instead of a pen |
| вне | gen. | enclosed space outside of which the action takes place | вне всякого сомнения—beyond all doubt |
| внутри | gen. | enclosed space inside of which the action takes place |
внутри страны—inside the country внутри тела—inside the body |
| возле | gen. | person or thing near which the action takes place | возле меня—next to me |
| вокруг | gen. | solid body around which the action revolves |
тропинка вокруг озера—the path around the lake всё вокруг побелело—everything turned white |
| вопреки | dat. | a thing defied or ignored | вопреки моей воли—against my will |
| для* | gen. | person or thing to which an offering or contribution is brought | подарок для Вас—a gift for you |
| до* | gen. | final point reached by the action |
до начала—before the start слух дошёл до меня—the rumor reached me |
| за* | acc. | solid body which the action moves behind |
зайти за дом—to go behind the house сесть за стол—to sit down at the table |
| inst. | solid body behind which the action takes place |
сидеть за столом—to be sitting at table за дверью—behind the door за скромной улыбкой—behind the modest smile |
|
| nom. | category to which the subject of the sentence belongs |
Кто он за отец?—What is he like as a father? Что это за компьютер?—What is this computer like? |
|
| из* | gen. | enclosed space which the action leaves |
высыпать из банки—to pour out of a can из внешнего мира—from the world outside |
| из-за | gen. | solid body from behind which the action comes |
из-за сарая—out from behind the shed из-за помех—through the static |
| из-под | gen. | surface or solid body from under which the action comes |
из-под стола—from under the table отпустить из-под стражи—release from arrest |
| к* | dat. | solid body toward which action moves |
Я иду к врачу.—I am going to the doctor. к моему удивлению—to my astonishment |
| кроме | gen. | person, thing, or event which is an exception | кроме меня—except for me |
| между | inst. or rarely acc. | the things among or between which the action takes place |
между пальцами—between (or among) the fingers между войнами—between the wars |
| мимо | gen. | solid body which the action narrowly avoids striking |
стерла пролетела мимо—the arrow flew close by мимо цели—missing the mark |
| на* | acc. | surface onto which the action moves |
поставить на стол—to put onto the table выставить на продажу—to put up for sale |
| prep. | surface to which the action is confined |
работать на крыше—to work on the roof на этой наделе—during this week |
|
| над/надо | inst. | surface or solid body over which the action takes place or movement to such a position |
над головой—overhead суд над Гиммлером—the trial of Himmler |
| о/об/обо* | prep. | the subject matter of a narrative | говорить о Библии—to talk about the Bible |
| acc. | solid body up against the side of which the action takes place | упираться о стену—to lean against the wall |
|
| около | gen. | solid body in the general vicinity of which the action takes place | около шести—at about six o'clock |
| от/ото* | gen. | solid body away from which action moves |
Я пришёл от матери.—I have come from mother. ручка от двери—handle from the door письмо от Давида—a letter from David |
| по* | dat. | surface or space along which the action takes place |
по краю—along the edge ходить по магазинам—to visit various stores почему—why? |
| prep. | a concluding event which proceeds the action |
по истечении срока—at the conclusion of the period по окончании работы—when work is over |
|
| acc. | final limit of a space completely covered by the action | стоять по пояс в воде—to stand in water up to the waist |
|
| под/подо* | acc. | surface or solid body under which the action goes |
побежать под стол—to run under the table под покров ночи—into the dark of night |
| inst. | surface or solid body under which the action takes place |
под крышей—under a roof под угрозой—under threat под законом Ньютона—by Newton's law под шумом дождя—to the sound of rain |
|
| перед/передо | inst. | solid body right in front of which the action takes place or movement to such a position |
передо мной—before my face перед ужином—a little before supper |
| подле | gen. | person or thing very near which the action takes place | подле моего дома—right next to my house |
| при* | prep. | solid body in the presence of which the action takes place |
при одеяле подушка—the blanket includes a pillow при Советской власти—under Soviet rule |
| после* | gen. | event after which action takes place |
после войны—after the war после меня—after my turn |
| про | acc. | person or thing to which the action pertains |
про него много слышать—to hear a lot about him Это не про Вас.—This is not about you. читать про себя—to read to oneself |
| ради | gen. | person or thing for the sake of which the action was undertaken | ради Бога—for God's sake |
| c/со* | gen. | surface which the action leaves |
сойти с крыши—to come down from the roof съехать с дороги—to exit the road сойти с ума—to go crazy |
| inst. | companion of one of the participants |
Иди со мной.—Go with me. пирог с мороженом—pie with ice cream |
|
| acc. | object or unit of comparable size |
величиной с дом—as large as a house подождать минуту—to wait for a minute |
|
| сверх | gen. | that which is exceeded |
сила сверх обычного—power beyond what is normal сверх того—more than that, what is more |
| сквозь | acc. | obstacle which the action pierces | пробурить сквозь доску—to bore through the board |
| среди | gen. | the things between which the action takes place |
среди пальцев—between (or among) the fingers среди бела дня—in broad daylight |
| у* | gen. | solid body next to which action takes place |
У меня есть имя—I have a name. Он у меня живёт.—He lives at my house. |
| через | acc. | space through which the action moves without any important interaction with it |
идти через дорогу—to cross the road прыжок через акулу—jumping the shark |