Prepositional case
A1 Предложный падеж 9 / 50
In short
The prepositional case (предло́жный паде́ж) is the only case that is never used without a preposition - that is exactly why it is called “prepositional.” You need it for two everyday meanings: location (“where?”) after в / на (в Москве́, на рабо́те), and the topic (“about whom / what?”) after о / об / обо (о кни́ге, обо мне). Most nouns just take the ending -е.
The rule
1. Location - “where?” (Где?). Use в (“in, inside”) or на (“on, at”) + prepositional to say where something is:
| Вопро́с / Question | Приме́р | English |
|---|---|---|
| Где? | в Москве́ | in Moscow |
| Где? | на рабо́те | at work |
| Где? | в шко́ле | at school |
| Где? | на столе́ | on the table |
Note the contrast with movement: location uses the prepositional (Я в шко́ле - I am at school), while direction uses the accusative (Я иду́ в шко́лу - see lesson 10).
2. Topic - “about whom / what?” (О ком? О чём?). Use о (+ consonant), об (+ vowel sound), or обо (in a few fixed phrases):
| Предло́г | When | Приме́р | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| о | before a consonant | о кни́ге, о Росси́и | about a/the book, about Russia |
| об | before а, о, э, и, у, ы | об А́нне, об оши́бке | about Anna, about a mistake |
| обо | set phrases | обо мне, обо всём | about me, about everything |
3. The endings. From the dictionary (nominative) form, change the ending like this:
| Type of noun | Nominative | Ending | Prepositional |
|---|---|---|---|
| most nouns (m / f / n) | стол, кни́га, окно́ | -е | в столе́, в кни́ге, в окне́ |
| feminine in -ь | пло́щадь, ночь | -и | на пло́щади, о но́чи |
| nouns in -ия / -ие / -ий | Росси́я, зда́ние, Васи́лий | -и | в Росси́и, в зда́нии, о Васи́лии |
4. в vs на. As a rule в = “inside” and на = “on a surface,” but на is also fixed with open spaces, events, the four directions, and a small set of nouns you simply memorize: на по́чте (at the post office), на конце́рте (at the concert), на ю́ге (in the south), на рабо́те (at work).
Forms & patterns
Regular -е pattern (the default for all three genders):
| Род / Gender | Nominative | Prepositional |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | стол, го́род, музе́й | в столе́, в го́роде, в музе́е |
| feminine | кни́га, шко́ла, рабо́та | в кни́ге, в шко́ле, на рабо́те |
| neuter | окно́, мо́ре, письмо́ | в окне́, в мо́ре, в письме́ |
The -и group (feminine soft sign + the -ия/-ие/-ий words):
| Nominative | Prepositional | English |
|---|---|---|
| пло́щадь (f, -ь) | на пло́щади | in the square |
| Росси́я (-ия) | в Росси́и | in Russia |
| ле́кция (-ия) | на ле́кции | at the lecture |
| зда́ние (-ие) | в зда́нии | in the building |
Stressed -у́ masculines. A small, very common set of one-syllable masculine nouns take a stressed -у́ (only after в / на, only for location):
| Nominative | Prepositional | English |
|---|---|---|
| лес | в лесу́ | in the forest |
| сад | в саду́ | in the garden |
| пол | на полу́ | on the floor |
| год | в году́ | in (the) year |
| у́гол | на углу́ | on the corner |
| бе́рег | на берегу́ | on the shore |
(After о these same words are regular: о ле́се, о го́де.)
Personal pronouns. Third-person forms start with н- after a preposition:
| Nominative | Prepositional | English |
|---|---|---|
| я | (обо) мне | about me |
| ты | (о) тебе́ | about you |
| он / оно́ | (о) нём | about him / it |
| она́ | (о) ней | about her |
| мы | (о) нас | about us |
| вы | (о) вас | about you (pl/formal) |
| они́ | (о) них | about them |
Examples
| Русский | English |
|---|---|
| Моя́ сестра́ живёт в Москве́. | My sister lives in Moscow. |
| Сейча́с я на рабо́те, позвоню́ ве́чером. | I’m at work right now, I’ll call in the evening. |
| Кни́га лежи́т на столе́. | The book is lying on the table. |
| Де́ти игра́ют в саду́. | The children are playing in the garden. |
| Мы бы́ли на конце́рте вчера́. | We were at a concert yesterday. |
| Расскажи́ мне о Росси́и. | Tell me about Russia. |
| Он ча́сто ду́мает о ней. | He often thinks about her. |
| Не беспоко́йся обо мне. | Don’t worry about me. |
Common mistakes
- в Россие -> в Росси́и - nouns in -ия end in -и, not -е.
- о мне -> обо мне - before the pronoun мне the preposition becomes обо.
- в лесе -> в лесу́ - лес belongs to the stressed -у́ group for location.
- Я на рабо́ту (meaning “I am at work”) -> Я на рабо́те - location takes the prepositional; -у is accusative (direction).
- о Анне -> об А́нне - use об before a vowel sound.
Tips
- Default to -е; only stop and think when the word ends in -ь (f) or -ия / -ие / -ий (then it’s -и).
- Tie the case to its question word: Где? -> в / на + prepositional; О ком? О чём? -> о / об / обо + prepositional.
- Learn each на-noun as a chunk (на по́чте, на ю́ге, на конце́рте, на рабо́те) - there is no reliable rule, only a short list.
- The stressed -у́ ending only happens for location after в/на; the same nouns are regular after о (в лесу́ but о ле́се).