A1 · Beginner Chapter 12

Location and Prepositions

2 Total Rules
20 examples
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Navigate the Russian world by mastering how to describe your location using the Prepositional case.

  • Identify the Prepositional case endings for nouns.
  • Distinguish when to use the 'в' and 'на' prepositions.
  • Describe locations like cities, buildings, and surfaces.
Master your location: Find your way in Russian!

What You'll Learn

Introduction to the Prepositional case for location. Using basic prepositions like 'v' and 'na'.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Use the Prepositional case to accurately state your current location in a city or building.

Key Examples (4)

1

Я сейчас в парке.

I am in the park right now.

Where Are You? (The Prepositional Case)
2

Где ты? — Я на работе.

Where are you? — I'm at work.

Where Are You? (The Prepositional Case)
3

Я сейчас в кафе, пью латте.

I'm in a cafe right now, drinking a latte.

Russian 'In' and 'On' (в and на)
4

Твои ключи на столе у двери.

Your keys are on the table by the door.

Russian 'In' and 'On' (в and на)

Tips & Tricks (2)

💡

The 'E' Rule

If you're stuck, just add '-e'. It's correct for about 95% of nouns in the Prepositional singular!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Where Are You? (The Prepositional Case)
⚠️

The 'Work' Trap

Never say 'в работе' for being at your job. It's always 'на работе'. 'В работе' means something is currently being processed (like a support ticket).
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russian 'In' and 'On' (в and на)

Key Vocabulary (6)

в in на on/at парк park школа school почта post office университет university

Real-World Preview

coffee

Meeting a Friend

Review Summary

  • Noun + -е (usually)
  • в/на + Noun-е

Common Mistakes

You forgot the Prepositional case ending! Always add -е when talking about location.

Wrong: Я в парк.
Correct: Я в парке.

Some places like 'post office' use 'на' instead of 'в'. Think of it as 'at' the service point.

Wrong: Я в почте.
Correct: Я на почте.

Universities are buildings, so we use 'в' to mean 'inside'.

Wrong: Он на университете.
Correct: Он в университете.

Next Steps

You've made great progress! Keep practicing these locations and you'll be navigating Russian cities like a local soon.

Label items in your room with sticky notes using the Prepositional case.

Continue to: Daily Routine Verbs

Quick Practice (6)

Which sentence is correct for 'I live in Moscow'?

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Я живу в Москве.
Moscow (Москва) is feminine, so the 'а' changes to 'е', and we use 'в' for cities.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Where Are You? (The Prepositional Case)

Fill in the blank with 'в' or 'на'

Я сейчас ___ (работе).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: на
Work ('работа') always takes the preposition 'на' in Russian.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russian 'In' and 'On' (в and на)

Find and fix the mistake

Find and fix the mistake:

Мы живём на Берлине.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Мы живём в Берлине.
Cities always take the preposition 'в' and the ending '-е'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russian 'In' and 'On' (в and на)

Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'ресторан' (restaurant).

Мы сейчас в ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ресторане
Masculine nouns ending in a consonant add '-е' in the Prepositional case.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Where Are You? (The Prepositional Case)

Which sentence is correct?

Choose the grammatically correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Книга на столе.
A table is a surface, so we use 'на' plus the Prepositional case ending '-е'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russian 'In' and 'On' (в and на)

Find and fix the mistake in the location.

Find and fix the mistake:

Книга на стола.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Книга на столе.
The noun 'стол' (table) is masculine; in the Prepositional case, it becomes 'столе'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Where Are You? (The Prepositional Case)

Score: /6

Common Questions (4)

It is the case used to show location (where something is) or the topic of conversation (what something is about). It always requires a preposition like 'в', 'на', or 'о'.
Because it literally cannot be used without a preposition. Unlike other cases that can stand alone, this one always needs a 'partner' word.
It's the case used specifically for location after 'в' and 'на'. Most words just add an '-е' to the end.
Nouns ending in '-ия' (like Россия) or '-ие' (like здание) change to '-ии' in the Prepositional case. For example: 'в России'.
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Possession and Belonging
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Daily Routine Verbs
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