Though the preposition о is classically translated as “about,” in context it might also be translated using another preposition, like “of” or “on.” Sometimes it may not be translated at all!
How to use о (about) with the prepositional case in Russian?
By: Anna Classing Tue Sep 23 2025
In Russian, we use the prepositional case after the word о[a](about). This means that we often use the prepositional case for the topic of a conversation, a book, a feeling, or a thought, or when asking questions about these things.
In this post, we’ll look more closely at the preposition о[a ](about) and some of the common cases where you’ll need to use it before the prepositional case in Russian. Let’s have a look!
What are the forms of the preposition о (about)?
The preposition о[a](about) exists in Russian in three forms, all with the same meaning and grammar: о[a], об[ab], and обо[aba].
Обо[aba] is used in a few particular phrases:
It is always used in the phrase обо мне[aba MNYE](about me)
It can be used instead of о in the phrases обо всех[aba FSYEKH](about everyone), обо всей[aba FSYEY](about her) and обо всём[aba FSYOM](about everything).
Об[ab] is used before words starting with the vowel letters а[a], о[o], э (e)[e], и[ee], у[oo], for example:
об Анне
ab Anye
about Anna
об игрушках
ab ygROOSHkakh
about toys
об отпуске
ab OTpooskye
about vacation
О[a] is used in all other instances, that is before all other words words starting with all consonants and consonant clusters, and before words starting with vowel letters е[ye], ё[yo], ю (yu)[yu], я[ya], because they are pronounced with a [y] sound at the beginning of words, which is a consonant, for example:
о животных
a zhiVOTnykh
about animals
о счастье
a SHCHASTyi
about happiness
о яблоках
a YABlakakh
about apples
Notice that all three versions of o[a](about) are unstressed, so the stress will fall on the stressed syllable of the word that follows it.
What case to use after о (about) in Russian?
In Russian, we use the prepositional case after the preposition after o[a](about) when it is used to express the topic of a book, film, speech, feelings, thoughts, and similar. This means that we also use the prepositional case to ask and answer questions like:
prepositional case
О чём эта книга?
a chom Eta KNEEga
What is this book about?
О ком вы говорите?
a kom vy gavaREEtye
Who are you talking about?
Important
Using o (about) before a pronoun
Pronouns take the following forms in the prepositional case after o:
Pronoun in nominative | Pronoun in prepositional |
|---|---|
я[ya](I) | Обо мне[aba MNYE](about me) |
ты[ty](you) | О тебе[a tiBYE](about you) |
вы[vy](you) | О вас[a VAS](about you) |
мы[my](we) | О нас[a NAS](about us) |
он[on](he) | О нём[a NYOM](about him) |
она[aNA](she) | О ней[a NYEY](about her) |
оно[aNO](it) | О нём[a NYOM](about it) |
они[aNEE](they) | О них[a NIKH](about them) |
Interrogative pronouns (used in questions) | |
|---|---|
кто[kto](who) | О ком[a KOM](about whom) |
что[shto](what) | О чём[a CHOM](about what) |
Using o (about) before a noun
A noun that follows o[a](about) will be in the prepositional case, which means that they will take the endings -e / -и (singular) or -ax / -яx (plural). For example:
мальчик
MALchik
a boy
→
о мальчике
a MALchikye
about a boy
→
о мальчиках
a MALchikakh
about boys
For the full details on how to form the prepositional case of nouns, adjectives, and numerals in Russian, check out our post on the Russian prepositional case or download the reference sheets at the bottom of this page!
What are some common Russian verbs that are used with о (about)?
The preposition o[a](about) is used after many verbs meaning speaking, thinking, or feeling in Russian. Some of the most popular ones are listed below.
Verbs related to thinking
Russian | English |
|---|---|
вспоминать о fspamiNAT a | to remember/reminisce |
думать о DOOmat a | to think about |
забывать о zabyVAT a | to forget about |
знать о znat a | to know about |
мечтать о michTAT a | to dream about |
помнить о POMnit a | to remember |
судить о sooDEET a | to judge; to make a judgment |
узнавать о ooznaVAT a | to learn |
For example:
prepositional case
Она мечтала о собственном доме.
aNA michTAla a SOPstvyennam DOmye
She was dreaming about her own house.
Ой, я совсем забыл об этом!
oy ya safSYEM zaBYL ab Etam
Oh, I completely forgot about it!
Verbs related to communication
Russian | English |
|---|---|
беседовать о biSYEdavat a | to talk/chat about |
говорить о gavaREET a | to talk about |
договариваться о dagaVArivatsa a | to negotiate/arrange/bargain/agree about |
писать о piSAT a | to write about |
просить о praSEET a | to ask for |
слышать о SLYshat a | to hear about |
сообщать о saapSHCHAT a | to inform about |
спорить о SPOrit a | to argue about |
спрашивать о SPRAshivat a | to ask about |
рассказывать о rasKAzyvat a | to tell about |
умолять о oomaLYAT a | to beg for |
читать о chiTAT a | to read about |
For example:
prepositional case
Мы договорились о новых ценах.
my dagavaREElis a NOvykh TSEnakh
We agreed on the new prices.
Она рассказала нам об отце.
aNA raskaZAla ab atTSE
She told us about her father.
Verbs related to feelings
Russian | English |
|---|---|
беспокоиться о bispaKOitsa a | to worry about |
волноваться о valnaVAtsa a | to worry about |
жалеть о zhiLYET a | to feel sorry about; to regret |
заботиться о zaBOtitsa a | to care about |
плакать о PLAkat a | to cry over |
For example:
prepositional case
Вы жалеете об этом решении?
vy zhiLYEitye ab Etam riSHEnii
Do you regret that decision?
Я ужасно беспокоился о своих близких.
ya ooZHASna bispaKOilsya a svaEEKH BLEESkikh
I worried terribly about my near and dear ones.
What are some Russian nouns that are followed by о (about)
Some Russian nouns are also commonly followed by the preposition о[a](about) + a topic in the prepositional case. Some common ones are listed below.
Russian | English |
|---|---|
впечатление о fpichitLYEniye a | an impression of |
договор о dagaVOR a | an agreement on |
история о isTOriya a | a story about |
книга о KNEEga a | a book about |
лекция о LYEKtsiya a | a lecture about |
мысль о mysl a | a thought about |
разговор о srazgaVOR a | a conversation about |
репортаж о riparTASH a | a report on |
статья о statYA a | an article about |
фильм о film a | a movie about |
For example:
prepositional case
Какое было ваше первое впечатление обо мне?
kaKOye BYla VAshe PYERvaye fpichitLYEniye aba MNYE
What was your first impression of me?
Мне нужна книга о воспитании собак.
mnye noozhNA KNEEga a vaspiTAnii saBAK
I need a book about dog training.
Conclusion
In this post we have looked at how to use the prepositional case in Russian after o[o](about) to express the topic of a work of art, or the object of thought, speech, or feelings. You now know:
The endings that nouns, adjectives, and numerals take in prepositional after о
The forms of personal and interrogative pronouns in prepositional after о
Verbs and nouns most frequently used with о + prepositional
Ready for some practice? Download the activities and reference sheets below! Happy learning!
