In Russian, prepositions of direction are used before nouns to create phrases that describe the direction in which someone or something is moving. You might use these phrases to answer a question like:
preposition of direction
Speaker A:Куда ты идёшь?
kooDA ty iDYOSH
Speaker B:to (lit. into) the theater
In this post, we’ll take you through the major prepositions of direction, discuss the case you should use after each one, and more closely examine some tricky distinctions in how these prepositions are used in Russian. Let’s have a look!
What are the prepositions of movement in Russian?
The prepositions of movement in Russian are summarized in the table below.
в[v] | | |
на[na] | | |
через[CHEris] | | |
сквозь[skvos] | | |
под[pat] | | |
из[ees] | | |
c / со[s] | | |
от[at] | | |
до[da] | | |
из-за[EEZ-za] | | |
из-под[EES-pat] | | |
мимо[MEEma] | | |
к[k] | | |
Now, let’s go over some examples of how to use these prepositions in context, and compare them!
How to say “into” or “onto” and “under” in Russian?
In Russian, you can say “into” or “onto” using the words в[v](in, into) and на[na](on, onto) before the case.
The preposition под[pat] meaning “under” describes movement to the underside of something, and it is, therefore, the opposite of на[na](on, onto). This preposition is also used before the accusative case.
For example:
accusative case
Она села в машину и уехала.
aNA SYEla v maSHEEnoo i ooYEkhala
She got into the car and left.
Поставьте книги на полку, пожалуйста.
paSTAFti KNEEgi na POLkoo paZHAlasta
Put the books on the shelf, please.
Мы забежали под мост чтобы укрыться от дождя.
my zabiZHAli pad most SHTOby ooKRYtsa ad dazhDYA
We ran under the bridge to hide from the rain.
While the difference between в and на may seem pretty straightforward, there are quite a few cases where you’ll use “into” in English, but на(on) in Russian, and vice versa, or where we translate the Russian prepositions with a different preposition entirely. For example, in Russian we say:
пойти в театр
payTEE f tyatr
to go to (lit. into) the theater
пойти на концерт
payTEE na kanTSERT
to go to (lit. onto) a concert
To learn more about how these two prepositions are used, check out our post on how to use в and на in Russian.
How to say “through” and “across” in Russian?
In Russian, the prepositions через[CHEris] and сквозь[skvos] can both mean “through,” but only через can describe movement “across” or “over” an object. Both prepositions are used before the accusative case.
accusative case
Нельзя переходить через дорогу на красный свет.
nilZYA pirikhaDEET CHEriz daROgoo na KRASnyi svyet
One must not go across the road when the light is red.
Сквозь каменные стены не проходило ни звука.
skvos KAminyie STYEny nye prakhaDEEla ni ZVOOka
Not a single sound went through the stone walls.
через[CHEris](across, through) | |
| |
When describing motion through an obstacle, they have the same meaning, but сквозь implies more effort.
accusative case
Мы протиснулись сквозь / через толпу к самой сцене.
my praTEESnoolis skvos / CHEris talPOO k SAmay STSEnye
We pushed our way through the crowd to the stage.
Через can be used for something that is completely crossing an obstacle over the top or through its center. For example:
accusative case
перепрыгнуть через лужу
pyeriPRYGnoot CHERis LOOzhoo
перелететь через горы
pyeriliTYET CHEris GOry
to fly over the mountains
переплыть через реку
pyeriPLYT CHEris RYEkoo
How to say “out of” or “off of” in Russian?
In Russian, we say “out of” and “off of” using the prepositions из[ees] and c / со[s] before the case.
For example:
genitive case
Она вытащила курицу из холодильника и положила на стол.
aNA VYtashchila KOOritsoo ees khalaDEELnika i palaZHEEla na stol
She took the chicken from/out of the fridge and put it on the table.
Ваза упала со стола.
VAza ooPAla sa staLA
The vase fell from/off the table.
The prepositions из and с are direct opposites of в and на, respectively (see above), so all the challenges associated with choice between в and на automatically apply to из and с as well!
How to say “away from” and “(up) to” in Russian?
In Russian, you can say that something is moving “away from” something else using the preposition от[at], and that movement goes “up to” something else using the preposition до[da]. In this use, both prepositions are followed by the genitive case.
For example:
genitive case
Отодвинь вазу от края стола, пожалуйста!
ataDVIN VAzoo at KRAya staLA paZHAlasta
Move the vase away from the edge of the table, please!
Мы дошли до берега и повернули обратно.
my daSHLEE da BYEriga i pavirNOOli abRATna
We came up to the waterfront and turned back.
Note that до means “up to” not “to.”
If you want to say that you visited some locale in Russian, as in “I went to the store” or “I went to the movies,” you may need to use the prepositions в and на in Russian instead of до.
от and до may be used before the names or titles of people, to discuss movement between people’s homes or businesses, for example:
genitive case
От меня до моих родителей можно добраться всего за десять минут.
at miNYA da maEEKH raDEEtilyey MOZHna daBRAtsa fsiVO za DYEsit miNOOT
It may take just ten minutes to get from me (i.e. my house) to my parents'.
How to say “from behind” or “from below” in Russian?
In Russian, we say “from behind” using the preposition из-за[EEZ-za] and “from below” using the preposition из-под[EES-pat], both before the genitive case.
из-за[EEZ-za](from behind) | из-под[EES-pat](from below) |
| |
For example:
genitive case
К обеду солнце наконец выглянуло из-за туч.
k aBYEdoo SONtse nakaNYETS VYglinoola EEZ-za tooch
By lunch time the sun finally showed up from behind the clouds.
Собака выскочила из-под кровати и начала лаять.
saBAka VYskachila EES-pat kraVAti i nachiLA LAit
The dog came running from under the bed and started to bark.
These prepositions have a couple other meanings:
Из-за can also be used to describe movement away from an object somebody was doing something at, for example:
genitive case
встать из-за стола
fstat EEZ-za staLA
to get up from a desk/table
Из-под, quite logically, can also be used in the meaning “to liberate, to free” in such phrases as:
genitive case
выйти из-под контроля
VYIti EES-pat kantROlya
освободить из-под стражи
asvabaDEET EES-pat STRAzhi
How to describe movement “past” something in Russian?
In Russian, we describe movement “past” something using the preposition мимо[meema](past) before the genitive case.
For example:
genitive case
Каждый день мимо её дома проезжает школьный автобус.
KAZHdyi den mima yiYO DOma praiZHAyet SHKOLnyi afTObus
Every day a school bus drives past her house.
мимо is often used to say that something missed a target, as in:
genitive case
бросить мусор мимо урны
BROsit MOOsar MEEma OORny
to throw trash past the garbage can (missing the target)
How to say “to” or “toward” in Russian?
In Russian, the preposition к[k]can be used to mean “to” or “toward” when it is followed by the dative case.
For example:
dative case
Она подошла к окну и выглянула на улицу.
aNA padaSHLA k akNOO i VYglinoola na OOlitsoo
She went to the window and looked out.
Она уехала к сестре в Воронеж.
aNA ooYEkhala k sistRYE v vaROnish
She left to (see) her sister in Voronezh.
К vs. до: Which one to use to mean “to”?
Both к and до can be translated using the word “to” in English. The difference is:
only describes movement to a final point | can describe either movement to a final point or movement in the general direction of some destination |
| |
used before the genitive case | used before the dative case |
Мы дошли до дома. my daSHLEE da DOma We reached / got to the house. Мы добежали до финиша. my dabiZHAli da FEEnisha We ran up to / made it to / reached the finish line. | Мы подошли к дому. my padaSHLEE k DOmoo We arrived at / walked up to / came up to the house. Мы бежали к финишу. my biZHAli k FEEnishoo We were running toward the finish line. |
