What are object prepositions in Russian?

Object in Russian are small function words that are used to introduce a noun that is not a of the verb, but that is still essential to the meaning of an action, an object, or a feeling in a similar way.

• прочитать про преступление

  pracheeTAT pra pristooPLYEniye

  to read about crime

• замки из песка

  ZAMki is pisKA

  sand castles

  lit. castles of sand

• Он превратился в вампира.

  on privraTEELsya v vamPEEra

  He turned into a vampire.

In this post, we’ll introduce you to the different kinds of object prepositions in Russian and take you through the most important ones you’ll need to use. Ready to learn? Let’s go!

Object prepositions in Russian are used to introduce a noun that is essential to an action, object, or feeling. These nouns can describe, for example:

• what something is “about” (its topic)

  Говорить о погоде

  gavaREET a paGOdye

  to speak about the weather

• what something is “made of” or “turns into”

  суп из овощей

  soop is avaSHCHYEY

  vegetable soup

  lit. soup of vegetables

  Небольшой дождь перешёл в ливень.

  nibalSHOY dosht piriSHOL v LEEvin

  Light rain turned into downpour.

• the cause of a feeling or emotion

  Тоскавать по дому

  taskaVAT pa DOmoo

  homesick

  lit. be sick for home

• another noun (like a tool) that was required for the action

  играть на гитаре

  igRAT na giTArye

  to play (on) a guitar

The most important object prepositions in Russian are:

• о[a](about) – with variants: об[ab] or обо[Aba]

• насчёт[naSHCHYOT](about)

• про[pra](about)

• над[nad](on, at, against...)

• на[na](on)

• в[v](into, at, in)

• из[is](of)

• по[pa]

Let’s go through each preposition one-by-one!

• о (об / обо)

  The most frequent object preposition is о[o](about). After this preposition, use the prepositional case.

  • Мы часто говорим о работе с друзьями.

    my CHASta gavaREEM a raBOtye s droozYAmi

    We often talk about work with friends.

  • О чём вы часто беспокоитесь?

    a chyom vy CHASta bispaKOitis

    What do you often worry about?

  • Я уже год мечтаю об отпуске.

    Ya ooZHE got michTAyu ab OTpooskye

    I've been dreaming about vacation for a year now.

  • Он написал книгу обо всех своих путешествиях.

    on napiSAL KNEEgoo Aba fsyekh svaEEKH pootiSHEStviyakh

    He wrote a book about all his travels.

  Tip

  о[a] = об[ab] = обо[Aba]

  • We use об[ab] when the following noun begins with vowels а[a], э[e], и[ee], о[o], or у[oo]. For instance:

    доклад об экологии

    dakLAT ab ikaLOgii

    a report about ecology

  • The form обо[Aba] is used only with pronouns in the expressions like:

    • обо мне[Aba mnye](about me)

    • обо всех[Aba fsyekh](about everyone)

  Check out our post on using the prepositional case with “about” in Russian to learn more!

• насчёт

  The object preposition насчёт[naSHCHYOT](about/regarding) also expresses the meaning “about,” but is used in conjunction with nouns in the genitive case. For example:

  • На встрече партнёры договорились насчёт строительства нового здания.

    na FSTRYEchi parTNYOry dagavaREElis naSHCHYOT straEEtilstva NOvava ZDAniya

    At the meeting, the partners agreed on the construction of a new building.

  • Он ничего не сказал насчёт новой работы.

    on nichiVO ni skaZAL naSHCHYOT NOvay raBOty

    He didn't say anything about a new job.

• про

  The object preposition про[pra](about) is a colloquial synonym to the preposition о[o] but you need to use the after it. For example:

  • Она рассказала всё про вас.

    aNA raskaZAla fsyo pra vas

    She told everything about you.

  • Он пишет детские истории про животных.

    on PEEshet DYETskiye KNEEgi pra zhyVOTnykh

    He writes children's stories about animals.

  Important

  How to choose between о, насчёт, and про? Though they are all interchangeable, they are slightly different in meaning and register.

  • You can use о[o] in any situation.

  • We mostly use про[pro] in spoken language.

  • насчёт[naSHCHYOT] carries a slight implication that you are talking about something that will come about in the future.

• над

  The object preposition над[nad](on/at) is used in combination with verbs like:

  • работать[raBOtat](to work (on))

  • смеяться[smiYATsya](to laugh (at, about))

  It is also used with nouns like:

  • победа[paBYEda](victory (over))

  • работа[raBOta](work (on))

  The noun after над indicates the direction or focus of the corresponding action on some object. It takes an instrumental case. For example:

  Величайшая победа — победа над самим собой.

  viliCHAYshaya paBYEda - paBYEda nad saMEEM saBO

  The greatest victory is victory over yourself.

  Tip

  The letter о[o] is added to the preposition над[nad] for ease of pronunciation of the personal pronoun я[ya](I/me) in the instrumental case. For instance:

  • Надо мной

    NAda mnoy

    at/over me

  • Я не люблю, когда смеются надо мной.

    Ya ni lyubLYU kagDA smiYUTsya NAda mnoy

    I don't like it when people laugh at me.

• по

  The preposition по[pa](of, for...) indicates a person or a thing that one is thinking about, misses, or mourns. The object preposition по[pa] does not have a single consistent translation into English, but it always comes before a noun in the dative case.

  Broadly, по[pa] introduces a noun that provides some intellectual "direction" to an action, feeling, or thought. For example, this can be the source of a feeling, the intellectual goal of an action, the means by which an action was completed, or something that otherwise guides motion or thought. You'll probably have to learn when exactly to use по[pa] through lots of practice, but here are some examples of how this preposition can be used:

  Он очень скорбит по отцу.

  on Ochin skarBEET pa aTSOO

  He is very sad for (lit. mourns) his father.

  → recipient of a feeling

  Мама погладила своего сына по голове.

  MAma paGLAdila svaiVO SYna pa galaVYE

  Mom patted her son’s head (lit. on the head).

  → direction or receiving location of the pat

  играть по правилам

  igRAT pa PRAvilam

  to play by the rules

  → intellectual guide, “in accordance with”

  работать по расписанию

  raBOtat pa raspiSAniyu

  to work according to a schedule

  → intellectual guide, “in accordance with”

  узнать по походке

  oozNAT pa paKHOTki

  to recognize by the way one walks

  → the source, reason, or guide of action

  жениться по любви / по расчету

  zhyNEEtsya pa lyubVEE / pa raSHCHYOtoo

  to marry for love / for money

  → the source, reason, or guide of action

  говорить по телефону

  gavaREET pa tiliFOnoo

  to speak over/via/on the phone

  → by means of, the path through which…

  ехать по навигатору

  YEkhat pa naviGAtaroo

  to drive following the GPS

  → intellectual guide, “in accordance with”

  занятия по биологии

  zaNYAtiya pa biaLOgii

  biology classes

  → area of expertise, focus

  чемпион по плаванию

  chimpiON pa PLAvaniyu

  champion in swimming

  → area of expertise, focus

• на

  The preposition на[na](on, using) as object preposition has the meaning of a tool used to accomplish an action. It takes the prepositional case after and does not have a direct translation into English. For example:

  Джими Хендрикс играл на гитаре левой рукой.

  DZEEmi HYENDriks igRAL na giTArye LYEvay rooKOY

  Jimi Hendrix played the guitar with his left hand.

• в

  In Russian, to define the state the object acquires we use the preposition в[v](into), it takes the accusative case after. For example:

  Спор между друзьями перерос в драку.

  Spor MYEZHdoo droozYAmi pyereROS v DRAkoo

  A dispute between friends escalated (lit. grew ) into a fight.

• из

  The prepositionиз[is](of/from) is used as object preposition that describes the material, source, total number, or makeup of things. It is more used after nouns and participles than after verbs.

  • Material

    Бутылки, сделанные из пластика, вредят окружающей среде.

    booTYLki ZDYElanniye is PLAStika vriDYAT akrooZHAyushchyei sriDYE

    Bottles made of plastic are harmful to the environment.

  • Source

    О теракте в городе они узнали из новостей.

    A tiRAKtye v GOradye aNEE oozNAli iz navaSTYEY

    They learned about the terrorist attack in the city from the news.

  • Number

    Делегация из 25 человек прибыла на конференцию.

    diliGAtsiya is 25 (dvatsaTEE pyaTEE) chilaVYEK pribyLA na kanfiRYENtsiyu

    A delegation of 25 people arrived at the conference.

  • Makeup

    Он подарил невесте букет из роз.

    on padaREEL niVYEStye booKYET iz ros

    He gave the bride a bouquet of roses.

In this post we talked about how you can use object prepositions to introduce a noun that is essential to the meaning of a verb or noun in Russian. Here are some of the important takeaways:

• Nouns introduced by object prepositions generally describe:

  • what something is “about” (its topic)

  • what something is “made of” or “turns into”

  • the cause of a feeling or emotion

  • another object (like a tool) that was required for the action

• The most important object prepositions in Russian are:

  • о[a](about) – with variants: об[ab] or обо[Aba]

  • насчёт[naSHCHYOT](about)

  • про[pra](about)

  • над[nad](on, at, against...)

  • на[na](on)

  • в[v](into, at, in)

  • из[is](of)

  • по[pa]

Now you’re ready to try some exercises to practice Russian object prepositions! Or, check out this downloadable Russian object preposition reference sheet!