In Russian, we often use the prepositional case in phrases that answer the question когда?[kagDA](when?). For example, if someone asked you when you would be home, you might say:
prepositional case
Я вчера пришёл домой в восьмом часу вечера.
ya fchiRA priSHOL daMOY v vasMOM chiSOO VYEchira
I came home at eight.
lit. I came home yesterday in the eighth hour.
In other time phrases though, you might see other cases, particularly the accusative, instead:
accusative case
Я вчера пришёл домой в 7.20 (семь двадцать) часов вечера.
ya fchiRA priSHOL daMOY f syem DVAtsat chiSOF VYEchira
I came home yesterday at 7:20 in the evening.
In this post we’ll talk about when you will and won’t use the prepositional case to describe when something happened in Russian, and we’ll go through some examples of each use. Let’s have a look!
Need to review how to form the prepositional case? Check out our introduction to the
prepositional case in Russian, or you can download the prepositional endings chart at the bottom of this page.
How to say that something happened during a particular week, month, year, or century in Russian?
In Russian, to say that something happened during a particular week, month, year, or century, you’ll need to use the prepositional case.
To say “next week” or “last week” in Russian, you need the preposition на[na](on) + the prepositional case.
Мы заняты на этой неделе, давайте встретимся на следующей.
my ZAnity na Etay niDYElye daVAYtye FSTRYEtimsya na SLYEdooshchey
We are busy this week, let’s meet next week.
To say that something happened during a particular month, year, or century, you need the preposition в[v](in) before the name of the time period (in prepositional case).
в[v](in)
month, year, century
(prepositional case)
В августе он был в Греции, а в декабре планирует поехать в Мексику.
v AVgoostye on byl v GRYEtsii a v dikabRYE plaNEErooyet paYEkhat v MYEKsikoo
In August, he was in Greece, and, in December, he’s planning to go to Mexico.
В России дважды проводились Олимпийские игры: в 1980 году в Москве и в 2014 году в Сочи.
v raSEEi DVAZHdy pravaDEElis alimPEEYskiye EEGry f TYsicha diviTSOT vasmidiSYAtam gaDOO v maskVYE i v dvye TYsichi chiTYRnatsatam gaDOO f SOchi
The Olympic games were held in Russia twice: in 1980 in Moscow, and in 2014 in Sochi.
В XX веке человечество пережило несколько глобальных войн.
V dvaTSAtam VYEkye chilaVYEchistva piriZHEEla NYEskalka glaBALnykh voyn
In the XX century, humanity survived several global wars.
You may recall that, in Russian, the year is pronounced by using an ordinal numberNo definition set for ordinal numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. + the word год[god](year). So where you might call the year 2000 “two-thousand” in English, you’ll literally say “the two-thousandth year” in Russian.
Therefore, the dates in the examples above would be written in words as:
prepositional case
в тысяча девятьсот восьмидесятом году
lit. in the one thousand nine hundred and eightieth year
в две тысячи четырнадцатом году
lit. in the two thousand fourteenth year
Note also that when using an ordinal number in a particular case, only the last digit will actually change its form to reflect that case. Check out our posts on ordinal numbers in Russian and on saying the date in Russian to learn more!
When to describe the time of day using the prepositional case?
We most often give the time of day using the accusative case, but you can give the time of day using the prepositional case as well, if you are estimating the time. Generally this is done when we are answering the questions below:
В каком часу?
f kaTOram chiSOO
В котором часу?
f kaKOM chiSOO
These questions ask for an estimate of the hour during which something happens, rather than for a specific time, and they are answered using the formula below:
в[v](in)
hour
ordinal number
prepositional case
часу[chiSOO](hour)prepositional case
Я вчера пришёл домой в восьмом часу вечера.
ya fchiRA priSHOL daMOY v vasMOM chiSOO VYEchira
I came home yesterday a little after 7 pm (lit. in the eighth hour).
→ Why is it the eighth hour and not the seventh? Because the “first” hour is the hour between 12:00-1:00, the “second” is 1:00-2:00 and so on. Just like counting centuries in English!
⤷ TIPUsing a phrase like в восьмом часу will generally imply that something happened shortly after the hour, like 7:02, 7:08, or 7:15,
If, however, you are answering more specific questions, like Во сколько?[va SKOLka](What time?) or Когда?[kagDA](When?), you’ll need to use the accusative case instead. Compare:
accusative case
Я вчера пришёл домой в 7.20 (семь двадцать) / 6 (шесть) часов вечера.
ya fchiRA priSHOL daMOY f syem DVAtsat / shest chiSOF VYEchira
I came home yesterday at 7:20 pm / 6 o’clock in the evening.
Check out our post on the accusative of time in Russian to learn more about this use. Or, if you want to read more about the Russian clock in general, read our article on telling time in Russian.
How to say something is “five minutes away” in Russian?
If you want to say that something is “five minutes away” or “a five-minute walk from here” in Russian, you’ll need to use the prepositional case. We use this case whenever we use an amount of time to measure a distance. Follow the formula below:
в[v](in)
amount of time
prepositional case
Это в пяти минутах ходьбы отсюда.
Eta f piTEE miNOOtakh khadBY atSYUda
It’s a five-minute walk from here.
Санкт-Петербург находится в четырех часах езды на поезде от Москвы.
sankt pityerBOORG naKHOditsa f chityRYOKH chiSAKH yizDY na POizdye at maskVY
Saint Petersburg is a four-hour train ride away from Moscow.
When to use the prepositional case with preposition по?
We use the prepositional case after the preposition по[pa] when it means “after (a certain event)” or “upon (some moment).” This use of the prepositional case is most common in fairly formal or official situations. For example:
prepositional case
По завершении строительства вам выдадут необходимые документы.
pa zavirSHEnii straEEtilstva vam VYdadoot niapkhaDEEmyie dakooMYENty
Upon completion of the construction work, you’ll be issued the required documents.
Here are the most frequently used phrases with по[pa](after/upon) + prepositional case:
по окончании
pa okanCHAnii
upon finishing/completion
по возвращении
pa vazvraSHCHEnii
по предъявлении документа
pa pridyivLYEnii dakooMYENta
upon presentation of an ID
When to use the prepositional case with the preposition при?
There are two ways you can use the prepositional case with the preposition при[pree](under, during):
When it means “under someone’s rule,” when при is followed by the name of the ruler in the prepositional case. For example:
prepositional case
При Хрущёве в СССР начали массово строить городское жильё.
pree khrooSHCHOvye v eseseSER NAchili MAsava STROit garatsKOye zhilYO
Under Khruschev in the USSR, mass construction of urban housing started.
When it means “when/while” or “during,” mostly with nouns meaning action or in announcements. For instance:
prepositional case
Будьте внимательны при переходе через дорогу.
BOOtye vniMAtilny pree piriKHOdye CHEryes daROgoo
Use caution while crossing the road.
При пожаре звоните 112 или 101.
pri paZHArye zvaNEEtye sto dviNAtsat EEli sto aDEEN
In case of fire, call 112 or 101.
Set phrases that use the prepositional case to talk about time
There are a number of fixed phrases with the prepositional case that refer to a certain time or period. Here are some of them:
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на каникулах* na kaNEEkoolakh | during holidays / break (for students) |
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*Note: There is an alternative in accusative: в каникулы[f kaNEEkooly].
Conclusion
In this post, we have looked at how you can use the prepositional case to talk about time. Now, you have the whole tool set to answer the question Когда?[kagDA](When?)...
Using weeks, months, years, and centuries
By telling approximate time
By referring to time it will take to cover some distance
By saying what happened after an event
By referring to a period of time under someone’s rule
Now, if you’re ready to practice, check out the downloadable prepositional case of time exercises below! Happy learning!
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