The prepositional case

What you will practice

• Use в plus the prepositional for being inside a place.
• Use на plus the prepositional for a surface or for work.
• Use о plus the prepositional for what you talk about.

Explanation

в and на

Location in a city or a closed place uses в. Москва becomes в Москве. школа becomes в школе. The ending -е replaces -а. This is where someone is, not where they are going. Going to school is a later contrast, in the motion lesson, and it does not use this ending.

The ending

A surface uses на: на столе. Work and some set places also use на: на работе. в столе would mean inside the table, not on it. The ending is the same prepositional -е. The preposition is what changes between “in” and “on.”

о

Speaking about something uses о plus the same case. работа becomes о работе. Мы говорим о работе. Do not leave the dictionary form after о. о работа is missing the ending. This lesson does not use pronouns such as “about him,” so it does not ask you to choose between spellings with ё and е.

Examples

1. Я живу в Москве.in a city
2. Я в школе.in a school
3. Книга на столе.on a surface
4. Она на работе.at work
5. Мы говорим о работе.about work

Common mistakes

• в Москве is location. It is not the form for traveling to Moscow.
• о работе needs the ending. The preposition does not keep the dictionary form.