В любви и на войне все средства хороши.
All’s fair in love and war. (saying)
Which preposition? В or на? What a grammatical struggle! This is always the prepositional dilemma students of Russian face when they would like to express in or at.
It shouldn’t be that hard and in reality, it’s not at all.
I’ll try my best to give a clear explanation of both prepositions in order for you to have a 95-98% accuracy rate when employing them in your Russian writing and speech.
…
First off, let’s clarify which case these prepositions belong to.
| Both в and на can take either the prepositional or accusative case, depending on how they are used. Whatever preposition is used, it’s used whether or not motion or no motion is involved. For location, always use the prepositional [Я загораю на пляже = I’m tanning on the beach]. For motion, always use the accusative [Мы едем на пляж = We’re going to the beach]. We’re only going to look at the prepositional case. |
| В |
|---|
| This preposition is used to signify the following: –in as in inside something -an alternative to express to have [for objects] |
| Русский посол пробудет 10 дней в Болгарии. The Russian ambassador will spend 10 days in Bulgaria. |
| В Соединённых Штатах Америки 50 штатов. There are 50 states in the United States of America. |
| Осторожно, в чашке очень горячий кофе. Be careful, there’s very hot coffee in the cup. |
| Извините, что у Вас есть в чемодане? Excuse me, what do you have in your suitcase? |
| В неделе 7 дней. A week has 7 days. |
| В России много природных ресурсов. Russia has a lot of natural resources. |
| НА |
|---|
| This preposition is used to signify the following: –on the surface [table, chair, couch, etc.] -any type of event [meeting, spectacle, exam, etc.] -almost all open areas [beach, field, town square, etc.] -almost all islands [Hawaii, Cyprus, Cuba, etc.] |
| Японцы сидят на полу*, когда ужинают. The Japanese sit on the floor when having dinner. |
| На стадионе идёт футбольный матч. A soccer game is going on at the stadium. |
| Подростки провели весь день на пляже. The teenagers spent all day at the beach. |
| Этот ленивый мальчик спит на уроках. That lazy boy sleeps at his lessons. |
| На Гавайях прекрасные пляжи и вкусная еда. There are beautiful beaches and delicious food in Hawaii. |
| Маша сидит на диване и красит ногти. Masha is sitting on the couch and painting her nails. |
Think events! For example, the following:
| на спектакле [at the show] |
| на собрании [at the meeting] |
| на вечеринке [at the party] |
| на фильме [at the movie] |
| на выставке [at the exhibit] |
| *Locative case ending. These endings are on the rare side. For more info, click here. |
| For more examples, please check out this post. |
Do you see understand the examples? You can’t sit in the floor, but rather on it – on the surface! Beaches are open areas, and most of the time stadiums are. And lessons are a type of event.
You can now create some nuances since you have a greater understanding of these prepositions.
| В книге примерно 100 страниц. There are about 100 pages in the book. (More natural: The book is 100 pages.) |
| На книге лежат твои очки. Your glasses are on the book. |
Nuances anyone? I’ve got them for you!
| Я пою на концерте. I’m singing at the concert. [I’m there and I’m singing along.] |
| Я пою в концерте. I’m singing in the concert. [I’m taking part in the concert.] |
| Я на озере. I’m at the lake. [Most likely I’m around the lake, near it somewhere.] |
| Я в озере. I’m in the lake. [I’m in the lake swimming.] |
| В земле есть корни. There are roots in the ground. [In the ground, in the dirt, under the Earth.] |
| На земле сидят дети. There are children sitting on the ground. [On the ground, the surface of the Earth.] |
| В углу стоит лампа. A lamp is in the corner. [Corner in a house or other building. (inner)] |
| На углу есть почта. On the corner there’s a post office. [Corner on a street, etc. (outer)] |
| Грамматика в русском (языке) кажется сложной. Grammar in Russian seems complex. [In the Russian language as a whole, the composition of the Russian language: words, phrases, grammar, etc. Everything that constitutes it.] |
| Я разговариваю на русском (языке). I converse in Russian. [Communication via what language?] |
| В неделе 7 [семь] дней. There are 7 days in a week. [What makes up a week. The quantity.] |
| На этой неделе я буду в отпуске. I will be on vacation this week. [Indicating time element.] |
| Женщина держит ребёнка на руках. The woman is holding the child in her arms. |
| Мужчина держит розы в руках. The man is holding the roses in his hands. [when you can grip something that fits in your hands] |
Other useful tidbits to ensure you use the correct preposition!
| there are certain nouns that just oddly take на; the reasons are hard to explain |
| на кухне [in the kitchen] |
| на улице [in the street; on the street; outside] |
| на почте [at the post office] |
| на работе [at work] |
| на пенсии [retired, on pension] |
| на экзамене [on the exam, at the exam] |
| на природе [in nature, outdoors] |
| на диете [on a diet] |
| на небе [in the sky] |
| на чердаке in the attic |
| на заводе at the factory |
| на фабрике at the factory |
| на станции at the station |
| на вокзале at the station |
| на остановке at the bus stop |
| all cardinal points [north, south, east, west] take the preposition на |
| Он несколько лет жил на западе, а теперь живёт на востоке. He lived in the west for a couple of years and now lives in the east. |
| На севере бывает холоднее, чем на юге. In the north it’s colder than in the south. |
| to express playing an instrument, use на + prep. to express playing a sport, use в + acc. |
| играть в гольф, баскетбол, хоккей, etc. to play golf, basketball, hockey, etc. |
| играть на гитаре, скрипке, пианино, etc. to play guitar, violin, piano, etc. |
| to express going by a means of transport, use на + prep. always. |
| Я еду в музей на автобусе. I’m going to the museum by bus. |
| Я лечу в Болгарию на вертолёте. I’m flying to Bulgaria by helicopter. |
A fun question to ask someone:
| Вы когда-нибудь летали на воздушном шаре? Have you ever flown in a hot-air balloon? |
When referring to constructions with неделя [week], use the following constructions:
| на прошлой неделе | на этой неделе | на следующей неделе |
| last week | this week | next week |
| На прошлой неделе мы были на озере, а на этой (неделе) будем на море. Last week we were at the lake and this week we’ll be at the sea. |
I suppose that’s all for this post, however, I feel that there is so much more that can be said on this topic. I will continue to add to it as I see fit.
Want to test yourself?
| Last Edit: 01/10/2026. |
My Slavic Studies 