Prepositions are occasionally a pain to master. Wouldn’t it be better if we could simplify everything? Well, we can… to a certain extent. In this post we’ll discover a neat trick to correctly using common problematic prepositions, which change based on what type of verb you use.
| откуда (быть, идти, приходить, etc.) [motion FROM] | где (быть, ждать, стоять, etc.) [NO MOTION] | куда (идти, бежать, приходить, etc.) [motion TO] |
|---|---|---|
| с [genitive] | на [prepositional] | на [accusative] |
| Я иду с почты. I’m coming from the post office. | Я жду на почте. I’m waiting at the post office. | Я иду на почту. I’m going to the post office. |
| Мы летели с юга. [откуда?] We were flying from the south. | Мы были на юге. [где?] We were in the south. | Мы летели на юг. [куда?] We were flying to the south. |
| Any noun requiring the preposition на will follow this formula. |
| из [genitive] | в [prepositional] | в [accusative] |
| Я иду из магазина. I’m coming from the store. | Я жду в магазине. I’m waiting at the store. | Я иду в магазин. I’m going to the store. |
| Он бежал из аптеки. [откуда?] He was running from the pharmacy. | Он ждал в аптеке. [где?] He waited at the pharmacy. | Он бежал в аптеку. [куда?] Her was running to the pharmacy. |
| Any noun requiring the preposition в will follow this formula. |
| от [genitive] | у [genitive] | к [dative] |
| Я иду от друга. I’m coming from a friend’s place. | Я жду у друга. I’m waiting at a friend’s place. | Я иду к другу. I’m going to a friend’s place. |
| Она шла от подруги. [откуда?] She was coming from a friend’s place. | Она ночевала у подруги. [где?] She was spending the night at a friend’s place. | Она бежала к подруге. [куда?] She was running to a friend’s place. |
| Any noun requiring the preposition у will follow this formula. |
| Last Edit: 12/07/2025. |
My Slavic Studies 