Some prepositions change meaning depending on the cases used, we know this. But do you know that there is also the change in meaning depending on motion and no motion? This is a sub-category of this and it’s very important to know so you don’t make silly mistakes.
I’ve listed here only the prepositions that can take the accusative case when motion is involved. If no motion is involved, then they take their usual cases.
| No Motion [где?] | Motion [куда?] |
|---|---|
| Подушка лежит за кроватью. The pillow is behind the bed. где лежит подушка? Where is the pillow? | Подушка упала за кровать. The pillow fell behind the bed. куда упала подушка? Where did the pillow fall? |
| Кот спит под столом. The cat is sleeping under the table. где спит кот? Where is the cat sleeping? | Кот побежал под стол. The cat ran under the table. куда побежал кот? Where did the cat run to? |
| Дети сидели на траве. The children were sitting on the grass. где сидели дети? Where were the children sitting? | Дети сели на траву. The children sat (down) on the grass. куда сели дети? Where did the children sit (down)? |
| Я был в парке. I was at the park. где я был? Where was I? | Я пошёл в парк. I went to the park. куда я пошёл? Where did I go? |
| This motion and no motion concept can only work if the preposition can take the accusative case, meaning that prepositions such as перед [in front of; before], над [above], etc. aren’t applicable here. They can only take the instrumental case! |
That’s all for this post! I never meant for it to be extremely long, because the purpose here was just to get you to see and understand this tedious, but critically important part of grammar.
| Last Edit: 12/09/2025. |
My Slavic Studies 