The prepositional case: talking about something
о / об + prepositional for “about”, plus a recap of в/на for location
⚡Key points
What the prepositional case is for
The prepositional case (предложный паде́ж) is never used alone: always after a preposition. You already know в and на for location (где ?). Here we add о / об to say what or whom we are talking about.
Prepositional endings
| Masculine (consonant) | + -е | стол → о столе́, го́род → о го́роде |
| Feminine (-а / -я) | → -е | кни́га → о кни́ге, Москва́ → о Москве́ |
| Neuter (-о / -е) | → -е | окно́ → об окне́, мо́ре → о мо́ре |
| Feminine (-ь) | → -и | тетра́дь → о тетра́ди, мать → о ма́тери |
| In -ия / -ие / -ий | → -и | Росси́я → о Росси́и, зда́ние → о зда́нии |
о, об or обо?
The preposition “о” (about) has three forms depending on the following sound, exactly like “a / an” in English.
Choosing the right form
о + consonant (normal case)
Мы говори́м о фи́льме. (we are talking about the film)
Я ду́маю о рабо́те. (I am thinking about work)
об + vowel (а, э, и, о, у)
Расскажи мне об Анне. (tell me about Anna)
Я ду́маю об о́тпуске. (I am thinking about the holidays)
обо — before a few words (обо мне, обо всём)
Не думай обо мне. (don’t think about me)
Он зна́ет обо всём. (he knows about everything)
Personal pronouns in the prepositional
To say “about me, about you, about him…”, the pronouns take a special form after о/об/обо.
о + pronoun
| я | обо мне | about me |
| ты | о тебе́ | about you |
| он / оно́ | о нём | about him |
| она́ | о ней | about her |
| мы | о нас | about us |
| вы / они́ | о вас / о них | about you / them |
💡⚠️ Verbs that take “о” + prepositional
Dialogue: what are you talking about?
Vera: What are you talking about? — Dima: About the new film. And you, what are you thinking about? — Vera: I’m thinking about the holidays. I dream of the sea! — Dima: And I’ll tell you about the book I’m reading.