424 Spatial Prepositions 445

‘to skate in a circle’, Мен5 возли по всей Болгрии ‘I was

driven all over Bulgaria’.
(b) The distinction between идт& по "лице ‘to walk down the street’
and ход&ть по "лице ‘to walk up and down the street’ (see also
320 and 322 (2)).
(c) По may also denote location at or movement to various points in
space: Препись населния провел по всем населённым
п3нктам ‘The census was carried out throughout all populated
areas’, Весь день я ходл по магаз&нам ‘I spent all day walking
round the shops’.
(d) In combination with дорга ‘road’, 3лица ‘street’ and nouns that
denote other lines of progress (б)рег ‘shore’, оп3шка ‘outskirts’
etc.), по + dative is synonymous with the instrumental or вдBль +
genitive: идт по б)регу/б)регом/вдBль б)рега.
(e) Either по or через may be used to denote movement across an inhabited
area: прохать по всей Москв)/через всю Москв3 ‘to travel
right across Moscow’ (через implies crossing and emerging from the
other side of the city).

(2) The central meaning of через is ‘through’, ‘across’, ‘from one side to
the other’ (often with a verb prefixed пере-: перебежть через доргу
‘to run across the road’), ‘over’, ‘via’:

В шклу мы ходли через лес

We used to go to school through the forest

Он перелз через забр

He climbed over the fence

хать в Кев через Москв3

to travel to Kiev via Moscow

мост через р)ку

a bridge over the river

Note
(a) Через implies a direction or destination and therefore does not
combine with verbs such as брод&ть ‘to roam’, гулть ‘to stroll’,
по + dative being preferred: мы гул5ли п лесу ‘we were strolling
through the forest’.
(b) Через in the meaning ‘across’ is not normally repeated within a
sentence, thus: Машны переезжют через р)ку, по крас&вому
мост3 ‘The cars drive across the river over a handsome bridge’
446 The Preposition 424

(cf., used in isolation, synonymous идт через мост and идт

по мост3 ‘to walk across a bridge’)
(c) Через may also denote:
(i) A spatial interval: Через два дма живёт её дочь ‘Her
daughter lives two doors down’, Киломтров через пять
нашл скал" ‘Some five kilometres on they found the
rock’.
(ii) A recurrent interval: через првильные промеж3тки ‘at
regular intervals’, спотыкться через кждые два шаг
‘to stumble at every two paces’, печтать через стрчку
‘to type double-spaced’.
(iii) An intermediary: разговривать через перевдчика ‘to
converse through an interpreter’.
(3) СквBзь implies difficulty of accomplishment, resistance etc.:
смотрть сквBзь щель
to peer through a crack
СквBзь кр+шу протекла вод
Water was leaking through the roof
пробирться сквBзь толп3
to push one’s way through the crowd

Note
(a) Через in such contexts implies less resistance in passing through:
Луч слнца проникли сквBзь/через листв" ‘The rays of the
sun were penetrating/passing through the foliage’.
(b) Only сквBзь (not через) is possible with a noun that denotes a
climatic feature: Слнце пробивлось сквBзь мет)ль/тумн/т3чу
‘The sun was forcing its way through the snow storm/mist/cloud’.
(c) Figurative usage: смотрть сквBзь пльцы на чт-нибудь ‘to turn
a blind eye to something’.
(4) Поперёк means ‘transversely across, athwart, crosswise’:
лечь поперёк пост)ли
to lie across the bed
Грузовк сто5л поперёк дорги и тормозл движние
The lorry was blocking the road, impeding the traffic
(5) Вглубь means ‘deep into’:
вглубь лесв into the heart of the forest
 424–426 Temporal Prepositions 447

вглубь материк inland

Prepositions that Denote Spatial Limit

425 Lj + genitive, gj + accusative

(1) До + genitive means ‘as far as’: Автбус идёт тлько до Арбта
‘The bus only goes as far as the Arbat’.
(2) По + accusative denotes the limit of an action or process, up to and
including a point in space represented by:
(i) A part of the body:
обнажённая по лкоть рук
an arm bared to the elbow
Он вошёл в вду по пяс
He waded into the water up to his waist
(ii) Other spatial points:
дом, по кна занесённые снгом
houses buried up to the windows in snow
Note the idioms знят по грло ‘up to one’s eyes in work’, сыт по грло
‘fed up to the back teeth’, влюбл5ться п уши ‘to fall madly in love’,
п уши в долгх ‘up to the ears in debt’.

Temporal Prepositions

426 Telling the time

The question В котром час3?/Во склько? ‘At what time?’ is

answered as follows:
(1) By в + accusative on the hour and up to the half-hour:
в час/два час . . . at one o’clock/two o’clock . . .
в пять мин3т шестго at five past five
в плдень/в плночь at midday/midnight
(2) By в + prepositional on the half-hour:
448 The Preposition 426–427

в полов&не п)рвого at half past twelve (colloquially

в пBлп)рвого)
(3) By без + genitive after the half-hour:
без пят& пять at five to five

Note
(a) В + prepositional and Bколо are used to denote approximate time:
в восьмм час3 ‘between seven and eight’, в начле девтого ‘just
after eight’, Bколо двух часв ‘at about two o’clock’.
(b) In colloquial Russian, prepositions may be juxtaposed: До какго
чса вы рабтаете сегдня? До без чтверти всемь ‘What time
do you work until today?’ ‘Until a quarter to eight’.
(c) В + accusative is usual in phrases with миг/мгнов)ние (в
посл)дний миг/в посл)днее мгнов)ние ‘at the last instant’),
мин3та (в посл)днюю мин3ту ‘at the last minute’, в посл)дние
мин3ты ‘in the final minutes’), мом)нт (в посл)дний мом)нт
‘at the last moment’) and час (в пздний час ‘at a late hour’).
(d) However, на + prepositional is used in sporting contexts: На
шестй мин3те пльская комнда откр ла счёт ‘The Polish
team opened the score in the sixth minute’, на п)рвых/посл)дних
мин3тах мтча ‘in the opening, closing minutes of the match’.
Compare similar usage in chess: Пртия завершлась на 16-м ход3
‘The game finished at the 16th move’.
See 206 for a detailed account of how to tell the time.

427 Days

(1) В combines with the accusative of день and the days of the week:
в какй день/в как&е дни? on what day/on what days?
в понед)льник, во втрник on Monday, on Tuesday
в ср)ду, в четв)рг, в птнипу on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
в суббту, в воскрес)нье on Saturday, Sunday
в Eтот, пршлый, б3дущий this, last, next Monday
понед)льник
(2) While в is used with days qualified by п)рвый (в п)рвый
день/в п)рвые с3тки ‘on the first day’), на + accusative is used with
ordinal numerals above п)рвый (на тр)тий день/тр)тьи с3тки ‘on
the third day’, на вторй день пbсле отъзда ‘on the second day after
 427–428 Temporal Prepositions 449

leaving’), and with другй, сл)дующий: на другй/сл)дующий день

‘on the next day’ (cf. в другй день ‘on another day’).

(3) По combines with the dative plural to denote recurrent points in time:
по средм ‘on Wednesdays’, по суббтам 3тром ‘on Saturday mornings’.

Note
(a) День itself is used in this meaning only in certain phrases: по
чётным/нечётным дням ‘on even/odd days’ etc.
(b) An alternative construction with в + accusative plural is possible
in certain combinations: по б3дням/в б3дни ‘on weekdays’, по
выходн+м дням/в выходн+е дни ‘on days off’ по прздни-
кам/в прздники ‘on holidays’. In some expressions only в +
accusative is possible: в об+чные дни ‘on normal days’.
(c) По + dative plural also indicates temporal continuity: по ц)лым
часм/дням ‘for hours/days on end’ (also ц)лыми днми/часми).

428 Parts of a day

(1) Nouns that denote part of a day (3тро ‘morning’ etc.) usually appear
in the instrumental: 3тром ‘in the morning’ etc. (but пять часв утр
‘five o’clock in the morning’; see 97 (2) (i)) and 206 (1) (ii).

(2) However, в + accusative is used with nouns denoting parts of a

day which are qualified by pronouns or adjectives (including п)рвый
‘first’): в п)рвый/посл)дний в)чер ‘on the first/the last evening’, в ту
ночь ‘that night’, в Eто воскр)сное 3тро ‘on that Sunday morning’.

(3) When nouns which denote part of a day are qualified by другй/
сл)дующий or ordinals above п)рвый, however, they combine with
на + accusative: на сл)дующий в)чер/сл)дующую ночь/друге 3тро/
тр)тье 3тро ‘on the next evening/the next night/the next morning/the
third morning’.

(4) По + dative plural denotes recurrent points in time: по вечерм/

ночм/утрм ‘in the evenings/at nights/in the mornings’; по ночм он
не спит ‘he doesn’t sleep at nights’.

Note
В с3мерки/с3мерках ‘at dusk’, but на восхде ‘at sunrise’, на закте
‘at sunset’, на зар)/рассв)те ‘at dawn’.
450 The Preposition 429

429 Weeks, months, years and centuries

(1) На combines with the prepositional of нед)ля ‘week’:

на Eтой, пршлой, this, last, next week

б3дущей нед)ле

(2) В combines with the prepositional of:

(i) М)сяц ‘month’ and the names of calendar months:

в январ), феврал) мрте . . . in January, February, March . . .

в Eтом, пршлом, this, last, next month
б3дущем м)сяце

Note
(a) All names of months are masculine and are spelt with a small
letter. The six months from сентбрь ‘September’ through to
феврль ‘February’ take end stress in declension: в сентябр) ‘in
September’ etc. The other six, from март to вгуст, have fixed
stress in declension.
(b) ‘This March, last April, next December’ are rendered as в мрте
Eтого гда, в апр)ле пршлого гда, в декабр) б3дущего
гда.
(c) The use of на + prepositional in contexts relating to pregnancy: Он
оствил её на седьмм м)сяце берменности ‘He abandoned
her in the seventh month of her pregnancy’.
(d) The use of consecutive dates in ночь с 11-го на 12-е январ ‘the
night of 11 January’.

(ii) Год ‘year’:

в Eтом, пршлом, б3дущем this, last, next year

год3

в т+сяча девятьст in 1998

девянсто восьмм год3

в двухт+сячном год3 in the year 2000

Note
(a) В сл)дующем год3 is also used, especially with a reference point
in the past: В сл)дующем год3 овладли чстью Финл5ндии ‘In
 429–430 Temporal Prepositions 451

the following year they captured part of Finland’.

(b) The prepositional case is also used with years in the plural: в
1920–1921 годх ‘in 1920 –1921’.
(c) With decades, the accusative is preferred for processes extending
over a period: В 1960-е гды здесь продавлись р"сские кнги
‘Russian books were sold here in the 1960s’. The prepositional
is preferred for an event occurring at a point within a decade:
Магазн закр лся в 1970-х годх ‘The shop closed in the
1970s’.

(iii) Век/стол)тие ‘century’ and тысячел)тие ‘millennium’:

в Eтом, пршлом, this, last, next century

б3дущем в)ке/стол)тии
в ХХ (двадцтом) в)ке in the twentieth century
в тр)тьем тысячел)тии in the third millennium

Note
(a) When qualified by modifiers other than Eтот, пршлый, б3дущий,
в combines with the accusative of нед)ля, м)сяц, год: в п)рвую,
посл)днюю нед)лю ‘in the first, the last week’, в п)рвые нед)ли
сени ‘in the first weeks of autumn’, в п)рвый м)сяц к"рса ‘in
the first month of the course’, в п)рвый/посл)дний год войн
‘in the first/last year of the war’, в год рождния ‘in the year of
my birth’, в послево)нные гды ‘in the post-war years’. (This
also applies to the seasons, cf. сенью, зимй ‘in the autumn,
winter’ but в ту сень ‘that autumn’, в тр3дную з&му ‘in a
difficult winter’.)
(b) With ordinal numerals above п)рвый, на + accusative is the norm:
на четвёртый м)сяц ‘in the fourth month’, на втор3ю нед)лю
‘in the second week’, на четвёртый год ‘in the fourth year’ (but на
четвёртом год3 перестрйки ‘in the fourth year of restructuring’,
where reference is to a stage in a process).

430 General time words

В governs the accusative case of nouns which denote time in general

or an indefinite period of time (век ‘age’, вр)мя ‘time’, эпха ‘epoch’
etc.):
452 The Preposition 430

в томный век/ср)дние in the atomic age/the middle ages

век
в м&рное вр)мя in peace time
во времен Петр І during the time of Peter I
в пер&од социалзма under socialism
в з&мнюю пру in winter time
в з&мний сезн in the winter season (also в з&мнем
сезне)
в старин3 in the old days
в теч)ние during the course of
в ншу эпху in our era

Note
(a) Во вр)мя is used with activities/events (во вр)мя урка ‘during
the lesson’), but not with words of time. В теч)ние can be used
with either, thus: Репортжи б"дем передавть в теч)ние всей
конфернции ‘We shall be transmitting reports throughout the
whole conference’, в теч)ние слдующих нскольких недль
‘during the next few weeks’.
(b) Во времен is used for the distant past: во времен крепостнго
прва ‘during serfdom’, во времен Шекспра (= при
Шекспре/при жзни Шекспра) ‘in Shakespeare’s time’ (see
442 (2) for при in temporal meaning). Во времен is preferred
to при when the events are distant in time and (from a Russian
viewpoint) location. Compare Росся европеизровалась при
Петр) П)рвом/во времен Петр П)рвого ‘Russia was
Europeanized in the reign of Peter the First’ (an event distant in
time) and Во времен Петр П)рвого *нглия был велкой
морскй держвой ‘Britain was a great naval power during
the time of Peter the First’ (a historical fact distant in time and
location).
(c) В хде is common in scientific and journalistic literature,
combining with a noun that denotes a process: в хде
обсужд)ния (= = в проц)ссе обсужд)ния/при обсужд)нии)
‘during the discussion’.
(d) За + accusative denotes the period during which an event occurs
or events occur: Он встречл за Eто вр)мя не блее 60 другх
автомоблей ‘During this period he encountered no more than
60 other cars’.
(e) На протяж)нии is used with longish periods of time: на
протяж)нии н)скольких векв ‘over the course of several
centuries’.
 431–432 Temporal Prepositions 453

431 Nouns that denote stages in a process

В is used in temporal meaning with the prepositional case of:

(1) The nouns пршлое ‘past’, настощее ‘present’, б3дущее ‘future’:
в пршлом, настощем, in the past, present, future
б3дущем
(2) The nouns кон)ц ‘end’, начло ‘beginning’, серед&на ‘middle’:
в начле, серед&не, конц) at the beginning, in the middle,
at the end
Note the phrase в конц) концв ‘eventually/in the end’.
(3) Nouns that denote stages in life:
в млад)нчестве, д)тстве in babyhood, childhood
в млодости, стрости in youth, old age
в глубкой стрости at a ripe old age (but на стрости
лет ‘in old age’)

Note
(a) В взрасте ‘at an age’: Приучться к кфе в её взрасте
нежелтельно ‘It is undesirable to get used to drinking coffee at
her age’. ‘At my age’ may be rendered as в моём взрасте/в мо&
гды. ‘At the age of seven’ is expressed as follows: в взрасте
сем& лет/в семил)тнем взрасте/в семь лет/сем& лет.
(b) Use of на in Он на 76-м год3 потер5л зрние ‘He lost his sight
in his 76th year’, на 6-м дестке ‘in one’s fifties’, на моём век3
‘in my lifetime’.
(4) Nouns that denote a stage in an activity or event:
в антркте, в перер+ве in the interval, at break-time
в тр)тьем пер&оде in the third period (ice-hockey)
во вторм тйме in the second half
в посл)днем т3ре in the final round of a competition
соревновния

432 The weather

В + accusative is used to describe the weather:

454 The Preposition 432–434

в плох3ю погду
in bad weather

Самолёты в тумн прикваны к земл

In fog the aircraft are grounded

Note
Во вр)мя can also be used in more general meanings (во вр)мя мет)ли
‘during the snowstorm’), cf. в + accusative with its implications of time
and circumstance (В мет)ль он сблись с пут ‘They lost their way
in the snowstorm’). Nouns such as жар ‘heat’, погда ‘weather’, хлод
‘cold’ combine only with в + accusative.

433 Festivals

The names of some festivals combine with в or на + accusative: в/на

Нвый год ‘at New Year’. В is commoner (в Прздник Побды ‘at
the Victory Festival’, в новогдний прздник ‘at the new year festival’,
в мйские прздники ‘at the May festivities’), but на persists with
religious festivals (на Псху ‘at Easter’, на Рождеств ‘at Christmas’).

The Use of Prepositions to Denote Action in Relation

to Various Time Limits

434 The use of c + genitive, lj + genitive/gj + accusative

to denote terminal points in time

(1) С + genitive denotes ‘since/from’ a point in time:

С суббты мы вмсте We have been together since Saturday

с двних пор since time immemorial
с тех пор since then

(Начиня) с апр)ля Внгрия перейдёт на лтнее врмя

(With effect) from April Hungary will switch to summer time

Note
Со вр)мени, со дня, с мом)нта etc. combine with nouns that denote the
names of activities or events: