How to use prepositions of absence and opposition in Russian?

In Russian, prepositions of absence and opposition both create phrases that feel negative in meaning, but they are a little different:

• A preposition of absence is used before a noun that is absent or was not involved in a situation.

• A preposition of opposition is used before a noun that works against or might oppose the action.

In this post, we’ll look at these two different types of prepositions and discuss how and when to use each one in Russian. Let’s have a look!

In Russian, prepositions of absence are used before a noun that is absent from or not included in some situation. There are quite a few prepositions in Russian used to denote absence, but luckily all of them are used before the genitive case. Here are some of the most common:

• без (transcribed byes, meaning “without”)

  genitive case

  Я часто путешествую без багажа.

  Transcription: ya CHASta pootiSHESTvooyu byez bagaZHA

  Translation: I often travel without luggage.

• кроме (transcribed KROmye, meaning “except for”)

  genitive case

  Все, кроме нас, проголосовали за.

  Transcription: fsye KROmye nas pragalasaVAli za

  Translation: Everyone but us voted in favor.

  This preposition is also sometimes used to mean “apart from” or “besides,” for example, in these commonly used phrases:

  • кроме того

    Transcription: KROmye taVO

    Translation: besides that
  • кроме всего прочего

    Transcription: KROmye fsiVO PROchiva

    Translation: on top of all that; apart from everything else

  Sometimes, the phrase за исключением (transcribed za isklyuCHEniyem) or the word the word помимо (transcribed paMEEma) can be used used is also used to mean “with the exception of” or “except for,” but кроме is far more common.

  genitive case

  Во всех сериях, за исключением последней, действие происходит в Японии.

  Transcription: va fsyekh SYEriyakh za isklyuCHEniyem pasLYEDnyey dYEYstviye praisKHOdit v yiPOnii

  Translation: In all episodes with the exception of the last one the show is set in Japan.

  Помимо Петра, все приходят на работу вовремя.

  Transcription: paMEEma pitRA fsye priKHOdyat na raBOtoo VOvrimya

  Translation: Except Pyotr, everyone comes to work on time.

• вместо (transcribed VMYESta, meaning “instead of”)

  genitive case

  В этот салат вместо мяса можно положить колбасу.

  Transcription: v Etat saLAT VMYEsta MYAsa MOZHna palaZHEET kalbaSOO)

  Translation: You can put ham instead of meat into this salad.

• в отсутствие (transcribed v aTSOOTStvii, meaning “in the absence of; when there is no; without”)

  genitive case

  В отсутствие данных сложно оценить прибыльность бизнеса.

  Transcription: v atSOOTStvii DAnykh SLOZHna atsiNEET PREEbylnast BEEZnesa

  Translation: In the absence of data it’s hard to evaluate how profitable a business is.

In Russian, prepositions of opposition are used before nouns that work against or might prevent a situation. The most common ones are listed below:

• наперекор + dative

  The preposition наперекор (transcribed napiriKOR) can be translated as “сontrary to,” “in spite of,” “against,” or “in the teeth of.”

  dative

  В то время мало кто решался идти наперекор воле родителей или общественному мнению.

  Transcription: f to VRYEmya MAla kto riSHALsya iTEE napiriKOR VOlye raDEEtilyey EEli apSHCHESTvinamoo MNYEniyu

  Translation: At that time few dared to go against their parents’ will or public opinion.

  Наперекор is often used with the verbs идти (transcribed iTEE, meaning “to go”), пойти (transcribed payTEE, meaning “to go”) in the meaning “to go against something/someone,” and is also used in the phrases:

  наперекор судьбе

  Transcription: napiriKOR soodBYE

  Translation: against one’s fate

  наперекор здравому смыслу

  Transcription: napiriKOR ZDRAvamoo SMYSloo

  Translation: against all common sense

• вопреки + dative

  Вопреки (transcribed vapriKEE) can mean “сontrary to,” “in spite of,” or “against.”

  dative

  Вопреки расхожему мнению, в России не везде и не всегда холодно.

  Transcription: vapriKEE rasKHOzhimoo MNYEniyu v raSEEi nye vizDYE i nye fsigDA KHOladna

  Translation: Contrary to popular belief, not everywhere and not always it is cold in Russia.

  Вопреки is mostly used in phrases that are used at the beginning of a sentence, such as:

  • вопреки желаниям

    Transcription: vapriKEE zhiLAniyam

    Translation: contrary to (someone’s) wishes
  • вопреки прогнозам

    Transcription: vapriKEE praGNOzam

    Translation: contrary to the forecast
  • вопреки ожиданиям

    Transcription: vapriKEE azhiDAniyam

    Translation: contrary to expectations

• несмотря на + accusative

  Несмотря на (transcribed nismatRYA na, meaning “in spite of”) is a very common preposition of opposition and concession in Russian.

  accusative

  Он пошёл на работу, несмотря на плохое самочувствие.

  Transcription: on paSHOL na raBOtoo nismatRYA na plaKHOye samaCHOOstviye

  Translation: He went to work despite feeling unwell.

  One of this preposition’s uses is in the common phrase несмотря ни на что (transcribed nismatRYA ni na shto), meaning “against all odds”).

• против + genitive

  Против (transcribed PROtif) means "against."

  genitive

  Никто не возражал против новых правил.

  Transcription: niKTO ni vazraZHAL PROtif NOvykh PRAvil

  Translation: Nobody went against the new rules.

• в отличие от + genitive

  В отличие от (transcribed v atLEEchii at) means "unlike."

  genitive

  В отличие от английского языка, в русском нет артиклей.

  Transcription: v atLEEchii at angLEEYskava v ROOSkam yizyKYE nyet arTEEKlyey

  Translation: Unlike (in) the English language, there are no articles in Russian.

We have looked at the prepositions of absence and opposition. The most important things to remember about grammar used with those are:

• All prepositions of absence must be followed by the genitive case.

• Different prepositions of opposition are followed by dative, accusative, or genitive.

Download the exercises below to see if you have mastered these two types of Russian prepositions!