As in many languages, most Russian prepositions have many different uses. Therefore, some of the prepositions outlined below can also be used to describe time, place, direction etc. In this post, we’ll focus just on their uses as prepositions of manner.
RussianPrepositions
In Russian, prepositions of manner introduce phrases that indicate how an action is performed (i.e. the manner in which something is done). It’s one of the ways to describe how something happened. For example:
говорить по душам
gavaREET pa dooSHAM
speak heart to heart
lit. to speak to soul
без ошибок
byez aSHYbak
without mistakes
в обмен на
v abMYEN na
in exchange for
на самом деле
na SAmam DYEle
in fact, indeed
c удовольствием
s oodaVOLstviyem
with pleasure
You probably have already noticed that all of the phrases with the prepositions of manner answer the question Как?[kak](how).
Learning prepositions is a long journey. In this post, we will talk about prepositions of manner and how they are used in Russian. Please join me in this journey!
What is a preposition of manner?
A preposition of manner is a word that comes before a to create a phrase that describes how something happened.
But phrases that start with a preposition of manner are only one of many ways you can answer the question Как?[kak](How?) in Russian. Let’s look at some examples below so you can see which specific types of words we’ll cover in this post.
Prepositions of manner | Они танцевали с уверенностью, с задором. aNEE tantsyVAli s ooVYErinastyu i zaDOram. They were dancing with confidence, with vigor. Он ехал на огромной скорости. on YEkhal na agROMnay SKOrasti. He was driving at a huge speed. |
|---|---|
Manner clauses | Они танцевали так, как будто это было в последний раз. aNEE tantsyVAli tak kak BOOta Eta BYla v pasLYEDniy ras. They were dancing as if it was the last time. Он ехал так быстро, что не заметил знак "Стоп". on YEkhal tak BYStra shto ni zaMYEtil znak “stop.” He was driving so fast that he didn't notice the stop sign. |
Manner adverbs | a single word Они танцевали уверенно и задорно. aNEE tantsyVAli ooVYErina i zaDORna. They were dancing confidently and vigorously. Он ехал быстро. on YEkhal BYStra. He was driving fast. |
What are the most frequent prepositions of manner in Russian?
There are many prepositions of manner in the Russian language — в(о)[v(a)](in/on/at), на[na](on/at/for), без[byes](without), and по[pa](on/via/at) are the most frequent of them.
Important
How to use в(о) as a preposition of manner?
As a preposition of manner, you will likely translate the preposition в(о)[v(a)] as “in.” The noun that follows в(о) in this context is usually in the .
accusative case
Она жила в долг, а это не лучшая стратегия.
aNA zhyLA v dolk, a Eta ni LOOCHshaya srarTEgiya.
She lived in debt, and it’s not the best strategy.
Матч закончился в пользу команды США.
mach zaKONchilsya f POLzoo kaMANdy se-she-a.
The match ended in favor of the US team.
We also use в(о) as a preposition of manner in several different , like:
во что бы то ни стало
va shto by ta ni STAla
by all means
в любом случае
v lyuBOM SLOOchayi
either way
в общем
V Obshchim
all in all
Всё в порядке!
fsyo f paRYTki
it's fine
lit. everything is in order
How to use the preposition of manner без (byes)?
The preposition без[byes] means “without” and it always comes before a noun in the . Let’s read some examples.
genitive case
Студенты говорят по-русски без ошибок.
stooDYENty gavaRYAT paROOSki byez aSHYbak.
Students speak Russian without mistakes.
Хотите поменять работу без страха и сомнений?
khaTEEtye pamiNYAT raBOtoo byes STRAkha i samNYEniy?
Do you want to change jobs without nervousness (lit: fear) and doubts?
This preposition is also used in a couple different set phrases, like…
genitive case
встреча без галстуков
FSTRYEcha byez GALstookaf
an informal meeting
lit. a meeting without ties
без сучка, без задоринки
byes soochKA byez zaDOrinki
without a hitch
How to use на as a preposition of manner?
In Russian the preposition на[na] is used as a preposition of manner for a few different restricted functions:
на + means of transportation → to express how someone travels:
prepositional caseОбычно мы ездим на работу на машине.
aBYCHna my YEZdim na raBOtoo na maSHYni.
We usually go to work by car.
на + language → to describe the language something was written/spoken in
prepositional caseОн написал письмо на английском.
on napiSAL pisMO na anGLEEYskam.
He wrote a letter in English.
And in a number of common phrases which, while they all describe the manner in which something was done, aren’t easily captured by a single description:
- accusative case
Мы все поверили ему на слово.
my fsye paVYErili iMOO NA slava.
We all took him at his word.
- prepositional case
на самом деле
na SAmam DYEli
in fact
- prepositional case
на всех парах
na fsyekh paRAKH
at full speed
- accusative case
на вкус и цвет товарищей нет
na fkoos i tsvyet taVArishchiy nyet
to every man, his own taste
lit. there is no friend in taste and color
Notice that when acting as a preposition of manner, на is usually either followed by the prepositional case or the accusative case.
How to use по (pa) as a preposition of manner?
The preposition по[pa] is not easily translated into English. Its meaning is perhaps best captured as “according to,” as it tends to denote that you are following some guideline, but depending on the context it will more often be translated using another preposition like “on,” “by,” or “in.”
Some good news, though, is that, as a preposition of manner, it will only require the dative case.
dative case
Читать по слогам.
chiTAT pa sloGAM
to read syllable-by-syllable.
lit. to read by the syllables
Сказать по секрету
skaZAT pa sekREtu
to say (something) in secret
Он работает в этой компании по контракту.
on raBOtait v Etay kamPAnii pa kanTRAktoo.
He works for this company under contract.
Here are some examples of set phrases that use по as a preposition of manner:
разговор по душам
razgaVOR pa dooSHAM
a heart-to-heart talk
lit. a talk on souls
влюбиться по уши
vlyuBEEtsya PO ooshy
fall head over heels in love
→ to fall in love on the earsпо полной
pa POLnay
in full
по стопам отца
pa staPAM aTSA
follow in father’s footsteps
How to use с (s) as a preposition of manner?
The preposition с[s] means “with,” and it is very often used as a preposition of manner much like you would use “with” in English. As a preposition of manner, it is followed by the . See examples provided below:
instrumental case
Компания завершила год с прибылью.
kamPAniya zavirSHYla got sPREEbylyu.
The company ended the year with a profit.
Они выполняют всю работу с опережением графика.
aNEE vypalNYAyut fsyu raBOtoo s apiriZHEniyem GRAfika.
They finish all the work ahead of schedule.
lit. with advancement of the schedule
Ирина вместе с её учениками убрала класс.
iREEna VMYEStye s iYO oochiniKAmi oobraLA klass.
Irina, together with her students, cleaned the classroom.
Important
When in Russian we say that the action is done “with” an instrument or tool, we use the instrumental case for the tool, but we do not use the preposition с[s](with). For instance:
instrumental case
Суши едят палочками, а куриную ножку - руками.
SOOshy yiDYAT PAlachkami a kooREEnooyu NOSHkoo rooKAmi.
Sushi is eaten with chopsticks, and a chicken leg, with the hands.
For more examples in which “with” is not included in Russian, check out our post on the instrumental case!
Here are some set phrases in which с is used as a preposition of manner:
с первого взгляда
s PYERvava VZGLYAda
at first sight
с удовольствием
s oodaVOLstviyem
with pleasure
сойти с рук
sayTEE s rook
get away with
с ног на голову
s nok NA galavoo
upside down
lit. lit: with legs to head
How to use за (za) as a preposition of manner?
When we use за[za] as a preposition of manner, it comes before a noun describing how you paid for something, and so it is usually translated as “for” or “with.” With this meaning, за takes the accusative case.
accusative case
Представляешь, он купил новую машину за наличные!
pritstaVLYAish on kooPEEL NOvooyu maSHYnoo za naLEECHnyie!
Imagine, he bought a new car for cash!
Here are some set phrases with this use of за:
за гроши / за копейки
za graSHY / za kaPYEYki
for pennies
принимать всё за чистую монету
priniMAT fsyo za CHEEStooyu maNYEtoo
accept everything at face value
Summary
When using prepositions of manner in Russian, keep in mind that…
Prepositions of manner introduce a noun that us used to describe how a thing or action happened.
The most common prepositions of manner in Russian are:
без[byes](without)
в[v](without)
на[na](on/at/for)
по[pa](on/via/around)
с(with/since)
за[za](for)
Ready to do some exercises? Download them below and get practicing!
