Prepositions: Types and Case governance

Types of Prepositions

Prepositions may be classified as derivative or non-derivative. Non-derivative prepositions (sometimes called simple) are prepositions purely and primarily (English examples are of, on, to); these may govern one, two, or (rarely) three cases. The meaning of the preposition will differ when the case does.  Derivative prepositions began as other parts of speech, usually phrases (English examples are  beside, due to, and considering). Russian derivative prepositions are adverbial, nominal, and verbal, depending on whether they originated from adverbs, nouns, or verbs; and are simple (one word) or compound  (containing another preposition - English compound examples are things like due to, according to, because of, regardless of). They only ever take one case.


Prepositional Case

The prepositional case (in English, the "object case" is used here) mainly names the place where actions occur. (Thus, an alternate name some resources may use is locative case.)

Prepositional case answers the questions: о ком? о чëм? где? about whom? about what? where?
In Russian grammar books, when there is a table of case endings, prepositional is always shown with O, because this case, alone among Russian cases, must follow a preposition.


There are only five prepositions that take (govern) Prepositional, all of them non-derivative. 

One case:
при, under (of time), by

Two cases: 
в in, на on, о about

Three cases:
 по, along


Accusative Case

Accusative case (in English, the "object case" is used here) mainly names the recipient of action or the thing acted upon. It answers the questions: кого? что? whom? what?

There are fifteen prepositions that take Accusative: ten non-derivative and five derivative, the latter all verbal - three simple and two compound.

One case:
про about, сквозь through, через across

Two cases:
в into, на onto, о about, под under, за behind, for

Three cases:
по along, с (of time) approximately

Derivatives:
исключая excluding, включая including, спустя later, несмотря на despite, невзирая на regardless of