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“В” Or “На” with Places and Events in Russian — Part II Posted by on Feb 1, 2017 in language, Russian for beginners

Last time, we looked at the expressions for various events and places with в or на. Let’s look at a couple more categories. Like last time, I will be listing the prepositional case for location (“in the theater”); remember to use the accusative case for direction (“to the theater”).

Entertainment Venues With В

cinema

Image from Pixabay

Many entertainment venues are preceded by the preposition в (in), especially if they are standalone buildings.

  • в театре: in the theater/re

Люди стали культурнее, больше тянутся к образованию, саморазвитию, чаще ходят в театр.
(People have become more cultured — they strive for education and self-improvement and go to the theater more often.)
[Юлия Вишневецкая. Большой дед следит за тобой // «Русский репортер», 2014]

  • в кино (в кинотеатре): in the cinema

На другой день они отправились в кино.
(The following day they went to the cinema.)
[Токарева Виктория. Своя правда // «Новый Мир», 2002]

  • в ресторане (в кафе): in a restaurant (in a café)

И ещё я любил с двоюродным братом ходить в рестораны.
(I also liked going out to eat with my cousin.)
[И. Э. Кио. Иллюзии без иллюзий (1995-1999)]

Events With На

concert

Image from Pixabay

There are several expressions that refer to the event itself more than the venue where it takes place. In that case, we use на. Again, these are no hard-and-fast rules but guidelines to help you remember some common expressions.

  • на выставке: at a show/exhibition

На выставке представлены игрушки как для мальчиков, так и для девочек.
(The show features both boys’ and girls’ toys.)
[обобщенный. Афиша. 7 событий // «Русский репортер», № 37 (215), 22 сентября 2011, 2011]

  • на экскурсии: on a (walking) tour/excursion

Они приехали в Москву на экскурсию и захотели увидеться со мной.
(They came to Moscow on a tour and wanted to meet with me.)
[Марина Саввиных, Николай Волокитин. Здравствуй, Красноярск! // «Мурзилка», 2001]

  • на концерте (на выступлении): at a concert/performance

Для того чтобы музыка продавалась, нужно, чтобы люди ходили на концерты.
(For music to sell, people need to come to concerts.)
[Наталья Зайцева, Максим Покровский. Насморки и мутанты // «Русский репортер», № 14 (93), 16-23 апреля 2009, 2009]

  • на рынке/на ярмарке/на базаре: at a market/fair/bazaar (outdoor market)

Жители города сотнями шли со всех концов на базар.
(Hundreds of town residents walked to the market from everywhere.)
[Людмила Гурченко. Аплодисменты (1994-2003)]

These are some of the common expressions with в or на I could think of. Are there any other cases you can add? Try opening a Russian newspaper, like Kommersant, and look for examples of places or events with в or на. What could you find?

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About the Author: Maria

Maria is a Russian-born translator from Western New York. She is excited to share her fascination with all things Russian on this blog. Maria's professional updates are available in English on her website and Twitter and in Russian on Telegram.