Russian mistakes in English: prepositions

ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS VS. RUSSIAN CASES

If we try removing the appropriate case endings from a Russian sentence, it sounds strange (1),
but if we use the wrong case endings, it becomes harder to understand (2). The correct
sentence is shown in (3).
(1) , .
(2) ,
.
(3) ,
.
This is the same in English when it comes to prepositions. In sentence (1) they have been
removed and in (2) incorrect prepositions have been added. The correct sentence is shown in
(3).
(1) She read the text English, crossed it a red pen and cried hours.
(2) She read the text on English, crossed it through by a red pen and cried with hours.
(3) She read the text in English, crossed it out with a red pen and cried for hours.
In the examples above, you can see the important role played by case endings in Russian and
prepositions in English. It is worth making the effort to get them right in both languages if you
want to be properly understood.
TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS
When trying to understand how prepositions are used, it is important to distinguish between
two worlds the tangible, physical world we can see and touch, and the abstract world of
concepts and ideas.
PHYSICAL WORLD
English and Russian tend to agree most of the time when it comes to the concrete or physical
world, but there are also some noticeable divergences in the perception of certain objects.
For example, in English the words tree and picture take the preposition in. However, in
Russian and take the surface preposition . Compare the following:
The bird is ON the tree (Russian mistake)
The bird is IN the tree (Correct usage)
There are flowers ON the picture (Russian mistake)
There are flowers IN the picture (Correct usage)
When we say on/ we are referring to a surface relationship and when we use in/ we
mean inside a 3D object. Judging from the above examples, we might argue that our two

languages perceive trees and pictures differently English as 3D objects with an inside,
Russian as surfaces. Interestingly, if we changed the word tree to branch in our example,
we would see agreement between English and Russian usage of the surface prepositions
on/. If you would like to test this, ask some Russian friends to draw a tree you can
expect to see branches in their pictures. Native English speakers are more likely to draw a
cloud with a stick picture but with no branches (unless you specify that it should be a tree in
autumn/winter!).
When considering the picture example, you might argue that English can also use on, e.g.
The fly is on the picture (surface). In Russian, you cannot say (in) about a picture and
therefore to distinguish between a painted fly and a live one, you would have to add
clarification, e.g. (Lit. The fly is sitting on the picture).
Russians also have a tendency to use on with words like concert. The correct preposition
to use here is at, e.g. I cant speak now! Im AT a concert and the musics really loud!
English speakers learning Russian would similarly be prone to making mistakes like:
or ! because we use in with these nouns. English also uses
in about sun and rain, e.g. Singing in the rain and Lazing in the sun. Russian uses in
these contexts so Russian speakers often make the mistake of saying under the sun/rain.
Remember that where we see differences in our use of preposition in English and Russian, we
can expect mistakes unless the speaker has specifically learnt the correct usage.
Another interesting mistake is with in/to. Russian uses the preposition to describe place
(where?) and direction (where to?), whereas English uses in for the former and to for the
latter. This may seem like an elementary mistake but it is an easy one to make. Heres an
example:
I went IN England last summer. (Russian mistake)
I went TO England last summer. (Correct usage)
If you examine a list of physical world nouns in English, it is often possible to see how they
form logical categories in terms of the prepositions they take. The following categories may be
of use:
Technology = on
Big transport = on
Surface = on
Inside a 3D object = in
Buildings/places = at/in

(computer, TV, DVD, hard drive, CD, screen, radio, etc.)

(bus, plane, ship, ferry, etc.)
(bicycle, wall, floor, roof, table, face, shelf, etc.)
(drawer, tree, book, newspaper, hat, pocket, box, fog)
(office, stadium, shop, supermarket, station, park)

English also has some interesting nouns that can change state or be perceived in different
ways both as surfaces and 3D objects. For example, you may be IN your bed but your cat may
be ON your bed. You are under the covers (inside) and the cat is on top of the covers (surface).
The same is true of water, which can take many different prepositions depending on the
context: swim in the water, float on the water, sit by the water, etc. Certain nouns in Russian
can also take multiple prepositions, e.g. language vs. .
This leads to Russian mistakes like: I read the text ON English. (in). Using on here would

mean that the text was about the English language but could have been written in Russian,
Chinese, etc.!
ABSTRACT WORLD
In addition to the physical world around us that we can see and touch, we have another
abstract world of concepts and ideas. Prepositions used with more abstract notions often lack
the logic associated with the use of prepositions in the physical world and this leads to more
mistakes. Where English and Russian use the same preposition in a given construction, we
would not expect errors to occur, e.g. rely on . However, where the
languages differ, mistakes are more common. Compare the following:

Russian Mistake
depend on
refuse __
prepare for
tired of
graduate from
divide into
wait for
listen to
explain to

__

(+ acc)
(+ acc)
(+ dat)

depend from
refuse from
prepare to*
tired from**
graduate __ university
divide on
wait __ someone
listen __ music
explain __ someone

* You can say prepare to do something but not prepare to an exam

** You can say he was tired from the journey but not I am tired from you
If we are able to understand where our languages differ, we can focus on these points of
divergence and learn the correct forms through repetition and practice. Relying on your native
language instinct when speaking English will lead to mistakes similar to those listed above. This
is an entirely logical process of transfer from your mother tongue. Remember that mistakes
are not bad in themselves as long as we learn from them and improve.
PREPOSITIONS IN PHRASAL VERBS
Phrasal verbs can pose problems for those learning English due to their number and
complexity of usage. Phrasal verbs consist of a usual verb and one or more particles
(prepositions). These particles play a similar role to inflections added to the beginning of verbs
in Russian, e.g. (look, watch) vs. (look through) vs.
(look round). Many verbs of motion in both languages follow this same pattern
(go out), (go across), (go around), etc.

Russians often confuse verbs of this type with their root verbs, e.g. pick vs. pick up, grow vs.
grow up, etc. Compare the following:
I am going to the forest to pick up mushrooms. (Correct: pick)
My father likes to grow up vegetables on his allotment. (Correct: grow)
Remember that children grow up but vegetables grow and you pick up some milk on your way
home but pick berries in the woods. Learn phrasal verbs in context to avoid confusion.