Adverbs of Place and Movement in Russian

There are hundreds of adverbs in Russian. We can’t cover them all in one post, but there are some different groups of adverbs that we can learn. This time it’s adverbs of place and movement.

Let’s find out what they look like.

Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of place answer the question “Где?” (Where is?). They tell us where something happens.

справа [spra-va] – on the right

слева [slye-va] – on the left

наверху [na-vyer-hоо] – above, upstairs

вверху [vvyer-hоо] – above

внизу [vnee-zoo] – below

рядом [rya-dam]/ вблизи [vblee-zee] – nearby; close

вдали [vda-lee] / вдалеке [vda-lee-kye] – far off, far; in the distance

впереди [fpye-ree-dee] – in front

сзади [sza-dee] – behind

здесь [zdyes’] / тут [toot] – here

там [tam] – there

везде [veez-dye] / повсюду [paf-syu-doo] – everywhere

вокруг [vak-roog] – round, around, about

сбоку [sbo-koo] – on one side

посередине [pa-sye-rye-dee-nye] – in the middle / midst; half way along

дома [do-ma] – at home

See Also: Adverbs of Time in Russian

Example sentences:

• Здесь ничего нет. Идём дальше. – There’s nothing here. Let’s keep going.
• Что вы там делаете? – What are you doing there?
• У меня там много друзей живёт. – I got a lot of friends that live up there.
• Я предложил старушке стать впереди меня. – I allowed the older woman to stand in front of me.
• Вот почему холодильник сзади всегда теплый. – This is why the back of a refrigerator is always warm.
• Сейчас мы живем в эру технологий и огромного количества людей вокруг. – Now we are living in the era of technology and a huge number of people around.
• Повсюду царит полная тишина, которую нарушает лишь ветер, гуляющий в обломках старых судов. – Everywhere there is complete silence, which only wind breaks, walking in the wreckage of old ships.
• Как всегда, правду необходимо искать посередине. – As usual, we have to seek the truth in the middle way.
• В подобных моделях морозильный отсек располагается сбоку. -In these models, the freezer is located on the side.
• Я дома. – I’m (at) home.

The words “наверху“, “внизу” and “вокруг” in Russian can be used both as prepositions and as adverbs. The prepositional usage, followed by the genitive case, indicates the location of something being “above”, “over” or “around” another object.

The adverbial usage of these words does not require any case:

Он наверху. – He is upstairs.

Дети играют внизу. – The children are playing downstairs.

So, the distinction lies in the grammatical role it plays within a sentence.

Adverbs of Movement

When we want to point to an action or movement in a sentence, we use adverbs of movement/direction. They answer the questions Куда? (Where to?) and Откуда? (Where from?).

Adverbs of motion will be especially important if you want to ask for directions in an unfamiliar place.

направо [nap-ra-va] – to the right

налево [na-lye-va] – to the left

наверх [na-vyerh] – going up

вверх [vvyerh] – going up

сверху [svyer-hoo] – from above

снизу [snee-zoo] – from below

спереди [spye-ree-dee] – at / from the front

сзади [sza-dee] – from behind

вниз [vneez] – going down

вперёд [fpee-ryot] – towards

назад [na-zat] – backwards

сюда [syu-da] – to here, there

туда [too-da] – to there

отсюда [at-syu-da] – from here

оттуда [at-too-da] – from there

издали [eez-da-lee] / издалека [eez-da-lee-ka]- from a distance; from afar

навстречу [nafst-rye-choo] – towards

сбоку [sbo-koo] – from one side

домой [da-moy] – (towards) home

See Also: Verbs of Movement in Russian

Examples:

• Иди сюда! – Come here!
• Иди отсюда! – Get out of here! (Go away!)
• Положи его сюда. – Put it there.
• Съездить туда и вернуться займет полдня. – It’ll take half a day to go there and come back.
• В этот момент я почувствовал удар сзади. – At that moment, I felt a push from the back.
• Маленький островок издали был похож на черепаху. – From a distance, the small island looked like a turtle.
• Птицы летают вокруг. – The birds are flying around.
• А теперь иди наверх и ложись спать. – Now, go upstairs, and get ready for bed.
• Мы движемся вперёд, благодаря успехам наших учёных. – We are moving forward due to the success of our scientists.
• Поверните налево на следующем перекрёстке. – Turn left at the next intersection.
• Он пошёл направо после выхода из здания. – He went to the right after exiting the building.
• Они поднялись наверх и остановились на площадке. – They went upstairs and stopped on the landing.
• Мы летим вверх, приближаясь к облакам. – We are flying upwards, getting closer to the clouds.
• Спускайтесь вниз по лестнице. – Go down the stairs.
• Река течёт вниз по склону горы. – The river flows downward along the mountain slope.
• Я иду домой. – I’m going home.

It’s important to learn adverbs of place and movement in Russian because they help us talk about where things are and how to get around. They allow us to give directions, describe locations, and chat about travel stuff. With these adverbs, we can navigate cities, have conversations about places, and find our way without getting lost. So, if you want to communicate well in Russian and travel smoothly, mastering these adverbs is a must!