Prepositions "в" and "на"

Why do we say « на пляже » and not « в пляже»? «В субботу» and not «на субботу»? Even those who speak Russian fluently often make mistakes when it comes to the choice between « в » and « на ». Unfortunately, the only way to use the prepositions correctly is to learn which nouns are used with « в » and which ones are used with « на ».

1. “on” = « на » when it means “on top of”:

на столе = on the table

на шкафу = on top of the cupboard

2. For other cases, the choice of the preposition depends on the noun that goes after it. Most nouns take "в", so it's probably safer to use «в» when in doubt. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of the nouns that take «на»:

На работе = at work

На улице = in the street

На заводе (на фабрике) = at the factory

На почте = at the post office

На пляже = on the beach

На встрече (на собрании) = at the meeting

На уроке = at the lesson ; in class

На юге ( севере , востоке , западе ) = in the south (north, east, west)

На самолете (на поезде, на машине и т. д.) = by plane (train, car etc.)

На море = by the sea

На острове = on an island

На каникулах = on (school) holidays, on vacation

На чердаке = at the attic (but: в подвале = in the cellar)

На ( банковском ) счету = on a bank account

На ( первом ) курсе = in (one’s first) year (of university, college)

На факультете = in a faculty

На (этой, прошлой) неделе = ( this , last ) week

На выходных = at the week-end

На диване, на стуле = on the sofa, on the chair (but: в кресле = in the arm-chair)

На балконе = on the balcony

Now you can do the exercise.