Location vs. Direction: 'где' and 'куда' — Russian Grammar

English uses the same words for being somewhere and going somewhere: Where are you? and Where are you going?. Russian always separates the two. Location and direction have different question words, different adverbs and different cases after the same preposition.

Three Questions

(gde) - where (location)
(kudá) - where to (direction)
(otkúda) - where from

Где ты сейча́с?
Gde ty seychás?Gde ty sejčás?
Where are you now?
Куда́ ты идёшь?
Kudá ty idyósh'?Kudá ty idjóšʹ?
Where are you going?
Отку́да вы?
Otkúda vy?
Where are you from?

Three Adverbs

Each question has its own set of answers.

(zdes'zdesʹ), (tam), (dóma) - here, there, at home
(syudásjudá), (tudá), (domóydomój) - (to) here, (to) there, home

Я до́ма.
Ya dóma.Ja dóma.
I'm at home.
Я иду́ домо́й.
Ya idú domóy.Ja idú domój.
I'm going home.
Иди́ сюда́!
Idí syudá!Idí sjudá!
Come here!

One Preposition, Two Cases

After в and (na), the prepositional case means location and the accusative case means direction.

(v shkólev škóle) - at school
(v shkóluv škólu) - to school
(na rabóte) - at work
(na rabótu) - to work

Я в магази́не.
Ya v magazíne.Ja v magazíne.
I'm at the store.
Я иду́ в магази́н.
Ya idú v magazín.Ja idú v magazín.
I'm going to the store.
Она́ на рабо́те.
Oná na rabóte.
She's at work.
Она́ е́дет на рабо́ту.
Oná yédet na rabótu.Oná jédet na rabótu.
She's going to work.

Coming From

For the starting point, (iz) replaces в, and с replaces (na), both with the genitive.

Я из Росси́и.
Ya iz Rossíi.Ja iz Rossíi.
I'm from Russia.
Я иду́ с рабо́ты.
Ya idú s rabóty.Ja idú s rabóty.
I'm coming from work.

People

With people, Russian uses у (at someone's place), к (to someone) and (ot) (from someone).

Я у дру́га.
Ya u drúga.Ja u drúga.
I'm at a friend's.
Я иду́ к дру́гу.
Ya idú k drúgu.Ja idú k drúgu.
I'm going to a friend's.

Verbs Follow Suit

Verbs of putting and placing describe a direction, so they take (kudá) and the accusative; verbs of standing, lying and sitting describe a location.

Положи́ кни́гу на стол.
Polozhí knígu na stol.Položí knígu na stol.
Put the book on the table.
Кни́га лежи́т на столе́.
Kníga lezhít na stolé.Kníga ležít na stolé.
The book is lying on the table.

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Russian course

130 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 22. A few of them, with the words “Location vs. Direction: 'где' and 'куда'” is about in bold:

Я хочу пойти домой сейчас.
Ya khochú poytí domóy seychás.Ja xočú pojtí domój sejčás.
I want to go home now.
Lesson 71
Я пошла в торговый центр.
Ya poshlá v torgóvyy tsentr.Ja pošlá v torgóvyj centr.
I went to the shopping mall.
Lesson 172
О, я знаю Францию. Я был во Франции раньше.
O, ya znáyu Frántsiyu. Ya byl vo Frántsii rán'she.O, ja znáju Fránciju. Ja byl vo Fráncii ránʹše.
Oh, I know France. I have been to France before.
Lesson 208

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