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В (location)
The most common word for “at” in Russian is в followed by the prepositional case:
| — Где мама? — Она в магазине. |
“Where's Mom?” “She is at the store.” |
| — Где Лена? — Она занимается в библотеке. |
“Where is Lena?” “She is studying at the library.” |
| Дети любят играть в парке. | Children love to play at the park |
| Давай встретимся в бассейне. | Let's meet at the pool. |
But в can often be translated as “in”:
| Молоко в холодильнике. | The milk is in the refrigerator. |
| — В чём живёт улитка? — В ракушке. |
“What does a snail live in?” “In its shell.” |
| Летучие мыши спят днём в пещерах. | Bats sleep in caves during the day. |
| Почему в моём пупочке столько пуха? | Why is there so much fuzz in my bellybutton? |
If you are an English speaker, your intuition will be a good guide as to when to translate в as in and when as at. Pity the poor Russian speaker, though, who has to figure out the difference in English.
В can also be used to indicate emotional states:
| Он это сказал в гневе. Не принимай его слова всерьёз. | He said that in anger. Don't take his words seriously. |
| Я весь день бегал в панике, то туда, то сюда. | I ran around here and there all day long in a panic. |
| Я был в полном шоке, когда меня уволили. | I was in complete shock when they fired me. |
| Когда загораю на пляже, я чувствую себя в полном блаженстве. | When I'm soaking up the sun on the beach, I am in complete bliss. |