"To Moscow" = "На Москву" ?

[david-us.livejournal.com]

I was listening to a Russian language tape and I was in a section that had a lot of phrases like ...

"Is this the road to Moscow?"
"This is the correct road to Moscow."
"Go right along the road to Moscow."

They were all translated as follows:

"Это дорога на Москву?"
"Это правильная дорога на Москву?"
"поезжайте направо по дороге на Москву."

I may have got some of these wrong. But what surprised me was the phrase "на Москву" when I was expecting "в Москву."

Because if somebody asked me, "Куда вы едeте?" I would answer, "Я еду в Москву."

What is the explanation for the change in preposition?

Also: as a sidenote, is it properly written "направо" or "на право"? (one or two words?)

Thanks!

(I made some spelling corrections which were pointed out.)

David Emerling
Memphis, TN
 

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

правилЬная
едЕте (едИте is "you eat")
направо (one word, not two)

I guess that "на" is used here instead of "в" because it means a direction rather than indicating a geographical point. On the other hand, Я еду в Москву means that you have a specific destination. One would say "на Москву", "на восток", "на запад".

[oryx_and_crake]

On the other hand, you can say Эта дорога ведет в Москву, which again stresses the destination rather than direction.

[alek-morse.livejournal.com]

// I guess that "на" is used here instead of "в" because it means a direction rather than indicating a geographical point. //

here is a "historical" example: "Немецкие танки шли на Москву (German tanks went to Moscow)".

[phoonzang.livejournal.com]

Here «на» means the direction of travelling rather than your final destination

Я еду в Москву = I'm travelling to Moscow
Я еду на Москву = I'm going/travelling toward Moscow (but I'm going to exit the highway 50 mi before it)
Дорога на Москву = A road toward (in the direction of) Moscow

[phoonzang.livejournal.com]

you can turn направо or налево

but there's also a noun «право» (right, law, license), and «на право» might mean preposition «на» prior to that noun: экзамен на право работать врачом (doctor's qualification test)

[viata.livejournal.com]

"Едите" means "you're eating", "поедите" means "you will eat". You should write it едете/поедете/поедем to convey the "go" meaning. (The stressed vowels are bolded)
На (Москву) is used mainly in too cases:
1. There is some means of transport to Moscow (поезд, автобус, самолёт, рейс); or a road (дорога на Москву).
2. You're going to attack it :> Армия Наполеона шла маршем на Москву - Napoleon's army was marching to Moscow. Я иду на Москву - I'm going to attack Moscow.

In all the other cases you say идти/ехать/лететь в Москву.
In short, if you use verb + preposition + location you take в (unless you're planning to attack this location). If there's no verb (a train to Moscow) you can use на.
Thus Поезд на Москву but Поезд идёт в Москву

[viata.livejournal.com]

Oh, я еду на Москву can also mean "I'm going in the general direction of Moscow".

[nymphatacita.livejournal.com]

Thanks for asking this question. The difference between "to Moscow" and "in the direction of Moscow" never came up in my studies, but this distinction is definitely something that will come in handy! :c)

[laier.livejournal.com]

all directions is a one word, i.e.:

← Слева, налево
→ Справа, направо
↑ Вверх, наверх, кверху
↓ Вниз, книзу (but NOT «наниз»!)

[thumm.livejournal.com]

I'd say the general difference between "в" and "на" in this contest can be translated more or less correctly as follows:
в Москву: road to Moscow (exact final destination)
на Москву: road towards Moscow (general direction)

[kjcjcz.livejournal.com]

Идти на Москву - to begin war with Russia (from history, old russian). На Москву = В Москву - towards Moscow.

[david-us.livejournal.com]

Are you saying that the phrase "на Москву" is uniquely old-Russian and would not be commonly used today?

[kjcjcz.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's quite an old phrase. I use it only when I want to talk about war or some aggression towards Moscow. In other cases I use "в Москву", "во Флориду", "в Тбилиси".