Туристический автобус стоит у вокзала.

to stand

Breakdown of Туристический автобус стоит у вокзала.

• у: at
• вокзал: the station
• автобус: the bus

Questions & Answers about Туристический автобус стоит у вокзала.

What grammatical case is вокзала, and why is that case used with у?

Вокзала is in the genitive singular case.

The preposition у (meaning at, by, near in this sentence) always takes the genitive:

• у вокзала – by/at the station
• у дома – by/at the house
• у реки – by the river

So once you choose у, the noun after it must be in the genitive: вокзал → вокзала.

What is the difference between у вокзала and на вокзале?

Both can be translated as at the station, but they feel different:

• у вокзала – literally by the station, usually outside or right next to the building/complex.

  • Туристический автобус стоит у вокзала.
    The bus is next to the station, probably outside.

• на вокзале – at the station in the sense of on the territory / in the station area (inside the building, on the platforms, etc.).

  • Я жду тебя на вокзале. – I’m at the station (inside/within it) waiting for you.

So у вокзала emphasizes near the station, while на вокзале emphasizes being on/within the station area.