На совещании лучше молчать, чем спорить.

At a meeting, it is better to stay quiet than to argue.

Breakdown of На совещании лучше молчать, чем спорить.

• на: at
• лучше: better
• чем: than
• спорить: to argue

Questions & Answers about На совещании лучше молчать, чем спорить.

Why is it на совещании and not some other case?

На совещании uses the prepositional case because it means at/in the meeting.

• совещание = meeting, conference, work meeting
• After на when talking about location or context, Russian often uses the prepositional:
  • на совещании = at the meeting
  • на работе = at work
  • на уроке = in class

So here на совещании sets the situation: in a meeting / at a meeting.

What exactly does совещание mean? Is it the same as встреча?

Not quite. Совещание usually means a formal meeting, especially a work or official one where people discuss issues, make decisions, or report on something.

By contrast, встреча is more general and can mean:

• a meeting with someone
• an appointment
• even a personal get-together

So на совещании sounds more like at a business/official meeting, not just any meeting.

What does лучше mean here?