Being "In" a State
In English, when someone experiences a strong emotional reaction, we often say they are "in" a state: in awe, in despair, or in shock. Russian uses the exact same metaphor.
To express being immersed in an abstract state, use the preposition в followed by the Prepositional case.
For masculine nouns ending in a consonant (like восторг, awe or delight), add the standard Prepositional ending -е.
Nouns Ending in -ие
For neuter nouns that end in -ие, such as отчаяние (despair) or смятение (turmoil), the Prepositional case ending changes to -ии.
Furious and Bewildered
Pay attention to the noun's dictionary ending to find its correct Prepositional form:
- Feminine nouns ending in a soft sign (-ь), like ярость (rage) and растерянность (bewilderment), take the ending -и.
- Standard neuter nouns ending in -о, like бешенство (fury), take the standard ending -е.
Prolonged and Paralyzing States
Many psychological states end in -ия (депрессия, эйфория, апатия). Like nouns ending in -ие, these change to -ии in the Prepositional case. Masculine nouns like ступор (stupor) simply take the standard -е.
You will frequently see these abstract states paired not just with the verb быть (to be), but with verbs of physical position like сидеть (to sit) or стоять (to stand) to paint a vivid picture of the person's condition.