Learn Russian: Вчера вечером он бродил по улицам. - Yesterday evening he wandered through the streets.

While this lesson focuses on по + dative plural for temporal routines (like по вечерам meaning 'in the evenings'), this exact same grammatical structure is also used for space. Spatially, по + dative plural means moving 'along,' 'around,' or 'through' multiple surfaces or locations. Here, he is moving aimlessly through multiple streets (улицам).

What is the difference between ходил and бродил?

бродил (from бродить) is a multidirectional verb of motion that specifically means 'to wander' or 'to roam'. Unlike ходил, which just means general walking or making round trips, бродил emphasizes that the movement was aimless, relaxed, or without a specific destination.

Why is there no preposition used for вчера вечером (yesterday evening)?

Russian doesn't need one! вчера is the adverb for 'yesterday', and вечером is the instrumental case of вечер (evening) acting as a temporal adverb meaning 'in the evening'. You just put them next to each other to say 'yesterday evening'.

Is улицам in the dative plural case here?