How do you determine the correct case for a noun governed by a preposition if that preposition can govern multiple cases depending on the context?

Many Russian prepositions govern different cases depending on the meaning they convey. To determine the correct case, one must analyze the preposition's meaning within the sentence and the overall context. A key factor is whether the preposition expresses location or direction. Prepositions like 'в' (v - in/to) and 'на' (na - on/to) govern the prepositional case when indicating location and the accusative case when indicating direction. For example, 'Я в Москве' (Ya v Moskve) – 'I am in Moscow' (prepositional) indicates a location, while 'Я еду в Москву' (Ya yedu v Moskvu) – 'I am going to Moscow' (accusative) indicates direction. Aspect of the verb also plays a crucial role. If the verb implies motion toward a location, accusative is used. If the verb describes a state of being at a location, the prepositional case is used. Some prepositions change meaning depending on the case they govern. For example, 'с' (s - with/from) governs the instrumental case to indicate accompaniment ('Я с другом' – 'I am with a friend') and the genitive case to indicate origin or removal ('Я из Москвы' - 'I am from Moscow'). The specific meaning of the preposition in a given sentence, as determined by the context, dictates the correct case of the noun it governs. Memorizing the different meanings of each preposition and the corresponding cases is therefore essential.