мимо vs возле

mimo vs vozle — past/by (without stopping) vs near/beside

What it really means

Мимо means passing by or past a place/person without entering or stopping, and governs the genitive. Возле means near or beside and also governs the genitive. The contrast is motion along a point versus location in its vicinity.

Examples in natural speech

Я прошёл мимо магазина.
I walked past the shop.
Автобус проехал мимо остановки.
The bus drove past the stop.
Возле дома стоит велосипед.
A bicycle is standing near the house.
Мы встретились возле музея.
We met by the museum.
Не проходи мимо этой возможности.
Don't pass up this opportunity.

Common mistakes

Do not use возле for motion past a point: пройти мимо дома means pass the house, while быть возле дома means be near it. Both take the genitive, and мимо can be figurative, as in пройти мимо шанса.

Memory tip

Мимо keeps moving past; возле stays beside.

Frequently asked questions

What case follows мимо?

The genitive: мимо школы, мимо меня, мимо важного решения.

Can мимо mean “ignore”?

Yes, figuratively: пройти мимо проблемы or пропустить мимо ушей means fail to address a problem or ignore what was heard.

Is возле interchangeable with около?

Usually for physical proximity, yes; возле often feels slightly more spatially immediate, while около also commonly introduces approximate numbers.

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