о vs про

o vs pro — about (neutral) vs about (colloquial)

What it really means

Both "о" and "про" mean "about," but they differ in register and grammar. О is the standard neutral preposition used in formal writing, news, and careful speech: говорить о русском языке (talk about the Russian language). Про is more conversational and often feels like "about a story, topic, or subject": фильм про любовь (a film about love).

О takes the prepositional case: о книге, об экзамене, обо мне. Про takes the accusative: про книгу, про экзамен, про меня. In neutral writing, о is usually the safer choice; про is very natural in everyday conversation and titles.

Examples in natural speech

Мы говорили о путешествии.
We talked about the trip.
Это статья о русском языке.
This is an article about the Russian language.
Я хочу рассказать про свою работу.
I want to tell you about my work.
Это фильм про любовь.
This is a film about love.
Что ты думаешь обо мне?
What do you think about me?
Он написал книгу про космос.
He wrote a book about space.

Common mistakes

The case after the preposition is different: о книге but про книгу, о нём but про него. Do not treat про as incorrect; it is common and natural in conversation. Choose о for a neutral or formal tone and про when the tone is conversational or story-like.

Memory tip

О is the neutral about; про is the conversational about. О uses the prepositional case, про uses the accusative.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between о and про in Russian?

Both mean about. О is neutral and standard, especially in formal writing; про is more conversational and common for stories, films, and everyday topics. О takes the prepositional case, while про takes the accusative.

Is про informal in Russian?

Про is less formal than о but is completely normal in everyday speech. Use о in formal writing or when you want the neutral standard form; про is natural in phrases such as фильм про любовь.

What case follows о in Russian?

О normally takes the prepositional case: о книге, о работе, о нём. It changes to об or обо before some vowel-initial forms: об экзамене, обо мне.

Note: This site uses JavaScript for interactive drills, audio playback, and progress tracking. Please enable JavaScript for the full experience.