Learning Russian, a Slavic language with a rich literary tradition, involves understanding its complex verb system. Russian verbs are characterized by their conjugation patterns, reflecting tense, mood, aspect, voice, person, and number. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of Russian verbs and their grammatical rules, including transliteration for pronunciation help.

Introduction to the Russian Verb System

The Russian verb system features two main aspects: perfective and imperfective. These aspects indicate the completeness of an action. Perfective verbs show completed actions, while imperfective verbs indicate ongoing or repeated actions. Understanding this distinction is crucial for mastering Russian verb conjugations.

Verb Conjugation Overview

Present Tense

The present tense in Russian is used to describe current actions or habitual states and is only formed with imperfective verbs. It is marked by specific endings attached to the verb stem, varying by the conjugation type and the subject’s number and person.

• Example with “читать” (chitat’ – to read):
  • Я читаю (Ya chitayu) – I read
  • Ты читаешь (Ty chitaesh’) – You read (singular)
  • Он/Она читает (On/Ona chitaet) – He/She reads
  • Мы читаем (My chitaem) – We read
  • Вы читаете (Vy chitaete) – You read (plural)
  • Они читают (Oni chitayut) – They read

Past Tense

The past tense is used for actions completed in the past and is formed by adding specific endings (“-л”, “-ла”, “-ло”, “-ли”) to the verb’s past tense stem, which works for both perfective and imperfective verbs.

• Example: Я прочитал (Ya prochital) – I read (masculine), Я прочитала (Ya prochitala) – I read (feminine)

Future Tense

The future tense in Russian can be simple or compound. The simple future is used with perfective verbs, using the same forms as the past tense. The compound future is formed with the imperfective aspect by using the future tense of “быть” (byt’) plus the infinitive of the verb.

• Simple Future Example (Perfective): Я прочитаю (Ya prochitayu) – I will read
• Compound Future Example (Imperfective): Я буду читать (Ya budu chitat’) – I will be reading

Negative Form

To form the negative in Russian, “не” (ne) is placed directly before the verb.

• Example: Я не читаю (Ya ne chitayu) – I do not read

Imperative Mood

The imperative mood, used for commands or requests, is typically formed by adding specific endings to the verb stem.

• Example: Читай! (Chitay!) – Read! (informal singular), Читайте! (Chitayte!) – Read! (plural or formal)

Mood

Subjunctive/Conditional Mood

The subjunctive or conditional mood in Russian is used to express wishes, advice, or hypothetical situations and is formed with “бы” (by) or “б” (b’) plus the past tense of the verb.

• Example: Я бы прочитал (Ya by prochital) – I would read

Aspect

Aspect is a fundamental feature of Russian verbs. Remember, the choice between perfective and imperfective aspects depends on whether the action is viewed as complete or ongoing.

• Imperfective Example: Читать (chitat’) – to read (in general)
• Perfective Example: Прочитать (prochitat’) – to read (to completion)

Voice: Active and Passive

Voice in Russian changes the form of the verb to indicate whether the subject performs or receives the action. The passive voice is often formed with “быть” (byt’) plus the past passive participle of the verb.

• Active Voice Example: Он читает книгу (On chitaet knigu) – He reads a book
• Passive Voice Example: Книга читается им (Kniga chitaetsya im) – The book is read by him

Practice Exercises

1. Conjugate in Present Tense: Use “писать” (pisat’ – to write) to form sentences in the present tense for all persons.
2. Form Negative Sentences: Create negative sentences using “говорить” (govorit’ – to speak) in the past tense.
3. Imperative Mood Practice: Provide imperative forms for “открыть” (otkryt’ – to open).
4. Aspect Usage: Form sentences using both the perfective and imperfective aspects of “делать” (delat’ – to do).

Conclusion

Understanding Russian verbs involves mastering their conjugation patterns, tense usage, mood expression, aspect, and voice. Regular practice, along with active engagement in listening, speaking, reading, and writing exercises, will significantly enhance your proficiency in Russian. The complexity of the Russian verb system allows for precise expression of action, mood, and aspect, making it a key component of effective communication in this linguistically rich language.