Verbs: Present Tense — Russian Grammar

A Russian verb changes its ending to show who is doing the action. In the present tense there are six forms, one for each person, and the ending alone tells you whether the subject is I, you, she or they. The pronoun is still normally said, unlike in Spanish or Polish, but the ending has to be right.

Russian has a single present tense. (Ya chitáyuJa čitáju) covers I read, I am reading and, with a time expression, I have been reading. Only imperfective verbs have a present tense at all; a perfective verb such as (kupít'kupítʹ) has no present, and its present-shaped forms mean the future.

Я чита́ю кни́гу.
Ya chitáyu knígu.Ja čitáju knígu.
I am reading a book.
Мы обе́даем.
My obédayem.My obédajem.
We are having lunch.
Она́ всегда́ гото́вит в э́то вре́мя.
Oná vsegdá gotóvit v éto vrémya.Oná vsegdá gotóvit v éto vrémja.
She always cooks at this time.

The First Conjugation: -ешь, -ет

Most verbs ending in -ать or -ять belong here. Take away -ть and add the endings:

(ya chitáyuja čitáju) - I read
(ty chitáyesh'ty čitáješʹ) - you read
(on chitáyeton čitájet) - he reads
(my chitáyemmy čitájem) - we read
(vy chitáyetevy čitájete) - you (plural or polite) read
(oní chitáyutoní čitájut) - they read

The endings are -ю (or -у after a consonant), -ешь, -ет, -ем, -ете, -ют (or -ут). When the ending is stressed, the е becomes ё: (idyósh'idjóšʹ), (idyótidjót), (zhivyómživjóm).

Ты зна́ешь хоро́ший рестора́н?
Ty znáyesh' khoróshiy restorán?Ty znáješʹ xoróšij restorán?
Do you know a good restaurant?
Мои́ роди́тели рабо́тают в ба́нке.
Moí rodíteli rabótayut v bánke.Moí rodíteli rabótajut v bánke.
My parents work at a bank.

The Second Conjugation: -ишь, -ит

Most verbs ending in -ить, and a group in -еть and -ать, take endings with и:

(ya govoryúja govorjú) - I speak
(ty govorísh'ty govoríšʹ) - you speak
(on govorít) - he speaks
(my govorím) - we speak
(vy govoríte) - you speak
(oní govoryátoní govorját) - they speak

The endings are -ю / -у, -ишь, -ит, -им, -ите, -ят / -ат. (Vídet'Vídetʹ), (smotrét'smotrétʹ), (spat'spatʹ), (slýshat'slýšatʹ) and (derzhát'deržátʹ) belong here too, even though their infinitives do not end in -ить.

Ты спишь?
Ty spish'?Ty spišʹ?
Are you sleeping?
Они́ э́того не ви́дят, но слы́шат.
Oní étogo ne vídyat, no slýshat.Oní étogo ne vídjat, no slýšat.
They don't see it, but they hear it.

The Consonant Change in "I"

In the second conjugation, a stem ending in б, в, п, м or ф adds л before the ending of the first person only, and д, з, с, т change to ж, ж, ш, ч. The other five forms keep the original consonant.

(lyubít'ljubítʹ) - (lyublyúljubljú), (lyúbish'ljúbišʹ)
(khodít'xodítʹ) - (khozhúxožú), (khódish'xódišʹ)
(vídet'vídetʹ) - (vízhuvížu), (vídish'vídišʹ)
(gotóvit'gotóvitʹ) - (gotóvlyugotóvlju), (gotóvish'gotóvišʹ)

Я люблю́ холо́дную пого́ду.
Ya lyublyú kholódnuyu pogódu.Ja ljubljú xolódnuju pogódu.
I love cold weather.
Я хожу́ в шко́лу.
Ya khozhú v shkólu.Ja xožú v škólu.
I go to school.

Stems That Change

Many first-conjugation verbs build their present on a stem that differs from the infinitive, and these have to be learned with the verb. The stem is the same in all six forms; only the endings change.

(zhit'žitʹ) - (zhivúživú), (zhivyósh'živjóšʹ)
(pit'pitʹ) - (p'yupʹju), (p'yosh'pʹjošʹ)
(pisát'pisátʹ) - (pishúpišú), (píshesh'píšešʹ)
(davát'davátʹ) - (dayúdajú), (dayósh'dajóšʹ)
(ispól'zovat'ispólʹzovatʹ) - (ispól'zuyuispólʹzuju), (ispól'zuyesh'ispólʹzuješʹ)

Verbs in -овать always replace it with -у- in the present: (rekomendovát'rekomendovátʹ), (rekomendúyurekomendúju).

Я пью во́ду.
Ya p'yu vódu.Ja pʹju vódu.
I am drinking water.
Хоро́ший по́вар испо́льзует о́стрый нож.
Khoróshiy póvar ispól'zuyet óstryy nozh.Xoróšij póvar ispólʹzujet óstryj nož.
A good cook uses a sharp knife.

Moving Stress

Stress can sit on the ending in the "I" form and jump back to the stem for the rest. This is common and changes nothing in the spelling, but it is part of the word.

(mogú), (mózhesh'móžešʹ), (mózhetmóžet)
(lyublyúljubljú), (lyúbish'ljúbišʹ), (lyúbitljúbit)
(khozhúxožú), (khódish'xódišʹ), (khóditxódit)

Irregular Verbs

A handful of very common verbs mix the two conjugations or follow no pattern.

(khotét'xotétʹ) - (khochúxočú), (khóchesh'xóčešʹ), (khóchetxóčet), (khotímxotím), (khotítexotíte), (khotyátxotját)
(yest'jestʹ) (to eat) - (yemjem), (yesh'ješʹ), (yestjest), (yedímjedím), (yedítejedíte), (yedyátjedját)
(moch'močʹ) - (mogú), (mózhesh'móžešʹ), (mózhetmóžet), (mózhemmóžem), (mózhetemóžete), (mógut)
(idtí) - (idú), (idyósh'idjóšʹ), (idyótidjót), (idyómidjóm), (idyóteidjóte), (idút)

Я хочу́ пи́ццу.
Ya khochú pítstsu.Ja xočú píccu.
I want pizza.
Мужчи́на и же́нщина едя́т.
Muzhchína i zhénshchina yedyát.Mužčína i žénščina jedját.
The man and the woman are eating.
Ты мо́жешь откры́ть э́ту буты́лку?
Ty mózhesh' otkrýt' étu butýlku?Ty móžešʹ otkrýtʹ étu butýlku?
Can you open this bottle?

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Russian course

212 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 4. A few of them, with the words “Verbs: Present Tense” is about in bold:

Он тоже спит. А она нет.
On tózhe spit. A oná net.On tóže spit. A oná net.
He is also sleeping. She isn't.
Lesson 16
Я люблю их, и они любят меня.
Ya lyublyú ikh, i oní lyúbyat menyá.Ja ljubljú ix, i oní ljúbjat menjá.
I love them and they love me.
Lesson 32
Я покупаю один банан и шесть яиц.
Ya pokupáyu odín banán i shest' yaíts.Ja pokupáju odín banán i šestʹ jaíc.
I am buying one banana and six eggs.
Lesson 43

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