Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

THE SYSTEM OF THE RUSSIAN VERB

Russian verbs have the following forms:

The Infinitive - читать - to read

Present Tense - ÿ читаю - I read, I am reading

The Indicative mood{Past Tense - ÿ читал, - I read, I have read

Future Tense - ÿ буду читать - I will read,

I will be reading

The Imperative - Читайòå, пожалуйста! - Please, read!

The Conjunctive mood - Past Tense + áû,

я читал бы - I would read,

The verbs also have some other forms:

The participles and

The adverbial participles or gerunds

Many verbs have the reflexive particle - ñÿ (-ñü) attached to all their forms, for example:

вернутьñÿ - to return, учитьñÿ - to study etc.

When studying the Russian Verb system you have also to bear in mind

such an unusual characteristics as the Aspect.

The verbs of motion, particularly non-prefixed verbs, form a peculiar group which needs special treatment.

THE INFINITIVE AS A BASE FOR THE VERB FORMS

In the dictionaries the Russian verbs are registered in the Infinitive. The Infinitive is the form which does not have any ending indicating the Tense. It is possible to say that the Infinitive is the «naked» form of the verb. So, to «dress» the verb you have to add the Tense endings to it. Further you will learn how to do it.

There are three Tenses in Russian:

The Infinitive is normally combined with a great many verbs:

ßлюблю читать. I like reading.

ßхочу поехать на экскурсию. I want to go sightseeing. Он просил ìåíÿ придти. He asked me to come.

ßвсегда áóäó âàì помогать. I will always help you.

The Infinitive is used in the sentences with the meaning of obligation, supposition, permission or prohibition, for example:

Ìíå нужно работать. I have to work. / I must work.

Îí должен приехать завтра. He should come tomorrow.

He is supposed to come tomorrow.

Можно поехать на метро.You can go by subway.

Здесь нельзя ставить машину.You cannot park your car here. It`s forbidden to park your car here.

The infinitive is used with the ... «î»- forms in phrases like:

Трудно водить машину в Москве. It is difficult to drive a car in Moscow.

Verbs

Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

THE ASPECT

The Russian verb has an extra characteristics: the Aspect.

The action expressed by a verb may be viewed from different stand points: completion, frequency of occurance, action in progress, statement of fact etc.

The Aspect is manifested through prefixes or suffixes and not through the endings as the tenses do. Practically each Russian verb belongs either to the Imperfective or the Perfective Aspect.

Most Russian verbs go in pairs of Imperfective and Perfective verbs,

for example: делать - ñделать - to do

The Aspect of the Verb is always marked in the dictionaries. h

E.g. Notice!

делать - Imperfective сделать - Perfective

The verbs which make up an Aspect pair generally have the same meaning, i.e. they name one and the same real action, for example:

делать/ñделать - to do, делать - to do,

ñделать -lit., to have something done.

The Tense formation scheme:

The Aspect formation scheme:

Suffix

Prefix of Stemthe verb + endingTense

Mind that the Aspect goes through the whole system of the verb:

Verbs

Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

THE ASPECT IN THE TENSE SYSTEM

The Aspect is a kind of a rod which goes through the Tense system of the Russian verb.

With reference to the Aspect, the Tense system of the Russian verb can be presented by the following scheme:

Imperfective Aspect (First Form)

These verbs are simply called the Imperfective verbs.

Perfective Aspect (Second Form)

These verbs are simply called the Perfective verbs.

THE PRESENT TENSE OF THE VERBS

Only the Imperfective verbs can be used in the Present Tense. h

In the Present Tense verbs change for person and number - they conjugate. Each person has its own ending. There are two types of personal endings, in accordance with which verbs fall into

As a base for the Present tense formation we use part of the Infinitive, for example:

Verbs

Eugenia Nekrasova

A Basic Modern Russian Grammar

-ST CONJUGATION, REGULAR FORMATION

Many Russian 1-st conjugation verbs are conjugated on the pattern of знать (vowel stem):

The 1-st conjugation («å» conjugation) comprises the verbs ending in

-àòü, -ÿòü, -åòü, -овать, -евать, -íóòü, -òè, -÷ü.

The Present Tense endings are as follows:

Exception!!! Some -èòü verbs also belong to the 1-st Conjugation:

æèòü - to live, ïèòü - to drink, ëèòü - to pour and some others.

-ND CONJUGATION, REGULAR FORMATION

Many Russian 2-nd conjugation verbs are conjugated on the pattern of говорить (consonant stem):

The 2-nd conjugation comprises verbs ending in - èòü.

The Present Tense endings are as follows:

Singular Plural

Verbs