Appendix on Russian Conjugation and Imperfective Derivation
The conjugation of Russian verbs is quite challenging,yet very few
textbooks and reference materials approach this problem in a systematic
fashion. Dictionaries and vocabulary lists commonly cite only infinitives,
neglecting to provide the learner with a means to reliably predict or
recognize the conjugated forms for all verbs. Fortunately it is possible to
describe Russian verbal forms in terms of a one-stem system, where every
verb has a stem type and a stress type that will enable the learner to produce
and recognize all of its forms. The one-stem system can also be used to
understand the patterns involved in the derivation of imperfective verbs
from perfective stems. This appendix will present the one-stem system,
adapted from Townsend 1975 and Levin 1978. It will begin by presenting
an outline of the one-stem system, followed by the verbal endings and an
explanation of how verbal endings are added to verbal stems. Next comes a
detailed discussion of the stem types, illustrated by complete conjugations
and annotated for special features. This appendix concludes with a
description of imperfective derivation.
Overview of the One-Stem System
The point of having a one-stem system is to understand how verbal
stems and verbal endings combine to create forms of a verb. For this
purpose, the end of a verbal stem (the last sound or sounds before any
endings are added) is where the action is. The last sound or sounds can
serve to identify the verb type because all verbs that have the same sound(s)
at the end of their stem will be conjugated similarly. The stem types are
classified according to the final sound(s), which are given in capital Cyrillic
letters.
There are two broad categories of stem types: ones that have a suffix
and ones that do not. Stem types that have a suffix have a stem classification
with a hyphen (like -И, Ж-А). Suffixed stems may end in either a vowel
(like -Е) or the consonant [j], which is always written Й (as in the stem
types -АЙ, -ЕЙ, -А(ВА)Й). Stem types that do not have a suffix do not have
a hyphen and consist of or end in a consonant (like В, НИМ, Д).
NEED TO ADD ONE MORE TYPE OF STRESS P:P the prefixal for vyverbs!!!!
Each verb has two stress patterns, one for the non-past tense, and one for the
past. Stress patterns are noted with Latin letters, listing first the non-past
tense stress, a colon (:), and then the past tense stress. Stress can be fixed on
the stem (St), fixed on the ending (E), fixed on the prefix (P), or shifting
(Sh). Shifting stress in the non-past tense means that the я form has stress
on the ending, but all other non-past tense forms have stress on the stem. An
example of shifting stress in the present is любитьi [-И Sh:St] ‘love’, which
has the following forms: люблю, любишь, любит, любим, любите,
любят. Only suffixed verbs and НИМ verbs may have shifting stress in the
non-past. Shifting stress in the past tense means that the feminine form is
stressed on the final -а, but all other forms have stress on the stem. An
example of shifting stress in the past is житьi [В E:Sh] ‘live’, which has the
following past forms: жил, жила, жило, жили. Only nonsuffixed verbs and
n/s-А verbs may have shifting stress in the past. A few verbs have prefixal
shifting stress (PSh) in the past, which means that the feminine has stressed
-а, and all other forms have stress on the prefix. An example of prefixal
shifting stress in the past is умеретьp [/Р E:PSh] which has the following
past forms: умер, умерла, умерло умерли. The following is a list of all the
stress types with an example for each one:
St:St = Stem stress in non-past and past
example: видетьi [-Е St:St] ‘see’
non-past
past
вижу
видел
видишь
видела
видит
видело
видим
видели
видите
видят
St:E лечь!!!
St:Sh быть!!!
E:E = Ending stress in non-past and past
example: нестиi,det [С E:E] ‘carry’
non-past
past
несу
нёс
несёшь
несла
несёт
несло
несём
несли
несёте
несут
P:P = Prefixal stress in non-past and past (used only with perfective verbs
prefixed by вы-)
example: выбратьp [n/s-А P:P] ‘choose’
non-past
past
выберу
выбрал
выберешь
выбрала
выберет
выбрало
выберем
выбрали
выберете
выберут
E:St = Ending stress in non-past, stem stress in past
example: стричьi [Г E:St] ‘cut’
non-past
past
стригу
стриг
стрижёшь
стригла
стрижёт
стригло
стрижём
стригли
стрижёте
стригут
E:Sh = Ending stress in non-past, shifting stress in past
example: питьi [ИЙ E:Sh] ‘drink’
non-past
past
пью
пил
пьёшь
пила
пьёт
пило
пьём
пили
пьёте
пьют
E:PSh = Ending stress in non-past, shifting prefixal stress in past
example: начатьp [/Н E:PSh] ‘begin’
non-past
past
начну
начал
начнёшь
начала
начнёт
начнём
начнёте
начнут
начало
начали
Sh:St = Shifting stress in non-past, stem stress in past
писатьi [-А Sh:St] ‘write’
non-past
past
пишу
писал
пишешь
писала
пишет
писало
пишем
писали
пишете
пишут
Sh:E мочь!!!
Sh:Sh = Shifting stress in non-past and past (rare; used only with НИМ
verbs)
снятьp [НИМ Sh:Sh] ‘take off’
non-past
past
сниму
снял
снимешь
сняла
снимет
сняло
снимем
сняли
снимете
снимут
The consonant [j] ( which sounds like y in the English word yes)
plays an extremely important role in the one-stem system of Russian verbs,
but unfortunately it can be spelled three ways in Russian, depending upon
where it appears in a word:
1) When there is no vowel following it or at the end of the word [j]
has its own letter: й, as in the imperative forms of делатьi [-АЙ St:St] ‘do’:
делай! and делайте! We also see the spelling й in the present tense forms of
the Й/М stem type, such as понятьp [Й/М E:Sh], which has present tense
forms пойму, поймёшь, поймёт, поймём, поймёте, поймут.
2) After a consonant, the hard sign (ъ) or the soft sign (ь) is combined
with one of the soft vowel letters (я, е, и, ё, or ю) to indicate the presence of
[j] between a consonant and a vowel. We frequently encounter this use of
the hard sign (ъ) in verbs that have a prefix ending in a consonant and a root
beginning in [j], such as объяснитьp [-И E:St] ‘explain’ (which can be
thought of as a combination of об- and -яснить). We find the use of the soft
sign (ь) to indicate [j] in the conjugated forms of ИЙ verbs, for example the
present tense forms of питьi [ИЙ E:Sh] ‘drink’: пью, пьёшь, пьёт, пьём,
пьёте, пьют.
3) At the beginning of a word or after a vowel, we simply use a soft
vowel letter (я, е, и, ё, or ю) to indicate the presence of [j]. [j] is the one
consonant that appears most frequently at the end of a verbal stem, which is
why it is so important to the one-stem system. In our classification system
we always use the letter Й to represent [j], because it is the only Cyrillic
letter that uniquely identifies [j]. The presence of [j] is essential to the
identification of -АЙ, -ЕЙ, -А(ВА)Й, Й, ИЙ, and ОЙ stems, and when
these stems add a verbal ending that begins in a vowel, a soft vowel letter is
used to indicate that there is a [j] between vowels. Here are some examples
of how они forms of these verb stems ending in [j] are spelled with the soft
vowel letter ю: делатьi [-АЙ St:St] ‘do’ > они делают, иметьi [-ЕЙ St:St]
‘possess’ > они имеют, даватьi [-А(ВА)Й St:St] ‘give’ > они дают, дутьi
[Й St:St] ‘blow’ > они дуют, питьi [ИЙ E:Sh] ‘drink’ > они пьют, крытьi
[ОЙ St:St] ‘cover’ > они кроют.
Some verbal stems have a mobile vowel between consonants in
conjugation and/or in imperfective derivation; the symbol / is used to
indicate the place where a vowel will appear. For example, the verb
умеретьp [/Р E:PSh] ‘die’ removes the vowel е in its present tense forms,
умру, умрёшь, умрёт, умрём, умрёте, умрут, and adds the vowel и in its
imperfective умиратьi [-АЙ St:St]. Parentheses are used to identify suffixes
or portions of suffixes that are sometimes deleted. For example -(НУ) verbs
lose their НУ suffix in the past tense, as we see in the masculine past form
мёрз of the verb мёрзнутьi [-(НУ) St:St] ‘freeze’, and ва is deleted from А(ВА)Й verbs in their present tense forms, as we see in the forms of
даватьi [-А(ВА)Й St:St]: даю, даёшь, даёт, даём, даёте, дают. There are
several additional phenomena that regularly take place when verbal stems
are combined with verbal endings, mainly involving the deletion of a stemfinal vowel or consonant or changes in stem-final consonants. These
phenomena will be discussed under the section entitled “How to Combine
Verbal Stems with Verbal Endings” below.
An outline of the one-stem system given here is for orientational
purposes only. This is merely a list of all the stem types, with an example of
each type. Each verb is cited in its infinitive form, the я and ты forms of the
present tense, and the она and они past forms. The basic stem, which ends
in + (to indicate the boundary between the stem and ending) is also listed.
Complete conjugations, detailed notes on special phenomena, and lists of
relevant verbs appear below in the Illustration of Stem Types.
Stem
Type
-И
-Е
Ж-А
-A
n/s-А
-ОВА
-О
-НУ
-(НУ)
-АЙ
-ЕЙ
Example Verb
SUFFIXED STEMS
SECOND CONJUGATION VOWEL STEMS
любитьi [-И Sh:St] ‘love’: люблю, любишь, любила,
любили; люб-и+
видетьi [-Е St:St] ‘see’: вижу, видишь, видела, видели; виде+
лежатьi [Ж-А E:St] ‘lie’: лежу, лежишь, лежала, лежали;
леж-а+
FIRST CONJUGATION VOWEL STEMS
писатьi [-А Sh:St] ‘write’: пишу, пишешь, писала, писали;
пис-а+
братьi [n/s-А E:Sh] ‘take’: беру, берёшь, брала, брали; б/ра+
требоватьi [-ОВА St:St] ‘need’: требую, требуешь,
требовала, требовали; треб-ова+
боротьсяi [-О Sh:St] ‘fight’: борюсь, борешься, боролась,
боролись; бор-о+ -ся
крикнутьp [-НУ St:St] ‘shout’: крикну, крикнешь, крикнула,
крикнули; крик-ну+
мёрзнутьi [-(НУ) St:St] ‘freeze’: мёрзну, мёрзнешь, мёрзла,
мёрзли; мёрз-(ну)+
FIRST CONJUGATION CONSONANT STEMS
делатьi [-АЙ St:St] ‘do’: делаю, делаешь, делала, делали;
дел-ай+
иметьi [-ЕЙ St:St] ‘possess’: имею, имеешь, имела, имели;
им-ей+
-А(ВА)Й
даватьi [-А(ВА)Й Е:St] ‘give’: даю, даёшь, давала, давали;
да-(ва)й+
NONSUFFIXED STEMS (ALL ARE FIRST CONJUGATION)
В
житьi [В E:Sh] ‘live’: живу, живёшь, жила, жили; жив+
Н
детьi [Н St:St] ‘put’: дену, денешь, дела, дели; ден+
Й
дутьi [Й St:St] ‘blow’: дую, дуешь, дула, дули; дуй+
ОЙ
крытьi [ОЙ St:St] ‘cover’: крою, кроешь, крыла, крыли;
крой+
ИЙ
питьi [ИЙ E:Sh] ‘drink’: пью, пьёшь, пила, пили; пий+
/Р
умеретьp [/Р E:Psh] ‘die’: умру, умрёшь, умерла, умерли;
ум/р+
/М
жатьi [/М E:St] ‘press’: жму, жмёшь, жала, жали; ж/м+
/Н
начатьp [/Н E:PSh] ‘begin’: начну, начнёшь, начала, начали;
нач/н+
Й/М
понятьp [Й/М E:PSh] ‘understand’: пойму, поймёшь,
поняла, поняли; пой/м+
НИМ
снятьp [НИМ Sh:Sh] ‘take off’: сниму, снимешь, сняла,
сняли; сним+
Д
вестиi,det [Д E:E] ‘lead’: веду, ведёшь, вела, вели; вед+
Т
плестиi [Т E:E] ‘weave, braid’: плету, плетёшь, плела,
плели; плет+
Б
грестиi [Б E:E] ‘row, dig’: гребу, гребёшь, грела, грели;
греб+
З
везтиi,det [З E:E] ‘convey’: везу, везёшь, везла, везли; вез+
С
нестиi,det [С E:E] ‘carry’: несу, несёшь, несла, несли; нес+
Г
стричьi [Г E:St] ‘cut’: стригу, стрижёшь, стригла, стригли;
стриг+
К
печьi [К E:E] ‘bake’: пеку, печёшь, пекла, пекли; пек+
Verbal Endings
Every verbal form can be understood as a combination of the basic stem + a
verbal ending. Russian verbal endings can be divided into two types: ones
that begin with a consonant and ones that begin with a vowel. Some verbal
forms have two or more possible endings, and their distribution among stem
types is indicated here. This section will present the verbal endings, and the
next section will explain how to add verbal endings to the stems of verbs.
verbal endings that begin with a vowel
(note that the vowel е is always ё when stressed, е when unstressed)
first conjugationpresent tense: these endings are used for most stem types
+у/+ю 1sg +ешь 2sg +ет 3sg
+ем 1pl
+ете 2pl +ут/+ют 3pl
i,det
example: вести [Д E:E] ‘lead’: веду, ведёшь, ведёт, ведём, ведёте,
ведут
example: делатьi [-АЙ St:St] ‘do’: делаю, делаешь, делает, делаем,
делаете, делают
second conjugation present tense: these endings are used for -И, -Е, and ЖА verbs
+у/+ю 1sg ишь 2sg +ит 3sg
+им 1pl
+ите 2pl +ат/+ят 3pl
i
example: лежать [Ж-А E:St] ‘lie’: лежу, лежишь, лежит, лежим, лежите,
лежат
example: любитьi [-И Sh:St] ‘love’: люблю, любишь, любит, любим,
любите, любят
present gerund: +а/+я
example: лежатьi [Ж-А E:St] ‘lie’: лёжа ‘while lying’
example: вестиi,det [Д E:E] ‘lead’: ведя ‘while leading’
present active participle:
+ущий/+ющий this ending is used for first conjugation verbs
example: вестиi,det [Д E:E] ‘lead’: ведущий ‘leading’
example: делатьi [-АЙ St:St] ‘do’: делающий ‘doing’
+ащий/+ящий
this ending is used for second conjugation verbs
i
example: лежать [Ж-А E:St] ‘lie’: лежащий ‘lying’
example: любитьi [-И Sh:St] ‘love’: любящий ‘loving’
present passive participle:
+емый
this ending is used for first conjugation verbs
i
требовать [-ОВА St:St] ‘need’: требуемый ‘needed (now)’
+имый
this ending is used for second conjugation verbs
i
видеть [-Е St:St] ‘see’: видимый ‘seen (now)’
imperative: +0 indicates a zero ending (an ending that does not add
anything) [note that although these endings do not all start with a vowel,
they behave as if they do]
+0 sg/intimate
+те pl/polite
these endings are used with all verbs that have a Й in their stem
classification, and with ОВА stems, as well as Ж-А and -А verbs with a [j]
before the -А
example: делатьi [-АЙ St:St] ‘do’: делай, делайте‘do!’
+ь sg/intimate
+ьте pl/polite
these endings are used with all other verbs with St:St stress that have
only one consonant before the ending
example: детьi [Н St:St] ‘put’: день, деньте ‘put!’
+и sg/intimate
+ите pl/polite
these endings are used for all remaining verbs with E:E, E:St, E:Sh,
E:PSh, and Sh:St stress, as well as for verbs with St:St or P:P stress that
have a cluster of two consonants before the ending
example: любитьi [-И Sh:St] ‘love’: люби, любите‘love!’
verbal endings that begin with a consonant
infinitive:
+ть this ending is used for most stem types
example: делатьi [-АЙ St:St] ‘do’
+ти this ending is used only for end-stressed Д, Т, З, С, and Б verbs
example: вестиi,det [Д E:E] ‘lead’
+чь this ending is used only for Г and К verbs
example: печьi [К E:E] ‘bake’
past tense: these endings are used for all verbs
+л Msg
+ла Fsg
+ло Nsg +ли pl
i
example: делать [-АЙ St:St] ‘do’: делал, делала, делало, делали ‘did’
past gerund and past active participle :
+в(ши) gerund
+вший participle
these endings are used for most stem types
example: начатьp [/Н E:PSh] ‘begin’: начав(ши), начавший ‘having
started, who started’
+ши gerund
+ший participle
these endings are used for /Р, Д, Т, З, С, Б, Г, К, and -(НУ)
verbs
example: умеретьp [/Р E:Psh] ‘die’: умерши, умерший ‘having died, who
died’
verbal endings that begin with a consonant or a vowel
past passive participle:
+т short
+тый long
these endings are used for -НУ, -(НУ), -О, В, Н, Й, ОЙ, ИЙ, /Р, /М,
/Н, Й/М and НИМ verbs
example: начатьp [/Н E:PSh] ‘begin’: начат, начатый ‘begun’
+ен short +енный long
these endings are used for -И, Д, Т, З, С, Г and К verbs
example: подстричьp [Г E:St] ‘trim’: подстрижен,
подстричженный‘trimmed’
+н short
+нный long
this ending is used for -Е, Ж-А, -А, n/s-А, and -ОВА verbs
example: написатьp [-А Sh:St] ‘write’: написан, написанный ‘written’
How to Combine Verbal Stems with Verbal Endings
There are two kinds of consonant changes, known as mutations, that involve
the last consonant in a verb’s stem. One mutation takes place when a Г or К
stem adds verbal endings beginning in +е, and the other takes place when an
-И, -Е, or -А stem adds verbal endings beginning in a vowel.
Г or К +е: When this combination occurs, г becomes ж and к becomes ч.
Note the following forms of подстричьp [Г E:St] ‘trim’ and испечьp [К
E:E] ‘bake’:
ты
подстрижёшь
испечёшь
он/она/оно
подстрижёт
испечёт
мы
подстрижём
испечём
вы
подстрижёте
испечёте
past passive participle
подстрижен
испечён
-И, -Е, or -А + verbal endings beginning in a vowel: This combination
can be thought of as producing a sequence of vowel + vowel, because the
basic stems of -И, -Е, and -А verbs end in a vowel and are combined with
verbal endings beginning in a vowel. When this combination occurs, two
things happen: 1) the verbal suffix of -И, -Е, or -А is deleted and 2) the
preceding consonant mutates or is softened. For -И verbs this mutation
takes place in the я form, the past passive participle, and imperfective
derivation. For -Е verbs this mutation takes place only in the я form (though
it may rarely occur in the past passive participle and imperfective derivation
as well). For -А verbs this mutation takes place in all present tense forms, in
the present gerund, and in the imperative (the few -А verbs that do not have
consonant mutation will be listed below in the Illustration of Stem Types).
The following table lists all of the mutations and softenings, with examples
of what this looks like in the я forms of -И, -Е, and -А verbs. Some verbs
show the effects of the strong influence the Church Slavonic language has
had on Russian, and this results in alternative consonant mutations for д and
т (marked “ChSl” in the table). Note that the use of an apostrophe in this
table indicates that a consonant is soft, and is therefore followed only by
soft vowel letters (я, е, и, ё, ю) or ь.
consonant
mutation
д becomes ж
д becomes ж or
жд (ChSl)
т becomes ч
т becomes щ
(ChSl)
з becomes ж
с becomes ш
ст becomes щ
ск becomes щ
г becomes ж
к becomes ч
х becomes ш
м becomes мл’
б becomes бл’
п becomes пл’
в becomes вл’
ф becomes фл’
verb and gloss
я form
видетьi [-Е St:St] ‘see’
преградитьp [-И E:St]
‘block’
платитьi [-И Sh:St] ‘pay’
отвратитьp [-И E:St]
‘avert’
возитьi,non-det [-И Sh:St]
‘convey’
писатьi [-А Sh:St] ‘write’
свистетьi [-E E:St]
‘whistle’
искатьi [-А Sh:St] ‘seek’
двигатьi [-А St:St] ‘move’
плакатьi [-А St:St] ‘weep’
махатьi [-А Sh:St] ‘wave’
дрематьi [-А Sh:St] ‘doze’
любитьi [-И Sh:St] ‘love’
терпетьi [-Е Sh:St] ‘endure’
ставитьi [-И St:St] ‘make
stand’
графитьi [-И E:St] ‘make
lines’
вижу
прегражу, but note PPP
преграждён
плачу
отвращу
вожу
пишу
свищу
ищу
движу
плачу
машу
дремлю
люблю
терплю
ставлю
графлю
Occasionally a consonant mutation will take place across an intervening л
or в, as in слатьi [-А E:St] ‘send’ which has a я form шлю, размыслитьp [И St:St] ‘change one’s mind’ which has a derived imperfective
размышлятьi [-АЙ St:St], and умертвитьp [-И E:St] ‘kill’ which has a я
form умерщвлю.
In the infinitive form Д, Т, and Б verbs replace their stem final д, т,
and б with с, as we see in the infinitive forms вестиi,det [Д E:E] ‘lead’,
плестиi [Т E:E] ‘weave, braid’, and грестиi [Б E:E] ‘row, dig’. Other
nonsuffixed stems have various idiosyncratic features that will be explained
in the Illustration of Stem Types below.
Elsewhere, when a verbal stem that ends in a consonant takes a verbal
ending that begins in a consonant, the result is generally that one consonant
(usually the one at the end of the stem) is deleted. This involves the
following combinations of stem types and verbal endings:
Stem types ending in a
consonant
-АЙ, -ЕЙ, -А(ВА)Й, plus
all nonsuffixed stem types
Verbal endings beginning in a consonant
infinitive +ть; +ти; +чь
past tense +л, +ла, +ло, +ли
past gerund and past active participle +в(ши),
+вший
past passive participle +т, +тый; +н, +нный
Here are some examples of deletion of consonants. Most of these verbs
show deletion in the infinitive, and the table lists the masculine past tense,
past gerund, and past passive participle (perfectivized with a prefix where
necessary, -- indicates that no form exists):
Stem
Type
-АЙ
Example Verb
-ЕЙ
иметьi [-ЕЙ St:St]
‘possess’: им-ей+
А(ВА)
Й
даватьi [-А(ВА)Й
Е:St] ‘give’: да(ва)й+
делатьi [-АЙ St:St]
‘do’: дел-ай+
Description of
Deletion
й deleted in
infinitive & all past
forms
й deleted in
infinitive & all past
forms
й deleted in
infinitive & all past
forms
Past Forms
делал, сделав,
сделан
имел, имев, -давал, давав, --
В
Н
Й
ОЙ
ИЙ
/Р
Д
Т
Б
З
С
Г
К
в deleted in
infinitive & all past
forms
i
деть [Н St:St] ‘put’: н deleted in
infinitive & all past
ден+
forms
i
й deleted in
дуть [Й St:St]
infinitive & all past
‘blow’: дуй+
forms
i
й deleted in
крыть [ОЙ St:St]
infinitive & all past
‘cover’: крой+
forms
i
й deleted in
пить [ИЙ E:Sh]
infinitive & all past
‘drink’: пий+
forms
p
умереть [/Р E:Psh] л deleted in
masculine past tense
‘die’: ум/р+
only
i,det
д deleted in past
вести [Д E:E]
tense forms only
‘lead’: вед+
i
т deleted in past
плести [Т E:E]
tense forms only
‘weave, braid’:
плет+
л deleted in
грестиi [Б E:E]
masculine past tense
‘row, dig’: греб+
only
i,det
л deleted in
везти [З E:E]
masculine past tense
‘convey’: вез+
only
i,det
л deleted in
нести [С E:E]
masculine past tense
‘carry’: нес+
only
i
г deleted in
стричь [Г E:St]
infinitive; л deleted
‘cut’: стриг+
in masculine past
tense only
i
к deleted in
печь [К E:E]
infinitive; л deleted
‘bake’: пек+
in masculine past
житьi [В E:Sh]
‘live’: жив+
жил, прожив,
прожит
дел, надев, надет
дул, надув, надут
крыл, закрыв,
закрыт
пил, выпив, выпит
умер (but умерла)
вёл
плёл
грёб (but грела)
вёз (but везла)
нёс (but несла)
стриг (but стригла)
пёк (but пекла)
tense only
When verbal stems are combined with verbal endings, all the customary
Russian spelling rules are observed. Here is a brief summary:
1) The consonant letters г, к, х can be combined only with the vowel letters
а, е, и, о, у.
2) The consonant letters ж, ч, ш, щ can be combined only with the vowel
letters а, е, и, ё, о (only when stressed), у.
3) The consonant letter ц can be combined only with the vowel letters а, е,
ы, о, у.
Illustration of Stem Types
Below is an inventory of all of the stem types listed in the overview table
above. For each stem type, the complete conjugation of an example verb is
given, listing the present tense forms, past tense forms, imperative forms,
and the following gerunds and participles: past passive participle (PPP),
present gerund (PrG), present active participle (PrAP), present passive
participle (PrPP), past gerund (PG), and past active participle (PAP). Some
verbs do not have all these forms; a dash (--) indicates that a form does not
exist. Some forms exist only when a verb is prefixed; this is indicated by a
hyphen. Special features of each stem type are discussed and other verbs
belonging to the stem type are listed.
Here are a few generalizations about the Russian verbal system as a
whole:
Suffixed Stems
Second Conjugation Vowel Stems
-È
ÿ∫Ç∏ÿi (-È Sh:St) ‘love’; ÿ∫-…+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
غ̉
m
ÿ∫ÇÃ
∏Ÿ
œŒ
ÕŸ
◊Ÿ
œŒÇ
Ãâ∫…€ÿ
Ãâ∫…∏
Ãâ∫…Õ
Ãâ∫…∏≈
Ãâ∫µ∏
f
ÿ∫Çá
n
ÿ∫ÇÃœ
pl ÿ∫ÇÃ…
imperative:
ÿ∫Ç, ÿ∫Ç∏≈
PPP:
-Ãâ∫Ã≈Œ, Ãâ∫Ã≈ŒŒŸ™
PrG: ÿ∫Ö
PrAP: ÿ∫Ö›…™
PrPP: ÿ∫ÇÕŸ™
PG: ÿ∫Ç◊
PAP:ÿ∫Ç◊€…™
-Â (no imperative for this verb -- change it!)
◊ǃ≈∏ÿi (- St:St) ‘see’; ◊ǃ-≈+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
ֹׂ
m
◊ǃ≈Ã
∏Ÿ ◊ǃ…€ÿ
f
◊ǃ≈á
œŒ ◊ǃ…∏
n
◊ǃ≈Ãœ
ÕŸ ◊ǃ…Õ
pl ◊ǃ≈Ã…
◊Ÿ ◊ǃ…∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ ◊ǃµ∏
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP:
ˆ-· (not transitive -- go to derzhat’)
Ã≈÷Ä∏ÿi (ˆ-· E:St) ‘lie’; Ã≈÷-Ä+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
Ã≈÷Ñ
m
Ã≈÷ÄÃ
∏Ÿ Ã≈÷Ç€ÿ
f
Ã≈÷Äá
œŒ Ã≈÷Ç∏
n
Ã≈÷ÄÃœ
ÕŸ Ã≈÷ÇÕ
pl Ã≈÷ÄÃ…
◊Ÿ Ã≈÷Ç∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ Ã≈÷Ä∏
Ã≈÷Ç, Ã≈÷Ç∏≈
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP:
First Conjugation Vowel Stems
-·
¥…∑Ä∏ÿi (-· Sh:St) ‘write’; ¥…∑-¡+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
¥…€Ñ
m
¥…∑ÄÃ
∏Ÿ ¥Ç€≈€ÿ
f
¥…∑Äá
œŒ ¥Ç€≈∏
n
¥…∑ÄÃœ
ÕŸ ¥Ç€≈Õ
pl ¥…∑ÄÃ…
◊Ÿ ¥Ç€≈∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ ¥Ç€π∏
¥…€Ç, ¥…€Ç∏≈
PPP:
-¥Ç∑¡Œ, -¥Ç∑¡ŒŒŸ™
PrG: -PrAP: ¥Ç€π›…™
PrPP: -PG: ¥…∑Ä◊
PAP: ¥…∑Ä◊€…™
n/s-·
∫∂¡∏ÿi (n/s-· E:Sh) ‘take’; ∫/∂-¡+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
∫≈∂Ñ
m
∫∂¡Ã
∏Ÿ ∫≈∂£€ÿ
f
∫∂¡ÃÄ
œŒ ∫≈∂£∏
n
∫∂ÄÃœ
ÕŸ ∫≈∂£Õ
pl ∫∂ÄÃ…
◊Ÿ ∫≈∂£∏≈
imperative:
PPP:
-∫∂¡Œ, -∫∂¡ŒŒŸ™
PrG: -PrAP: ∫≈∂Ñ›…™
PrPP: -PG: ∫∂¡◊
œŒÇ ∫≈∂Ñ∏
∫≈∂Ç, ∫≈∂Ç∏≈
PAP: ∫∂Ä◊€…™
-Ô˜·
∏∂Å∫œ◊¡∏ÿi (-Ô˜· St:St) ‘need’; ∏∂Å∫-œ◊¡+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
∏∂Å∫π¿
m
∏∂Å∫œ◊¡Ã
∏Ÿ ∏∂Å∫π≈€ÿ
f
∏∂Å∫œ◊¡Ã¡
œŒ ∏∂Å∫π≈∏
n
∏∂Å∫œ◊¡Ãœ
ÕŸ ∏∂Å∫π≈Õ
pl ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡Ã…
◊Ÿ ∏∂Å∫π≈∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ ∏∂Å∫π¿∏
∏∂Å∫π™, ∏∂Å∫π™∏≈
PPP: -∏∂Å∫œ◊¡Œ,
-∏∂Å∫œ◊¡ŒŒŸ™
PrG: ∏∂Å∫πµ
PrAP: ∏∂Å∫π¿›…™
PrPP: ∏∂Å∫π≈ÕŸ™
PG: ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡◊
PAP: ∏∂Å∫œ◊¡◊€…™
-Ô (not transitive!)
∫œ∂É∏ÿ∑µi (-Ô Sh:St) ‘fight’; ∫œ∂-œ+ -∑µ
present tense:
past tense:
µ
∫œ∂â∑ÿ
m
∏Ÿ ∫É∂≈€ÿ∑µ
f
∫œ∂Éá∑ÿ
œŒ
n
ÕŸ
pl ∫œ∂ÉÃ…∑ÿ
◊Ÿ
imperative:
œŒÇ
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP:
-Óı (not transitive!)
À∂ÇÀŒπ∏ÿp (-Óı St:St) ‘shout’; À∂ÇÀ-Œπ+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
À∂ÇÀŒπ
m
∏Ÿ À∂ÇÀŒ≈€ÿ
f
À∂ÇÀŒπá
œŒ
n
ÕŸ
pl À∂ÇÀŒπÃ…
◊Ÿ
imperative:
œŒÇ
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP:
-(Óı) (not transitive)
Õ£∂⁄Œπ∏ÿi (-(Óı) St:St) ‘freeze’; Õ£∂⁄-(Œπ)+
present tense:
past tense:
PPP:
µ
Õ£∂⁄Œπ
m
∏Ÿ Õ£∂⁄Œ≈€ÿ
f
Õ£∂⁄á
PrG:
œŒ
n
PrAP:
ÕŸ
pl Õ£∂⁄Ã…
PrPP:
◊Ÿ
imperative:
PG:
œŒÇ
PAP:
Consonant Stems
-·Í
ƒÅá∏ÿi (-·Í St:St) ‘do’; ƒÅÃ-¡™+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
ƒÅá¿
m
ƒÅáÃ
∏Ÿ ƒÅá≈€ÿ
f
ƒÅáá
œŒ ƒÅá≈∏
n
ƒÅáÜ
ÕŸ ƒÅá≈Õ
pl ƒÅáÅ
◊Ÿ ƒÅá≈∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ ƒÅá¿∏
ƒÅá™, ƒÅá™∏≈
PPP:
-ƒÅáŒ, -ƒÅጌŸ™
PrG: ƒÅáµ
PrAP: ƒÅá¿›…™
PrPP: ƒÅá≈ÕŸ™
PG: ƒÅá◊
PAP: ƒÅá◊€…™
-ÂÍ
…ÕÅ∏ÿi (-ÂÍ St:St) ‘possess’; …Õ-Å™+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
…ÕÅ¿
m
…ÕÅÃ
∏Ÿ …ÕÅ≈€ÿ
f
…ÕÅá
œŒ …ÕÅ≈∏
n
…ÕÅÃœ
ÕŸ …ÕÅ≈Õ
pl …ÕÅÃ…
◊Ÿ …ÕÅ≈∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ …ÕÅ¿∏
…ÕÅ™, …ÕÅ™∏≈
PPP: -PrG: …Õŵ
PrAP: …ÕÅ¿›…™
PrPP: -PG: …ÕÅ◊
PAP: …ÕÅ◊€…™
-·(˜·)Í
ƒ¡◊Ä∏ÿi (-·(˜·)Í St:St) ‘give’; ƒ¡-(◊Ä)™+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
ƒ¡â
m
ƒ¡◊ÄÃ
∏Ÿ ƒ¡£€ÿ
f
ƒ¡◊Äá
œŒ ƒ¡£∏
n
ƒ¡◊ÄÃœ
ÕŸ ƒ¡£Õ
pl ƒ¡◊ÄÃ…
◊Ÿ ƒ¡£∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ ƒ¡â∏
ƒ¡◊Ä™, ƒ¡◊Ä™∏≈
PPP: -PrG: ƒ¡◊ĵ
PrAP: ƒ¡â›…™
PrPP: ƒ¡◊Ä≈ÕŸ™
PG: ƒ¡◊Ä◊
PAP: ƒ¡◊Ä◊€…™
Nonsuffixed Stems
˜
÷…∏ÿi (˜ E:Sh) ‘live’; ÷…◊+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
÷…◊Ñ
m
÷…Ã
∏Ÿ ÷…◊£€ÿ
f
÷…ÃÄ
PPP: -÷…∏ (-÷…∏Ä,
-÷…∏Ÿ), -÷…∏Ÿ™
PrG: ÷…◊Ö
œŒ
ÕŸ
◊Ÿ
œŒÇ
÷…◊£∏
÷…◊£Õ
÷…◊£∏≈
÷…◊Ñ∏
n
÷ÇÃœ
pl ÷ÇÃ…
imperative:
÷…◊Ç, ÷…◊Ç∏≈
PrAP: ÷…◊Ñ›…™
PrPP: -PG: ÷…◊
PAP: ÷Ç◊€…™
Ó
ƒ≈∏ÿi (Ó St:St) ‘put’; ƒÅŒ+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
āι
m
ƒ≈Ã
∏Ÿ ƒÅŒ≈€ÿ
f
ƒÅá
œŒ ƒÅŒ≈∏
n
ƒÅÃœ
ÕŸ ƒÅŒ≈Õ
pl ƒÅÃ…
◊Ÿ ƒÅŒ≈∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ ƒÅŒπ∏
ƒ≈Œÿ, ƒÅŒÿ∏≈
PPP:
-ƒÅ∏, -ƒÅ∏Ÿ™
PrG: -PrAP: -PrPP: -PG: ƒ≈◊
PAP: ƒÅ◊€…™
Í
ƒπ∏ÿi (Í St:St) ‘blow’; ƒÑ™+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
Ąm
ƒπÃ
∏Ÿ ƒÑ≈€ÿ
f
ƒÑá
œŒ ƒÑ≈∏
n
ƒÑÃœ
ÕŸ ƒÑ≈Õ
pl ƒÑÃ…
◊Ÿ ƒÑ≈∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ ƒÑ¿∏
ƒÑ™, ƒÑ™∏≈
PPP:
-ƒÑ∏, -ƒÑ∏Ÿ™
PrG: ƒÑµ
PrAP: ƒÑ¿›…™
PrPP: -PG: ƒπ◊
PAP: ƒÑ◊€…™
ÔÍ
À∂Ÿ∏ÿi (ÔÍ St:St) ‘cover’; À∂É™+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
À∂É¿
m
À∂ŸÃ
∏Ÿ À∂É≈€ÿ
f
À∂áá
œŒ À∂É≈∏
n
À∂áÃœ
ÕŸ À∂É≈Õ
pl À∂áÃ…
◊Ÿ À∂É≈∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ À∂É¿∏
À∂É™, À∂É™∏≈
PPP:
-À∂á∏, -À∂á∏Ÿ™
PrG: À∂ɵ
PrAP: À∂É¿›…™
PrPP: -PG: À∂Ÿ◊
PAP: À∂á◊€…™
ÈÍ
¥…∏ÿi (ÈÍ E:Sh) ‘drink’; ¥…™+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
¥ÿ¿
m
¥…Ã
∏Ÿ ¥ÿ£€ÿ
f
¥…ÃÄ
PPP: -¥…∏ (-¥…∏Ä,
-¥…∏Ÿ), -¥…∏Ÿ™
PrG: --
œŒ
ÕŸ
◊Ÿ
œŒÇ
¥ÿ£∏
¥ÿ£Õ
¥ÿ£∏≈
¥ÿ¿∏
n
¥ÇÃœ
pl ¥ÇÃ…
imperative:
¥≈™, ¥Å™∏≈
PrAP: ¥ÿâ›…™
PrPP: -PG: ¥…◊
PAP: ¥Ç◊€…™
/Ú (not transitive)
πÕ≈∂Å∏ÿp (/Ú E:PSh) ‘die’; πÕ/∂+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
πÕ∂Ñ
m
∏Ÿ πÕ∂£€ÿ
f
πÕ≈∂ÃÄ
œŒ
n
ÕŸ
pl ÑÕ≈∂Ã…
◊Ÿ
imperative:
œŒÇ
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP:
/M
÷¡∏ÿi (/Ì E:St) ‘press’; ÷/Õ+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
÷Õπ
m
÷¡Ã
∏Ÿ ÷Õ£€ÿ
f
÷Äá
œŒ ÷Õ£∏
n
÷ÄÃœ
ÕŸ ÷Õ£Õ
pl ÷ÄÃ…
◊Ÿ ÷Õ£∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ ÷Õπ∏
÷Õ…, ÷ÕÇ∏≈
PPP:
-÷Ä∏, -÷Ä∏Ÿ™
PrG: -PrAP: ÷ÕÑ›…™
PrPP: -PG: ÷¡◊
PAP: ÷Ä◊€…™
/Ó
Œ¡fiÄ∏ÿp (/Ó E:PSh) ‘begin’; Œ¡fi/Œ+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
∏Ÿ
œŒ
ÕŸ
◊Ÿ
œŒÇ
Œ¡fiŒÑ
Œ¡fiŒ£€ÿ
Œ¡fiŒ£∏
Œ¡fiŒ£Õ
Œ¡fiŒ£∏≈
Œ¡fiŒÑ∏
m
ŒÄfi¡Ã
f
Œ¡fi¡ÃÄ
n
ŒÄfi¡Ãœ
pl ŒÄfi¡Ã…
imperative:
Œ¡fiŒÇ, Œ¡fiŒÇ∏≈
PPP: ŒÄfi¡∏
(Œ¡fi¡∏Ä,
ŒÄfi¡∏Ÿ), ŒÄfi¡∏Ÿ™
PrG: -PrAP: -PrPP: -PG: Œ¡fiÄ◊
PAP: Œ¡fiÄ◊€…™
Í/Ì
¥œŒÖ∏ÿp (Í/Ì E:PSh) ‘understand’; ¥œ™/Õ+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
¥œ™ÕÑ
m
¥ÉŒµÃ
PPP: ¥ÉŒµ∏
(¥œŒµ∏Ä,
¥ÉŒµ∏Ÿ), ¥ÉŒµ∏Ÿ™
∏Ÿ
œŒ
ÕŸ
◊Ÿ
œŒÇ
¥œ™Õ£€ÿ
¥œ™Õ£∏
¥œ™Õ£Õ
¥œ™Õ£∏≈
¥œ™ÕÑ∏
f
¥œŒµÃÄ
n
¥ÉŒµÃœ
pl ¥ÉŒµÃ…
imperative:
¥œ™ÕÇ, ¥œ™ÕÇ∏≈
PrG: -PrAP: -PrPP: -PG: ¥œŒÖ◊
PAP: ¥œŒÖ◊€…™
ÓÈÌ
∑Œµ∏ÿp (ÓÈÌ Sh:Sh) ‘take off’; ∑Œ…Õ+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
∑Œ…ÕÑ
m
∑ŒµÃ
∏Ÿ ∑ŒÇÕ≈€ÿ
f
∑ŒµÃÄ
œŒ ∑ŒÇÕ≈∏
n
∑ŒÖÃœ
ÕŸ ∑ŒÇÕ≈Õ
pl ∑ŒÖÃ…
◊Ÿ ∑ŒÇÕ≈∏≈
imperative:
œŒÇ ∑ŒÇÕπ∏
∑Œ…ÕÇ, ∑Œ…ÕÇ∏≈
PPP: ∑Œµ∏ (∑Œµ∏Ä,
∑ŒÖ∏Ÿ), ∑ŒÖ∏Ÿ™
PrG: -PrAP: -PrPP: -PG: ∑Œµ◊
PAP: ∑ŒÖ◊€…™
‰
◊≈∑∏Çi,uni (‰ E:E) ‘lead’; ◊≈ƒ+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
◊≈ƒÑ
m
◊£Ã
∏Ÿ
œŒ
ÕŸ
◊Ÿ
œŒÇ
◊≈ƒ£€ÿ
◊≈ƒ£∏
◊≈ƒ£Õ
◊≈ƒ£∏≈
◊≈ƒÑ∏
f
◊≈ÃÄ
n
◊≈ÃÉ
pl ◊≈ÃÇ
imperative:
◊≈ƒÇ, ◊≈ƒÇ∏≈
PPP: -◊≈ƒ£Œ (◊≈ƒ≈ŒÄ,
-◊≈ƒ≈Œá), ◊≈ƒ£ŒŒŸ™
PrG: ◊≈ƒÖ
PrAP: ◊≈ƒÑ›…™
PrPP: ◊≈ƒÉÕŸ™
PG: ◊Ń€…
PAP: ◊Ń€…™
Ù
¥Ã≈∑∏Çi (Ù E:E) ‘weave, braid’; ¥Ã≈∏+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
¥Ã≈∏Ñ
m
∏Ÿ
œŒ
ÕŸ
◊Ÿ
œŒÇ
¥Ã≈∏£€ÿ
¥Ã≈∏£∏
¥Ã≈∏£Õ
¥Ã≈∏£∏≈
¥Ã≈∏Ñ∏
f
¥Ã≈ÃÄ
n
¥Ã≈ÃÉ
pl ¥Ã≈ÃÇ
imperative:
¥Ã≈∏Ç, ¥Ã≈∏Ç∏≈
ß
¥Ã£Ã
PPP:-¥Ã≈∏£Œ (¥Ã≈∏≈ŒÄ,
-¥Ã≈∏≈Œá), ¥Ã≈∏£ŒŒŸ™
PrG: ¥Ã≈∏Ö
PrAP: ¥Ã≈∏Ñ›…™
PrPP: -PG: ¥Ã£∏€…
PAP: ¥Ã£∏€…™
«∂≈∑∏Çi (ß E:E) ‘row, dig’; «∂≈∫+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
«∂≈∫Ñ
m
∏Ÿ «∂≈∫£€ÿ
f
Ƕź̀
œŒ
n
ÕŸ
pl Ƕź̂
◊Ÿ
imperative:
œŒÇ
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP:
˙
◊≈⁄∏Çi,uni (˙ E:E) ‘convey’; ◊≈⁄+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
◊≈⁄Ñ
m
∏Ÿ ◊≈⁄£€ÿ
f
◊≈⁄ÃÄ
œŒ
n
ÕŸ
pl ◊≈⁄ÃÇ
◊Ÿ
imperative:
œŒÇ
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP:
Û
Œ≈∑∏Çi,uni (Û E:E) ‘carry’; Œ≈∑+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
Œ≈∑Ñ
m
∏Ÿ Œ≈∑£€ÿ
f
Œ≈∑ÃÄ
œŒ
n
ÕŸ
pl Œ≈∑ÃÇ
◊Ÿ
imperative:
œŒÇ
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP:
Á
∑∏∂…fiÿi (Á E:St) ‘cut’; ∑∏∂…«+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
∑∏∂…«Ñ
m
∏Ÿ ∑∏∂…÷£€ÿ
f
∑∏∂ǫá
œŒ
n
ÕŸ
pl ∑∏∂Ç«Ã…
◊Ÿ
imperative:
œŒÇ
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP:
Î
¥≈fiÿi (Î E:E) ‘bake’; ¥≈À+
present tense:
past tense:
µ
¥≈ÀÑ
m
∏Ÿ ¥≈fi£€ÿ
f
¥≈ÀÃÄ
œŒ
n
ÕŸ
pl ¥≈ÀÃÇ
◊Ÿ
imperative:
œŒÇ
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP:
Derivation of Imperfective Verbs
present tense:
µ
∏Ÿ
œŒ
ÕŸ
◊Ÿ
œŒÇ
past tense:
m
f
n
pl
imperative:
PPP:
PrG:
PrAP:
PrPP:
PG:
PAP: