Verb Conjugation in Russian for Foreigners with Examples and Tables

A bilingual child is doing homework for Russian class. Verbs. On the sheet is the line: «I ___ to school.» The child needs to put the verb «to go» (идти) into the correct form. The child ponders. "Idu"? "Idet"? "Khozu"? All the options sound familiar, but which one is correct *right now* is unclear.

And this is where not only the child gets stuck, but also the adult who is trying to explain it to them.

The verb «to go» has different forms depending on who is acting. I go. You go. He goes. We go. You go. They go. This is conjugation. The verb changes its ending depending on person and number. All verbs in Russian have this. For some, it's simple and logical, while others have unpleasant surprises.

This article will explain what verb conjugation is, the two main types, where the most problematic exceptions reside, what verb aspect is, and why verbs of motion are a separate topic. It will include tables, examples, and an analysis of common mistakes. If you are the parent of a bilingual child or an adult trying to understand Russian verb conjugation yourself, this material should help bring order to your thoughts.

What is verb conjugation

Let's go in order.

Conjugation is the change of a verb according to person and number. The verb changes its form depending on who is performing the action (I, you, he, we, you, they) and how many actors there are (one or several).

Let's take a simple example. The verb «to write» in its infinitive form (what you find in the dictionary). Here's how it looks in the present tense:

• I am writing
• you are writing
• he is writing
• we are writing
• you write
• they write

Six forms of one verb. The endings change: -u, -esh, -et, -em, -ete, -ut. This is conjugation.

In English, this doesn't exist. In the present simple, the English verb changes only in the third person singular: I write, you write, he writes, we write, they write. One change, one letter -s. Russian, however, assigns a different ending to each person.

In Russian, all verbs are divided into two main conjugations: the first and the second. Each has its own set of endings. Plus, there are several exception verbs that don't follow the rules, and a couple of very special verbs (to be, to go, to eat, to want) whose forms are not at all like the standard ones.

It sounds complicated. In practice, the system is quite regular. If you break it down and practice with a few dozen verbs, it becomes clear. This is the basis of all the logic that textbooks call conjugating Russian verbs. By the way, the conjugation of verbs in Russian is not separate from case declension, but runs parallel to it.

First conjugation

The first conjugation includes most verbs in Russian. In their infinitive form, they end in -ать, -ять, -еть, -оть, -уть, -ыть, and so on. The endings for the first conjugation are:

• I
• you eat
• he, she, it (3rd person sing.) -s
• we
• you
• they -ut or -yut

Let's take the example «to read»:

• I am reading
• Are you reading
• he is reading
• We are reading
• You are reading
• they are reading

Another example, «to work»:

• I am working
• Do you work?
• He is working
• We are working
• Do you work?
• They are working

See how the endings fall the same? -ю, -ешь, -ет, -ем, -ете, -ют. That's the standard set for the first conjugation.

If a verb ends in -ать or -ять, it's most likely of the first conjugation. «Гулять,» «играть,» «петь,» «думать,» and «знать» all follow the first conjugation.

Important detail. The first conjugation has the ending -ешь in the second person, not -ишь. This is a common mistake for bilinguals. They intuitively use -ишь and say «ty pishish» instead of «ty pishesh» (you write). It usually resolves after a few weeks of regular practice.

Second conjugation

The second conjugation mainly includes verbs ending in -ить in their base form. The endings for the second conjugation are as follows:

• I
• you -ish
• he, she, it (3rd person sing.) -s
• we -us
• you -ite
• they (3rd person plural) -at or -yat

Example «to speak»:

• I speak
• you speak
• he speaks
• We are speaking
• Do you speak
• They say

Here's another example, «to teach»:

• I am learning
• Are you learning
• He teaches
• we are learning
• you learn
• they learn

Do you see the difference with the first conjugation? The main difference is in the vowel before the personal ending. For the first conjugation, it's -e (you write, you read). For the second, it's -i (you speak, you learn). This one letter is the main marker.

Verbs of the second conjugation ending in «-ить»: «govorit»« (to speak), »uchit«» (to learn/teach), «lyubit»« (to love), »zvonit«» (to ring), «stroit»" (to build), "pomnit'" (to remember), "khodit'" (to walk/go), "varit'" (to boil/cook). There are very many of them in Russian.

By the way, about «to call». A small linguistic factoid. Native speakers often argue about the correct stress in the word «звонишь» (you call). The literary norm is «звонИшь», but in colloquial speech, many say «звОнишь». This is a variation of stress, not an error in conjugation. The ending "-ишь" is the same in both cases.

Verbs of exception

This is where the most unpleasant part for foreigners begins. In addition to the two main conjugations, Russian has verbs that look like the first conjugation but conjugate like the second. And vice versa.

Remember several exception groups.

Verbs ending in -ить that belong to the first conjugation. There are two of them: «брить» (to shave) and «стелить» (to spread). They are conjugated in the first conjugation: я брею (I shave), ты бреешь (you shave), он бреет (he shaves). Although their infinitive form would suggest they belong to the second conjugation.

Verbs ending in -еть that belong to the second conjugation. There are seven of them: «to see,» «to watch,» «to hate,» «to offend,» «to tolerate,» «to twist,» «to depend.».

I watch, you watch, he watches. Second conjugation endings, although the infinitive is -еть, like the first.

Verbs ending in -ать that belong to the second conjugation. There are four of them: «гнать», «держать», «дышать», «слышать».

I hear, you hear, he hears, we hear, you hear, they hear. Second conjugation endings.

To remember these exceptions, Russian schoolchildren have a little rhyme: «Gnat», derzhat', smotret' i videt', dyshat', slyshat', nenavidet', i obidet', i terpet', i vertet', i zaviset'." Eleven verbs in one phrase. If you learn the rhyme, you'll learn the list of exceptions.

The most irregular verbs

Besides exceptions by conjugation type, Russian has verbs that don't follow the standard scheme at all. They are called mixed or simply irregular verbs. They should be memorized separately.

To be. In the present tense, this verb is rarely used. Russians seldom say «I am a student,» unlike the English «I am a student.» But in the past and future, «to be» exists and is conjugated specially. Future: I will be, you will be, he/she/it will be, we will be, you will be, they will be. Past: I was, you were, he was, she was, it was, they were. In the past tense, the singular form depends on gender.

To go. A verb of motion, conjugated specially. I go, you go, he/she goes, we go, you go, they go. The endings are like the first conjugation, but in the past tense the root changes: I [masculine] went / I [feminine] went. A completely different word.

To eat. I eat, you eat, he eats, we eat, you eat, they eat. Completely irregular forms.

To want. A verb with double conjugation. In the singular, by the first pattern: I want, you want, he wants. In the plural, by the second pattern: we want, you want, they want. Some forms have the «ch» sound, some don't. A very tricky verb. Bilinguals and adult foreigners consistently say "they want" (они хочут), and this is the most frequent mistake with this verb.

give. A perfective verb, so the forms below are future tense. I will give, you will give, he/she/it will give, we will give, you will give, they will give. Also all non-standard.

To run. I run, you run, he runs, we run, you run, they run. Another mix of first and second conjugation forms.

This set is worth learning separately from the standard tables. These verbs are encountered in Russian literally every day, and it's impossible to speak without them.

Perfective and Imperfective Aspect

Now, this is a completely different story. Before, we talked about how verbs change by person. Now, let's talk about how the same idea can be hidden behind two different verbs.

Every Russian verb has an aspect. There are two aspects: perfective and imperfective.

Imperfective aspect signifies process, repetition, duration. Verbs in the imperfective aspect answer the question «What am I doing?»: reading, writing, thinking. This happens now, it continues, it repeats regularly.

Perfective aspect indicates a completed action, a result. Verbs in the perfective aspect answer the question «What did I do?»: read, wrote, thought. It's done, there's a result.

Most verbs in Russian exist in pairs:

• to read (imperfective) and to finish reading (perfective)
• to write and to have written
• to do and to have done
• to speak and to say (this is a pair, although they look like different words)
• To go and to arrive
• to see and to have seen

The imperfective aspect conjugates in the present, past, and future tenses. The perfective aspect conjugates only in the past and future. This is logical: if an action is completed, it has either already happened or will happen.

Compare:

• I am reading a book right now.
• I was reading a book yesterday.
• I read the book yesterday.
• I will be reading.
• I will read.

It's important to distinguish between them because the meaning of the phrase changes. «I was writing a letter» describes a process; I was writing, and perhaps haven't finished yet. «I wrote a letter» describes a result; the letter is ready.

English speakers usually drown in this place. In English, aspect is conveyed through tenses (present continuous, present perfect), while in Russian, it's conveyed through the verb itself. It takes months of practice to switch to this logic.

Verbs of motion

This is a separate class of verbs with special behavior that does not exist in English.

In Russian, verbs of motion exist in pairs. Not as aspectual pairs, but a different system. Each pair has a directed (definite) and an undirected (indefinite) verb.

• to go and to walk
• to go and to ride (by transport)
• to run
• to fly and flying
• to swim
• carry and wear
• To carry
• To lead and to drive

What does directed and undirected mean?

A directed verb signifies movement in one direction, towards a specific destination, usually happening right now. «I am going to school,» meaning right now, in one direction.

An undirected verb signifies back and forth movement, regular, without a specific direction. «I go to school,» meaning a regular, repetitive action.

Compare:

• I'm going to the store.
• I go to this store every day. (regularly)
• My brother is flying to London today.
• My brother often flies to London.

Verbs of motion become even more complex with prefixes. The prefix changes the meaning and direction. «Идти» with the prefix «при-» becomes «прийти» (приходить - to arrive). With «у-» it becomes "уйти" (уходить - to leave). With "до-" it becomes "дойти" (доходить - to reach/get to). And each prefixed form has its own aspectual pair.

Verbs of motion are one of the most difficult topics in Russian grammar. Native speakers intuitively master this system. during the first five years of life. Foreigners have to consciously work through every verb and every prefix.

How to best memorize verb conjugations

Many who take Russian seriously start the same way: they print out a table of endings, hang it over their desk, and try to memorize it. A week later, it turns out the table doesn't help in real speech. The correct ending isn't recalled, and the phrase comes out choppy. It's not a matter of poor memory. Tables aren't a way to learn a language, but a way to systematize what has already been learned.

What works better:

Remember through sentences, not through forms. Instead of cramming «I go, you go, he goes, we go, you go, they go,» memorize six short, living phrases. «I am going to school. You are going home. He is going to work. We are going to the park. You are going to the cinema. They are going to the store.» In a month, the verb will be ingrained in your mind as a set of familiar situations.

Group by conjugations. Take ten first conjugation verbs and practice them for a week. Only then move on to the second conjugation. If you mix both at once, your brain will get confused with the endings.

Learn irregular verbs separately and forever. Be, go, eat, want, give. These five are worth writing on a separate card and repeating every day for the first couple of weeks. They occur so often that Russian speech cannot be constructed without automatism with them.

Listen to live dialogues. In cartoons, TV shows, and children's songs, verbs appear in every other sentence. Listen, repeat after the speaker, then try it yourself. After a few weeks, your ear will start to automatically hear the correct endings.

Write down your mistakes. Every time you are corrected or realize you said something wrong, write down the incorrect and correct form in a notebook. After a month, you will have a personal list of your most problematic areas. This notebook works better than any textbook.

Don't tackle aspect right away. Perfective and imperfective aspect is a separate, huge topic. Until you've got present tense conjugation down, it's best not to approach aspect. Otherwise, everything will get jumbled up. One level at a time.

Conjugation summary table

To have all the key endings in one place, let's look at the complete table. It includes the first and second conjugations in the present tense, the past tense with gender forms, and the imperative mood.

This table is useful to keep in front of you during the first few weeks of working with verbs. Gradually, you will memorize the endings and no longer need to peek. The main rule is simple: look at the vowel before the personal ending. -e means the first conjugation. -i means the second.

Top Irregular Verbs

A few verbs in Russian are so common and so irregular that they deserve their own cheat sheet. There are five main ones: to be, to go, to eat, to want, to give. Plus a couple that are slightly less common: to run, to go (by vehicle).

This set is worth memorizing. It appears in Russian speech literally every day. Without it, you won't be able to say «I want pizza,» or «he is eating soup,» or «let's go.».

Practice exercises

Without practice, everything you have read above will be forgotten in about a week. Conjugation is not a theoretical discipline. It is reinforced only through repeated practice, through mistakes, through saying the correct forms out loud. Regular exercises are the most natural way to master Russian verb conjugation through action, not through rote memorization.

Below is a conjugation chart and ten exercises of varying difficulty. The chart is useful when you're unsure which endings to use. The exercises cover the first and second conjugations, irregular verbs, aspects, and verbs of motion. Do them on your own or with a child, at your own pace.

Did you go through the exercises once? Good. Come back to them in a week. If most of the answers are correct the second time, then the conjugation is starting to sink in.

The Most Common Mistakes of Bilinguals and Foreigners

The list of typical mistakes in learning verb conjugation is well known to teachers of Russian as a foreign language and for teachers working with bilinguals. They repeat in different people, at different ages, and at different levels. This is a normal stage.

The ending -ish instead of -esh for the first conjugation. «Tyishish» instead of «typishesh». Bilinguals substitute -i- by analogy with the second conjugation.

Confusion between «иду» and «хожу.» For an English speaker, both options sound the same (I go), and they use one of the two randomly. «I am walking to school right now» instead of «I am going to school right now.».

Ignoring aspect. «Yesterday I was reading a book until the end» instead of «yesterday I finished reading a book.» English speakers don't distinguish between process and result through the verb itself, so they use only one form for both cases.

«Oни хочут» instead of «они хотят». The verb «хотеть» changes its conjugation type within the paradigm (see section on irregular verbs). Bilingual speakers, by analogy with the first conjugation, say «хочут».

Past tense with incorrect gender. «Mama came home» instead of «Mama came home.» In the past tense, masculine has -l, feminine has -la, neuter has -lo, and plural has -li.

I would like ice cream«I would like ice cream»or «May I have ice cream»." This is no longer about conjugation, but a related story.

Using the perfective aspect in the present tense. «I will read the book right now» instead of «I am reading the book right now.» The perfective aspect does not combine with the present tense, only with the past or future.

All these mistakes disappear with regular practice and listening experience. The more a child or adult hears correct Russian speech, the faster calques disappear.

How do we teach conjugation at Palme School

Verb conjugation is one of the most frequent topics that comes up in our classes with bilingual children. A child may use nouns correctly, understand spoken language perfectly, but stumble on verb endings when constructing a sentence. «I run to school» instead of «I'm running to school.» «They want» instead of «they want.» A situation familiar to many parents.

Palme School works with children from 4 to 17 years old.. We don't teach conjugation by memorizing a list of endings. This approach doesn't work. You can cram the table, but you'll still make mistakes in real conversation.

In the program for younger children, cases and conjugations are introduced in parallel through game situations. The child acts out scenes. «I'm going to the store,» «I'm taking it from the shelf,» «I'm paying at the register,» «I'm coming home.» The verbs here are all in the first person present tense, the child speaks for themselves. Gradually, other persons are included: «Mom is going to the store,» «Brother and sister are playing in the park.».

Every verb in our program is integrated into a specific theme. For the theme «family,» the verbs «loves,» «gives,» «helps,» and «calls» are practiced. For the theme «school,» these are «studies,» «reads,» «writes,» and «answers.» For the theme «sports,» these are all verbs of motion: «runs,» «swims,» and «rides.» Through the theme, the child remembers not only new words but also their correct forms.

Palme teachers are native Russian speakers with specialized pedagogical training. They know when a bilingual speaker starts to make mistakes and work on those specific issues.

Teenagers work with real texts and media. We take posts, songs, and dialogues from cartoons and TV shows. We break down verb aspects, conjugations, and why certain endings are used. This develops analytical thinking and helps them see the system in a living language.

The Palme program is designed cyclically. This means that you can start learning at any time, without waiting for a new enrollment. The child joins a group at their level, and the teacher quickly integrates the newcomer into the current topic.The first two lessons at Palme School are free.. You can come and see how we work with conjugation in practice, and decide if this format is suitable for your child.