Languages › Russian 8 Simple Rules for Russian Verb Conjugation Share Flipboard Email Print Languages English as a Second Language Spanish French German Italian Japanese Mandarin Russian By Maia Nikitina Russian Language Expert M.F.A., Creative Writing, Manchester Metropolitan University Diploma in Translation (IoLet Level 7, Russian), Chartered Institute of Linguists Maia Nikitina is a writer and Russian language translator. She holds a Diploma in Translation (IoLet Level 7) from the Chartered Institute of Linguists. our editorial process Twitter Twitter Maia Nikitina Updated December 28, 2018 Russian verbs change according to their tense, person, and number. This guide to Russian verb conjugation provides basic rules for conjugating regular verbs in the present tense. The Russian present tense is simpler than the English present tense, as there is only one present tense verb form. To illustrate this point, consider the sentence "я читаю." This statement can mean "I read," "I have been reading," or "I am reading." Thanks to this simplified present tense, basic verb conjugation in Russian is easier than you might expect. Follow these eight steps to begin conjugating Russian verbs. Rule 1: Russian Verb Forms Russian verbs have six forms in the present tense: 1st person, 2nd person, and 3rd person, all of which can be singular or plural. The verb ending tells us the point of view (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) and the number (singular/plural) of the verb. Rule 2: Verb Conjugation Groups There are two groups of verb conjugation in Russian: first conjugation and second conjugation. First conjugation verbs have the endings -у (-ю), -ешь (-ёшь), -ет (-ёт), -ем (-ём), -ете (-ёте), and -ут (-ют). Second conjugation verbs have the endings -у (-ю), -ишь, -ит, -им, -ите, -ат (-ят). Rule 3: How to Check a Conjugation Group There are two ways to determine a verb's conjugation group. First, look at the personal ending if it is under stress: петь – поёшь, поёт, поют (first conjugation)греметь – гремишь, гремит (second conjugation) Second, if the personal ending is not stressed, look at the suffix before the ending -ть in the infinitive form of the verb and follow these steps. Put the verb in its infinitive, e.g. гуляет - гулятьCheck which vowel comes before the ending -ть. For example: in гулять, it is я.Use these rules to determine whether the verb is first or second conjugation. Rule 4: Endings in Second Conjugation Verbs Second conjugation verbs are: All verbs ending in -ить in their infinitive form (exceptions: брить, стелить)7 verbs ending with -еть: смотреть, видеть, ненавидеть, зависеть, терпеть, обидеть, вертеть4 verbs ending with -ать: слышать, дышать, гнать, держатьAll derivatives of these verbs, e.g. перегнать, просмотреть Rule 5: Endings in First Conjugation Verbs First Conjugation verbs are those that in their infinitive form end in -еть, -ать, -ять, -оть, -уть, -ыть. Rule 6: How to Remember The Correct Conjugation Group Here's a helpful poem to remember which verbs are in the second conjugation group. Ко второму же спряженьюОтнесем мы без сомненьяВсе глаголы, что на –ить,Исключая брить, стелить,А еще: смотреть, обидеть, слышать, видеть, ненавидеть,гнать, дышать, держать, терпеть,и зависеть, и вертеть. Rule 7: Finding The Stem To find the stem of a verb, take away the last letter from the first person singular form of the verb (я). For example, я гуляю becomes гуля. Next, take off the last three letters the ending from the second person singular form of the verb (ты). For example, ты гуляешь becomes гуля. Finally, compare the two results. If they are the same, either result is the stem. If they are not the same, then the second result is the stem. Rule 8: Attaching The Ending Take the stem of your verb (гуля) and find the correct ending based on the verb's conjugation group. If it is a first conjugation verb, use the endings -у (-ю), -ешь (-ёшь), -ет (-ёт), -ем (-ём), -ете (-ёте), and -ут (-ют). If it is a second conjugation verb, use the endings -у (-ю), -ишь, -ит, -им, -ите, -ат (-ят). Exceptions Some verbs are conjugated with endings from both the first and the second conjugation forms. For example: я хочу (ya khaCHOO) - I wantты хочешь (ty KHOchysh) - you wantон / она хочет (on / aNA KHOchyt) - he / she wantsмы хотим (my khaTEEM) - we wantвы хотите (vy khaTEEty) - you wantони хотят (aNEE khaTYAT) - they want я бегу (ya byeGOO) - I am running / I runты бежишь (ty byeZHYSH) - you (singular / familiar) are running / you runон / она бежит (on / aNA byZHYT) - he / she is running / he / she runsмы бежим (my byZHYM) - we are running / we runвы бежите (vy byZHYty) - you (plural) are running / you runони бегут (aNEE byGOOT) - they are running / they run First Conjugation Example гулять (gooLYAT') - to walk, to strollгуля - the verb's stem я гуляю (ya gooLYAyu) - I am walking / I walkты гуляешь (ty gooLYAysh) - you (singular / familiar) are walking / you walkон/она гуляет (on/aNA gooLYAyt) - he / she is walking / he/ she walksмы гуляем (my gooLYAyim) - we are walking / we walkвы гуляете (vy gooLYAytye) - you (plural) are walking / you walkони гуляют (aNEE gooLYAyut) - they are walking / they walk Second Conjugation Examples дышать (dySHAT') - to breatheдыш - the verb's stem я дышу (ya dySHOO) - I am breathing / I breatheты дышишь (ty DYshysh) - you (singular / familiar) are breathing / you breatheон/она дышит (on / aNA DYshyt) - he / she is breathing / he / she breathesмы дышим (my DYshym) - we are breathing / we breatheвы дышите (vy DYshytye) - you (plural) are breathing / you breatheони дышат (aNEE DYshut) - they are breathing / they breathe видеть (VEEdyt') - to seeвид - the verb's stem я вижу (ya VEEzhoo) - I am seeing / I see*ты видишь - you (singular / familiar) are seeing/ you seeон / она видит - he / she is seeing / he / she seesмы видим - we are seeing / we seeвы видите - you (plural) are seeing / you seeони видят - they are seeing / they see (*Please note that in some verbs, consonants positioned before the personal endings can change. Here, 'д' changes to 'ж' in first person singular.)