How to Master Basic Russian Verb Conjugation

Understanding Russian verb conjugation is one of the most important parts of mastering the language. Verb conjugations offer insights into how actions, states, and occurrences are expressed in different contexts, which is essential on your journey to fluency. To help you learn the nuances associated with the different conjugation patterns, we'll explore verbs in both the first and second conjugation patterns in the present and provide practical examples to help you tie everything together.

The Basics of Russian Verb Conjugation

Russian verbs conjugate based on person and number, resulting in six different forms that can be applied. So, when you start learning Russian and how to conjugate Russian verbs, you'll need to start with subject pronouns, which are as follows: 

This is important to know but the Russian subject pronouns are often omitted in spoken and written sentences. Therefore, the only way to really understand who's taking action is to look at the verb ending after conjugation. Luckily, the six different endings are pretty consistent, so once you learn them, you'll be one step closer to mastering Russian grammar. The real challenge of learning how to conjugate verbs in Russian is identifying the stem, which can be done by separating the verbs into distinct groups.

How to Conjugate Regular Verbs in Russian

There are two primarry Russian verb groups that follow a "regular" conjugation pattern: the first conjugation group (e.g., verbs ending in ать and -eть) and the second conjugation group (e.g., verbs ending in -ить).

Russian First Conjugation

The first group of Russian verb conjugations applies to a majority of the verbs that end in -ать, -еть, -оть, -уть, -ять, -ыть, -ти, and -чь. This is the conjugation group that most Russian verbs will apply too. However, some verbs with an -ить (which are typically second conjugation verbs) also fall into this category. Some of the exceptions for -ить include: брить (to shave) and стелить (to lay), along with variations of these verbs.

The reason these are considered the first Russian conjugation verbs is because the connecting letter is either -е or -ё paired with their respective ending based on the subject. You can see how to conjugate verbs in Russian that end in -ть in this group using the chart below:

To conjugate the verbs in this group that end in -ти, you'll need to follow the rules in the chart below:

As you can see, they're pretty similar aside from the variations between e/ё.

So, to conjugate these verbs in the present tense, you just need to identify the stem, drop the endings, and add the respective present tense forms. Typically, the stem will be found by simply removing -ть or -ти. However, this isn't always the case. There are a few (semi) irregular Russian verbs that require you to learn the stem separately. 

For example, the stem of жить (to live) changes to жив. So, writing "I live" would look like this: живу. 

Another example is the verb "to write," which is Писать. The irregular stem changes to пиш, and if you would want "I write," it would look like this: пишу. The best way to get a hang of these is to practice and work on memorizing them. 

Ohter verbs that have unique stem changes (but still follow the first conjugation pattern) include:

• Брать (to take) — stem: бер
• Давать (to give) — stem: да
• Звать (to call) — stem: зов
• Петь (to sing) — stem: по
• Искать (to search) — stem: ищ
• Вести (to lead) — stem: вед

Now, let's take a look at a few examples of sentences using first Russian verb conjugation in the present tense:

• Я читаю интересную книгу. — I am reading an interesting book.
• Ты пишешь письмо бабушке. — You are writing a letter to your grandmother.
• Она делает уроки каждый день. — She does homework every day.
• Мы работаем в одном офисе. — We work in the same office.
• Вы понимаете меня? — Do you understand me?
• Они играют в футбол. — They are playing football.
• Я знаю ответ на этот вопрос. — I know the answer to this question.
• Ты слушаешь музыку. — You are listening to music.
• Ты колешь дрова. — You are chopping wood.
• Он полет сорняки. — He is weeding the garden.
• Мы молем зерно. — We are grinding the grain.
• Вы несете книги домой. — You are carrying the books home.

Slightly Different First Verb Conjugations in Russian

There are also some unique rules for verbs that end in -овать or -евать. Since the ending is technically -ать, they follow similar rules as above and belong to the first Russian conjugation. These tend to be words that come from other languages like German, English, or French. The biggest difference is that the stems are short, and you need to insert a -у before the traditional verb endings in the chart above.

For example, Гарантировать (to guarantee) has a stem of гарантир, and if you want to say I guarantee, you'll need to add -ую to the end so it becomes гарантирую.

• Я путешествую. — I am traveling.
• Ты путешествуешь по миру. — You are traveling around the world.
• Я танцую. — I am dancing.
• Он танцует на вечеринке. — He is dancing at the party.
• Я фотографирую. — I am photographing.
• Ты фотографируешь закат. — You are photographing the sunset.

Russian Second Conjugation

The second group of Russian verb conjugations will apply to (almost) all the verbs that end in -ить. It also includes seven verbs that end in -еть: смотреть (to look), видеть (to see), ненавидеть (to hate), зависеть (to depend), терпеть (to tolerate), вертеть (to twist), and обидеть (to hurt). And four verbs that end in -aть: гнать (to chase), дышать (to breathe), держать (to hold), and слышать (to hear).

The reason these are considered the second Russian conjugation verbs is because the connecting letter is -и. To help you practice different stem changes and endings, download Tandem and match with a native Russian speaker today. For now, take a look at how to conjugate verbs in Russian in the second group using the chart below:

To find the stem in the second conjugation group for verbs aside from -ить, you typically need to remove the connecting vowel and the -ть ending. For example, the stem of говорить (to speak) becomes говор, and the stem of смотреть (to look) becomes смотр.

Some examples of second Russian verb conjugation in the present tense include the following:

• Я говорю по-английски. — I speak English.
• Ты говоришь по-русски. — You speak Russian.
• Мы любим гулять в парке. — We love walking in the park.
• Он смотрит на часы. — He is looking at the clock.
• Они спят мало. — They sleep little.
• Он учит стихи. — He is learning poems.
• Я вижу тебя. — I see you.
• Ты ненавидишь холод. — You hate the cold.
• Ты держишь зонт. — You are holding an umbrella.
• Он держит ручку. — He is holding a pen.
• Вы слышите птиц. — You hear the birds.

Conjugating Irregular Verbs in Russian

There are also irregular Russian verbs that won't follow the typical conjugation rules we've already been over. Luckily, there are only a few. Some of the most common irregular Russian verbs are есть (to eat), хотеть (to want), and бегать (to run). They can be conjugated in the present tense as follows:

Есть (to eat)

• Я ем — I eat
• Ты ешь — You eat
• Он/она/оно ест — He/she/it eats
• Мы едим — We eat
• Вы едите — You (plural/formal) eat
• Они едят — They eat

Хотеть (to want)

• Я хочу — I want
• Ты хочешь — You want
• Он/она/оно хочет — He/she/it wants
• Мы хотим — We want
• Вы хотите — You (plural/formal) want
• Они хотят — They want

Бегать (to run)

• Я бегаю — I run
• Ты бегаешь — You run
• Он/она/оно бегает — He/she/it runs
• Мы бегаем — We run
• Вы бегаете — You (plural/formal) run
• Они бегают — They run

Other irregular Russian verbs include:

• Идти (to go): Мы идём в парк. — We are going to the park.
• Видеть (to see): Мы видим звезды. — We see the stars.
• Сказать (to say): Он скажет правду. — He will tell the truth.
• Мочь (to be able to/can): Я могу помочь тебе. — I can help you.
• Лечь (to lie down): Они лягут спать поздно. — They will lie down to sleep late.

Practicing Russian Verb Conjugation in Conversations

Having a real conversation with a native speaker can help you put your knowledge about Russian verb conjugation to the test. But it's not always that easy to find someone to talk to. Rather than scouring the Internet, Tandem created an easier option.

Tandem is a unique language-learning app that takes an innovative approach to learning. With millions of members worldwide, you can match with a Russian speaker regardless anywhere in the world. Plus, having real-world conversations with like-minded individuals will help you build your skills, from learning the different Russian cases to using Russian swear words like a pro. Who knows, you might even make some lifelong friends along the way! All you need to do is create a profile, match with a native speaker of your target language, and start communicating. Sign up for Tandem today to join our community.