The Russian Present Tense: The Two Conjugations
How Russian verbs change in the present tense, with the two main patterns and common examples.
Russian verbs change their endings to show who is acting. In the present tense, there are two main patterns.
First conjugation
Take читать (chitat'), to read:
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| я | читаю |
| ты | читаешь |
| он, она | читает |
| мы | читаем |
| вы | читаете |
| они | читают |
Second conjugation
Take говорить (govorit'), to speak:
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| я | говорю |
| ты | говоришь |
| он, она | говорит |
| мы | говорим |
| вы | говорите |
| они | говорят |
How to tell them apart
Verbs ending in -ать and -ять usually follow the first pattern. Many verbs ending in -ить follow the second. There are exceptions, so learn the forms as you meet each verb.
More verbs
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| работать | to work |
| знать | to know |
| думать | to think |
| жить | to live |
| любить | to love |
| учить | to study, to teach |
No "to be" in the present
Russian usually leaves out "am, is, are":
- Я студент. I am a student.
- Она врач. She is a doctor.
One present, two meanings
Russian has a single present tense, so Я читаю can mean "I read" or "I am reading".
Tips
- Learn one verb from each group as a model.
- Say the full set aloud.
- Use the dictionary to check irregular verbs.
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