Let's have a look at the different verb endings, depending on what tense the verb is in.
In order to identify the correct verb ending, you need to know conjugations of Russian verbs.
There are 2 conjugations - the 1st conjugation and the 2nd conjugation.
Verb Conjugations
1st conjugation:
- Verbs ending in АТЬ, ЕТЬ, ОТЬ, УТЬ, ЫТЬ, ЯТЬ
- A few verbs exceptions ending in ИТЬ
These exceptions are:
брить, стелить, пить, жить
2nd conjugation:
- Verbs ending in ИТЬ
- 7 verbs ending in ЕТЬ and 4 verbs ending in AТЬ
These exceptions are:
ЕТЬ: вертеть, видеть, зависеть, ненавидеть, обидеть, смотреть, терпеть
AТЬ: держать, дышать, гнать, слышать
Present Tense Verb Conjugations
Present tense verb formation:
- Determine the conjugation of the verb (1st or 2nd) by looking at the infinitive form.
- Determine the stem of the verb. Drop -ТЬ from the infinitive form for 1st conjugation verbs and drop -ИТЬ for 2nd conjugation verbs.
- Add the right ending depending on the person and conjugation.
Please note that there are many verbs that will not follow this rule and you will have to remember their stem by looking up their conjugations.
Some exceptions:
- ЛЮБИТЬ (to love) - stem ЛЮБ(Л)
- ПИСАТЬ (to write) - stem ПИШ
- РЕЗАТЬ (to cut) - stem РЕЖ
Present Tense - Verb Endings
| PERSON | PRONOUN | 1st conjugation | 2nd conjugation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | Я | Ю У (after consonants) |
Ю У (after Ж, Ч, Ш, Щ) |
| 2nd singular | ТЫ | ЕШЬ ЁШЬ (under stress) |
ИШЬ |
| 3rd singular | ОН, ОНА, ОНО | ЕТ ЁТ (under stress) |
ИТ |
| 1st plural | МЫ | ЕМ ЁМ (under stress) |
ИМ |
| 2nd plural | ВЫ | ЕТЕ ЁТЕ (under stress) |
ИТЕ |
| 3rd plural | ОНИ | ЮТ УТ (after consonants) |
ЯТ АТ (after Ж, Ч, Ш, Щ) |
Present Tense Verb Conjugations - БРОСАТЬ, ВЕРИТЬ
- БРОСАТЬ (to throw) - 1st conjugation - drop ТЬ - stem БРОСА
- ВЕРИТЬ (to believe) - 2nd conjugation - drop ИТЬ - stem ВЕР
| PERSON | PRONOUN | 1st conjugation | 2nd conjugation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | Я | БРОСАЮ | ВЕРЮ |
| 2nd singular | ТЫ | БРОСАЕШЬ | ВЕРИШЬ |
| 3rd singular | ОН, ОНА, ОНО | БРОСАЕТ | ВЕРИТ |
| 1st plural | МЫ | БРОСАЕМ | ВЕРИМ |
| 2nd plural | ВЫ | БРОСАЕТЕ | ВЕРИТЕ |
| 3rd plural | ОНИ | БРОСАЮТ | ВЕРЯТ |
Past Tense Verb Conjugations
Past tense verb formation:
- Determine the stem of the verb.
- Drop the ending -ТЬ from the infinitive form.
- Add the right ending depending on gender: -Л for masculine, -ЛА for feminine, -ЛО for neuter, -ЛИ for plural.
Please note that there are many verbs that will not follow this rule and you will have to remember their stem by looking up their conjugations.
Some exceptions:
ИДТИ (to go)
-
- Masculine: ШЁЛ
- Feminine: ШЛА
- Neuter: ШЛО
- Plural: ШЛИ
МОЧЬ (to be able to)
-
- Masculine: МОГ
- Feminine: МОГЛА
- Neuter: МОГЛО
- Plural: МОГЛИ
Past Tense - Verb Endings
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| MASCULINE | Л | ЛИ |
| FEMININE | ЛА | |
| NEUTER | ЛО |
Past Tense Verb Conjugations - ИГРАТЬ
- ИГРАТЬ (to play) - drop -ТЬ - stem ИГРА
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| MASCULINE | ИГРАЛ | ИГРАЛИ |
| FEMININE | ИГРАЛА | |
| NEUTER | ИГРАЛО |
Future Tense Verb Conjugations
Imperfective verbs
Future tense formation for imperfective verbs:
- Relevant form of the auxiliary verb БЫТЬ (to be) followed by the infinitive form of the imperfective verb.
Future Tense Imperfective - Verb Endings
| PERSON | PRONOUN | FUTURE Быть + Imperfective Infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | Я | БУДУ + imp inf |
| 2nd singular | ТЫ | БУДЕШЬ + imp inf |
| 3rd singular | ОН, ОНА, ОНО | БУДЕТ + imp inf |
| 1st plural | МЫ | БУДЕМ + imp inf |
| 2nd plural | ВЫ | БУДЕТЕ + imp inf |
| 3rd plural | ОНИ | БУДУТ + imp inf |
Future Tense Imperfective Verb Conjugations - РАБОТАТЬ
Let's have a look at an example with the verb РАБОТАТЬ (to work)
| PERSON | PRONOUN | FUTURE Быть + Imperfective Infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | Я | БУДУ РАБОТАТЬ |
| 2nd singular | ТЫ | БУДЕШЬ РАБОТАТЬ |
| 3rd singular | ОН, ОНА, ОНО | БУДЕТ РАБОТАТЬ |
| 1st plural | МЫ | БУДЕМ РАБОТАТЬ |
| 2nd plural | ВЫ | БУДЕТЕ РАБОТАТЬ |
| 3rd plural | ОНИ | БУДУТ РАБОТАТЬ |
Perfective verbs
Future tense formation for perfective verbs:
- Determine the conjugation of the verb (1st or 2nd) by looking at the infinitive form.
- Determine the stem of the verb. Drop -ТЬ from the infinitive form for 1st conjugation verbs and drop -ИТЬ for 2nd conjugation verbs.
- Add the right ending depending on the person and conjugation.
The steps to identifying the right ending of a verb are the same as present tense and the endings are the same as well.
Future Tense Perfective - Verb Endings
| PERSON | PRONOUN | 1st conjugation | 2nd conjugation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | Я | Ю У (after consonants) |
Ю У (after Ж, Ч, Ш, Щ) |
| 2nd singular | ТЫ | ЕШЬ ЁШЬ (under stress) |
ИШЬ |
| 3rd singular | ОН, ОНА, ОНО | ЕТ ЁТ (under stress) |
ИТ |
| 1st plural | МЫ | ЕМ ЁМ (under stress) |
ИМ |
| 2nd plural | ВЫ | ЕТЕ ЁТЕ (under stress) |
ИТЕ |
| 3rd plural | ОНИ | ЮТ УТ (after consonants) |
ЯТ АТ (after Ж, Ч, Ш, Щ) |
Future Tense Perfective Verb Conjugations - СДЕЛАТЬ, ПОСТРОИТЬ
- СДЕЛАТЬ (to do) - 1st conjugation - drop ТЬ - stem СДЕЛА
- ПОСТРОИТЬ (to build) - 2nd conjugation - drop ИТЬ - stem ПОСТРО
| PERSON | PRONOUN | 1st conjugation | 2nd conjugation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | Я | СДЕЛАЮ | ПОСТРОЮ |
| 2nd singular | ТЫ | СДЕЛАЕШЬ | ПОСТРОИШЬ |
| 3rd singular | ОН, ОНА, ОНО | СДЕЛАЕТ | ПОСТРОИТ |
| 1st plural | МЫ | СДЕЛАЕМ | ПОСТРОИМ |
| 2nd plural | ВЫ | СДЕЛАЕТЕ | ПОСТРОИТЕ |
| 3rd plural | ОНИ | СДЕЛАЮТ | ПОСТРОЯТ |
Want to learn more about Russian verbs?
Check out these lessons: