GrammatikKonjugation

Verb conjugation means changing the verb form depending on the person (I, you, he, etc.). Just like in English ("I work", "he works"), Russian verbs change their endings:

• я работаю - I work
• ты работаешь - you work
• он работает - he works

This change of endings is called conjugation.

Persons in Russian

Russian has six main forms in the present tense: я; ты; он; она; оно; мы; вы; они

Two main conjugation patterns

Almost all Russian verbs follow one of two patterns, often called the 1st conjugation and 2nd conjugation, and both are very similar.

1st conjugation (very common)

For verbs not ending in -ить. Let's look at работать (to work) and делать (to do):

2nd conjugation

For verbs ending in -ить with examples говорить (to speak) and купить (to buy).

Stem and ending

To conjugate a verb, you usually:

1. Remove the infinitive ending (-ть)
2. Add the correct ending

Example:

• работа-ть → работа- + endings
• говори-ть → говори- + endings

Spelling changes

Some verbs have small spelling or sound changes when conjugated:

• писать → пишу (с → ш)
• жить → живу (stem жив- in the present)

These are normal and should be learned with practice.

No verb "to be" in present

In Russian, the verb быть (to be) is usually not used in the present tense:

• Я студент. (I am a student.)
• Она дома. (She is at home.)

Stress and pronunciation

Stress can move when verbs are conjugated:

• скажу́; ска́жешь; ска́жет; ска́жем; ска́жете; ска́жут сказа́ть → скажу́, ска́жешь, ска́жет, ...
• пишу́; пи́шешь; пи́шет; пи́шем; пи́шете; пи́шут писа́ть → пишу́, пи́шешь, пи́шет, ...

This is important for correct pronunciation and must often be memorized.

Reflexive verbs

Some verbs are reflexive. They have the ending -ся or -сь and describe that the action is done to oneself or involve the subject internally.

• мыться - to wash oneself
• одеваться - to get dressed
• учиться - to study (literally "to teach oneself")

Full present tense of мыться (to wash oneself):

Reflexive verbs conjugate just like normal verbs, but you add -ся or -сь to the form.

• -ся is used after consonants:
  моется, учатся
• -сь is used after vowels:
  моюсь, учусь

How to use it

Here are some simple example sentences to show how you can use the conjugation in everyday statements and questions.

• Ты работаешь. Ты работаешь? (Do you work?)
• Я работаю сегодня. (I work today.)
• Вы говорите по-русски? (Do you speak Russian? - formal/plural)
• Я говорю по-русски. (I speak Russian.)
• Я моюсь. (I wash myself.)
• Ты моешься? (Are you washing yourself?)
• Я читаю книгу. (I read a book.)
• Ты пишешь письмо. (You write a letter.)
• Мы учимся сейчас. (We are studying now.)

Summary

• Verbs change endings depending on person and number.
• Most verbs follow predictable endings, but some are irregular.
• Stress and spelling may change.
• The verb "to be" is usually omitted in the present tense.
• Reflexive verbs end in -ся or -сь and conjugate like normal verbs + reflexive ending.