In Russian, we use the present tense to talk about anything that happens during the time you are speaking. Where English has a variety of ways to talk about the present, such as “I do,” “I am doing,” or “I have been doing,” Russian has just one.
In this post, you will learn what forms Russian verbs have in present tense, and how these verb forms are used. Let’s go ahead!
How to form the present tense in Russian?
To form a present tense verb in Russian, you’ll take the base of an imperfective verb and add the present tense endings to that base. The present tense ending you add will depend on the verb’s conjugation. Here are the endings:
| Subject | Present Tense Ending(s) | |
|---|---|---|
я transcribed yameaning I | -у (-ю) | -у (-ю) |
ты transcribed tymeaning you (sg.) | -ешь/-ёшь | -ишь |
он transcribed onmeaning he, itона transcribed aNAmeaning she, itоно transcribed aNOmeaning it | -ет/-ёт | -ит |
мы transcribed mymeaning we | -ем/-ём | -им |
вы* transcribed vymeaning you (pl.) | -ете/-ёте | -ите |
они transcribed aNEEmeaning they | -ут (-ют) | -ат (-ят) |
Let’s talk through that all a little more slowly, to make sure that you can use the chart above correctly!
The Russian present tense: Imperfective vs. perfective verbs
In Russian, only imperfective verbs can be used to form the present tense. What does this mean?
Most Russian verbs have two basic forms: a perfective form and an imperfective form. The two forms will generally sound similar and have identical or related meanings, but they are used a bit differently. For example:
делать transcribed DYElatmeaning to make, do ← imperfective
сделать transcribed ZDYElatmeaning to make, do ← perfectiveзарабатывать transcribed zaraBAtyvatmeaning to earn ← imperfective
заработать transcribed zaraBOtatmeaning to earn ← perfective
One way in which perfective and imperfective verbs are used differently is what happens when you add the present tense endings to each type of verb:
If you start with an imperfective stem and add the present tense endings, you’ll form a present tense verb, as expected.
If you start with the perfective stem and add the present tense endings, you’ll form a future tense verb instead! This is formally called the “perfective future tense.”
There is actually no way to use the perfective stem to talk about the present, so we say that perfective verbs do not have a present tense.
The good news is that when you are learning the forms of the Russian present tense, you are killing two birds with one stone, since you are effectively also learning the form of perfective verbs in future!
What are the two conjugation patterns in the Russian present tense?
In the Russian present tense, there are two main present tense “conjugation patterns,” or two sets of endings for the present tense verbs: the first conjugation and the second conjugation. A verb’s conjugation pattern depends on the infinitive of a verb. Here is the general rule:
| First conjugation | Second conjugation |
|---|---|
other verbs | all verbs ending in -ить (ся) |
most verbs ending in stressed -ать, -еть, -ять |
Here are a few examples:
| Infinitive Verb | Conjugation |
|---|---|
класть transcribed klastmeaning to put | first conjugation |
делить transcribed diLEETmeaning to divide | second conjugation |
сидеть transcribed siDYETmeaning to sit | second conjugation → the stress falls on the ending |
делать transcribed DYElatmeaning to do | first conjugation → the stress does not fall on the ending |
There are, however, quite a few exceptions from this rule, but you can still use it as a general guidance. For full details, download the conjugation pattern reference sheet at the bottom of this page!
What is the present tense stem in Russian?
The present tense “stem” or “base,” in Russian, is the verb without its infinitive ending. This is the form of the word you’ll add endings to. Let’s look at what this looks like in each conjugation.
| Conjugation | First conjugation | Second conjugation |
|---|---|---|
Stem Rule | infinitive without final -ть | infinitive without final -ить/-ать/-еть/-ять |
Examples | иметь transcribed iMYETmeaning to have → име- | курить transcribed kooREETmeaning to smoke → кур- |
ломать transcribed laMATmeaning to break → лома- | дышать transcribed dySHATmeaning to breathe → дыш- |
For some irregular Russian verbs, however, the base cannot be found in the infinitive, and has to be memorized. For example:
продавать transcribed pradaVATmeaning to sell → ✅прода- not ❌продава-
Download our present tense irregular verb chart from the bottom of the page for more examples.
What are the present tense verb endings?
Now that we’ve learned more about the base that we add present tense endings to in Russian, let’s have another look at the endings in each conjugation. Remember that the ending depends on the subject of the sentence!
| Subject | Present Tense Ending(s) | |
|---|---|---|
я transcribed yameaning I | -у (-ю) | -у (-ю) |
ты transcribed tymeaning you (sg.) | -ешь/-ёшь* | -ишь |
он transcribed onmeaning he, itона transcribed aNAmeaning she, itоно transcribed aNOmeaning it | -ет/-ёт | -ит |
мы transcribed mymeaning we | -ем/-ём | -им |
вы* transcribed vymeaning you (pl.) | -ете/-ёте* | -ите |
они transcribed aNEEmeaning they | -ут (-ют) | -ат (-ят) |
How do you know if the ending is stressed or not?
Where to put the stress in the Russian present tense?
Each Russian verb will follow one of the three stress patterns outlined below in the present tense. Unfortunately, though, there is no way to tell which stress pattern a verb will follow just by looking at the verb, so it has to be memorized.
The stress always falls on the stem.
Verb Translation думать transcribed DOOmatto think
думаю transcribed DOOmayuI think
думаешь transcribed DOOmayeshyou (sg.) think
думает transcribed DOOmayethe/she/it thinks
думаем transcribed DOOmayemwe think
думаете transcribed DOOmaityeyou (pl.) think
думают transcribed DOOmayutthey think
The stress is always on the ending, for example:
Verb Translation звонить transcribed zvaNEETto call
звоню transcribed zvaNYUI call
звонишь transcribed zvaNEESHyou (sg.) call
звонит transcribed zvaNEEThe/she/it calls
звоним transcribed zvaNEEMwe call
звоните transcribed zvaNEEtyeyou (pl.) call
звонят transcribed zvaNYATthey call
The stress falls on the ending in the infinitive and the Я meaning I form, but on the stem in all other forms, for example:
Verb Translation cмотреть transcribed smatRYETto look
смотрю transcribed smatRYUI look
смотришь transcribed SMOTrishyou (sg.) look
смотрит transcribed SMOTrithe/she/it looks
смотрим transcribed SMOTrimwe look
смотрите transcribed SMOTrityeyou (pl.) look
смотрят transcribed SMOTryatthey look
Summary: Steps for conjugating Russian verbs in present tense
So, to conjugate a verb in the present tense, follow these steps:
Make sure the verb you want to use in the present tense is imperfective.
Look at the infinitive of the verb (namely, the vowel before -ть) to determine which conjugation it belongs to.
Find the stem of the verb.
Add the ending corresponding to the subject of the sentence.
When to use the present tense in Russian?
The Russian present tense is used in many of the same situations where you would use the present tense in English. It is used…
to talk about actions happening right now or around now
to talk about things that happen regularly or habitually
to talk about general truths
for things that have been happening for some time and still continue
for things that have been arranged and are going to happen in the future with a high degree of likelihood
Let’s look at each use closely.
To talk about actions happening now
The present tense is used to describe events happening right now, at the time of speaking, and it is then usually translated into English with the present continuous tense, for example:
To talk about habitual actions
The present tense is also used to talk about regularly happening events and habits, when it’s translated into English with the present simple tense, for example:
To talk about general truths
The present tense is used to talk about facts and general truths, an equivalent of the present simple in English, for example:
To talk about actions that started in the past and still continue
The Russian present tense is also used to describe situations that began in the past and haven’t finished yet. Usually this use of the Russian present tense is translated into English with the present perfect continuous, for example:
To talk about future arrangements
Like some English present tenses, the Russian present tense can be used with a future meaning. It can describe future arrangements and plans, for example:
Conclusion
The present tense in Russian can be formed only from imperfective verbs using one of the two sets of endings, depending which type of conjugation, the 1st or the 2nd, the verb follows. The present tense can be used in a number of situations:
to describe actions happening now
to describe habitual actions
to talk about general truths
to describe actions that started in the past and still continue
to talk about future arrangements
Don’t miss the opportunity to practice the Russian present tense by downloading the exercises below!
:quality(80))
:quality(75))