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All Russian activities

Activities: What are aspect pairs in Russian?

By: Anna Classing

Activity 1: Assemble the aspect pairs!

Find an aspect pair in the box for each verb in the list.

  1. “to look”

    Imperfective: смотреть

    Perfective:

  2. “to write”

    Imperfective:

    Perfective: написать

  3. “to remember”

    Imperfective: вспоминать

    Perfective:

  4. “to understand”

    Imperfective: понимать

    Perfective:

  5. “to show”

    Imperfective:

    Perfective: показать

  6. “to manage / be in time”

    Imperfective: успевать

    Perfective:

  7. “to say”

    Imperfective:

    Perfective: сказать

  8. “to tell”

    Imperfective:

    Perfective: рассказать

  9. “to believe”

    Imperfective: верить

    Perfective:

  10. “to ask”

    Imperfective: спрашивать

    Perfective:

  11. “to appear”

    Imperfective:

    Perfective: появиться

  12. “to yell”

    Imperfective:

    Perfective: крикнуть

Activity 2: Spot the aspect “partner”

Match each imperfective verb with its aspect pair “partner,” which was made by adding a prefix. Remember that verbs in an aspect pair should have the same meaning! Use a dictionary when in doubt.

  1. Select your answer
  2. Select your answer
  3. Select your answer
  4. Select your answer
  5. Select your answer
  6. Select your answer

Activity 3: Make the imperfective form

Turn the perfective verbs below into imperfective ones by adding the suffix -ыва-/-ива-/-ва-.

  1. покрыть meaning to cover →

  2. зашить meaning to stitch up →

  3. наказать meaning to punish →

  4. обмануть meaning to deceive →

  5. полить meaning to water →

  6. доказать meaning to prove →

  7. разбить meaning to break →

  8. настоять meaning to insist →