Understanding Russian Verb Conjugation Patterns for English Learners

Russian verbs are an essential part of the language structure, and understanding how to conjugate them will significantly enhance your communication skills. This article will guide you through the basic conjugation patterns and provide you with tips to master them.

The Basics of Russian Verb Conjugation

In Russian, verbs change their endings based on the subject, tense, aspect, mood, and sometimes even gender. Let's start with some key concepts that you need to know.

Subject Pronouns

Basic Conjugation Patterns

There are two main conjugation patterns in Russian: the first and second conjugation. Each pattern involves changing the verb endings according to the subject pronoun.

First Conjugation

The first conjugation in Russian applies to verbs whose infinitive ends in -ать and -еть. These verbs share similar endings when conjugated. Here is an example using the verb делать (to do).

1. я делаю – I do
2. ты делаешь – You do
3. он/она делает – He/She does
4. мы делаем – We do
5. вы делаете – You do (plural/formal)
6. они делают – They do

Second Conjugation

Verbs ending in -ить usually follow the second conjugation pattern. Here's an example with the verb говорить (to speak).

1. я говорю – I speak
2. ты говоришь – You speak
3. он/она говорит – He/She speaks
4. мы говорим – We speak
5. вы говорите – You speak (plural/formal)
6. они говорят – They speak

Irregular Verbs

Just like in English, some Russian verbs do not follow standard conjugation patterns. These are known as irregular verbs. For example, the verb быть (to be) has its own unique conjugation set.