Vocabulary: Common Verbs

Russian verbs are typically broken down into two main types: perfective and imperfective.
Perfective verbs indicate that an action was completed (i.e., “He read a book”).
Imperfective verbs suggest an action is ongoing or incomplete (i.e., “He is reading a book”).
Both perfective and imperfective forms should be mastered for accurate sentence construction.

Russian verbs of movement are complex, consisting of pairs for each basic verb of movement. One details unidirectional, or one-way movements, while the other represents multidirectional or recurrent motion.
Идти (idti) - to go (on foot, one-way)
Ходить (khodit’) - to go (on foot, recurrent)
Бежать (bezhat’) - to run (one-way)
Бегать (begat’) - to run (recurrent)

As in many languages, Russian has reflexive verbs, which indicate the subject is performing an action on itself.
Мыться (mytsya) - to wash oneself
Одеваться (odevat’sya) - to dress oneself

Most Russian dictionaries list verbs in their infinitive form, which typically end in “-ть” or “-ти”
The infinitive is used to refer to the verb in abstract, as ‘to do’ something.

Russian verb endings alter depending on the person (first, second, third), number (singular, plural), and tense (past, present, future).
For example, the verb читать (read) in the present tense:
- Я читаю (Ya chitayu) - I read
- Ты читаешь (Ty chitaesh’) - You (s.) read
- Он/она/оно читает (On/ona/ono chitaet) - He/she/it reads
- Мы читаем (My chitaem) - We read
- Вы читаете (Vy chitaete) - You (pl. or formal) read
- Они читают (Oni chitayut) - They read