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Russian grammar Part of Chapter 1

CEFR A1-A2

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Russian Verb Conjugation: Two Patterns, One Missing Verb

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

Russian verb conjugation is, for once, a modest amount of work. Six forms in the present, two patterns to learn them by, and one of the commonest verbs in the language does not appear at all.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

Two patterns

Almost every Russian verb belongs to one of two conjugation classes. The difference is the vowel running through the present-tense endings: -е- in the first, -и- in the second. Here are знать (to know) and говорить (to speak):

1st conjugation (-е-)2nd conjugation (-и-)changed lettermasculinefeminineneuterpluralWhat do the colours mean?
Person1st: знать2nd: говорить
/

Read the middle four rows and the vowel is the whole difference. The ends differ once more: takes -ют in the first and -ят in the second, while the form ends in -ю in both.

RussianEnglish
?Do you know?
.You speak fast.
.They know.
.They are speaking.

Which class a verb belongs to is largely predictable from the infinitive. Most -ать verbs are first, most -ить verbs are second:

  • . ? - I think. Do you think? (, first)
  • . . - He speaks. We speak. (, second)

A short list of verbs breaks the infinitive rule, and the commonest are -еть verbs that go second:

  • ? - Do you see? ()
  • . - We are watching a film. ()

Two spelling details. Under stress, the first-conjugation -е- is written -ё-: ?, are you going? And second-conjugation verbs often change the last consonant of the stem in the form only:

  • . . - I see. You see. (д becomes for )

The irregulars you need first

Three very common verbs bend the stem while keeping the endings more or less in place: хотеть (to want), мочь (to be able) and идти (to go, on foot).

Personхотетьмочьидти

is the famous one: first-conjugation endings in the singular, second-conjugation endings in the plural, and the т becomes ч in the singular.

  • . - I want tea.
  • . - We want to go home.

swaps г for in the middle four forms and keeps г at both ends:

  • . - I can't.
  • ? - Can you?
  • . - They can.

is regular in its endings once you know the stem ид-; it is irregular in the past (below). . - We are going home.

The verb that is not there

Быть means to be. In the past and the future it behaves normally. In the present it simply does not appear, and its slot stays empty:

To be: an empty slot in the present
Subject
to be
The rest
empty
empty
empty

I am here. He is at home. He is a doctor. I was at home (said by a man).

RussianWord for wordEnglish
.I hereI am here.
.he homeHe is at home.
.he doctorHe is a doctor.
.this my houseThis is my house.
Four people in their work clothes: a woman doctor with long hair and a bow, in a white coat with a stethoscope; a man teacher with glasses, a moustache and a tie, pointing at a board and holding a book; a man cook with a moustache, in a chef's hat and apron, holding a frying pan with an egg; a man police officer with a moustache, in a blue uniform and cap.
  1. .
  2. .
  3. .
  4. .

She is a doctor, he is a teacher, he is a cook, he is a police officer: no word for is in any of them. Врач stays врач for a woman.

These are not shorthand or slang. They are the ordinary, complete way to say those things, and putting a form of in would be wrong. The past brings it back: . - I was at home.

has a separate job, there is or there are, which you meet first in having:

  • . - I have a brother. (literally: by me there is a brother)

The past and the future, in brief

The past ignores person entirely and agrees with gender and number instead. Drop the -ть of the infinitive and add -л, -ла, -ло or -ли:

SubjectFormExample
a man . - He knew.
a woman . - She knew.
neuter . - It was late.
plural . - They knew.

So a woman cannot say she did something without the ending announcing it: . - I knew (said by a woman). A few verbs are irregular here, among them : , , he was going, she was going. The full picture is in the Russian past tense.

The future has two routes, and which one you take depends on aspect:

  • . - I will be reading. (imperfective: plus the infinitive)
  • . - I will do it. (perfective: its present-looking form is a future)

The Russian future tense explains the choice.

Stress: learn it with the word

Russian stress moves. It shifts within a paradigm, it is not marked in normal writing, and it can change meaning:

RussianStressEnglish
pi-SHUI write
PI-sheshyou write
ZA-mokcastle
za-MOKlock

There is no short rule to learn. Learn the stress with the word, the way you learn a gender (it moves through the case endings too).

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
. .no to be in the present
говорют. .second conjugation: -ят
хотем. . is second in the plural
можу. .г stays in the я form
. .the infinitive is not a present form

What to do next

  1. Conjugate and aloud, all six forms, until the -е- and -и- feel different.
  2. Learn , and as words.
  3. Do the drill below.

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/5

Build the present-tense form from its stem and ending.

  1. мы + знать (we know)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

  2. ты + говорить (you speak)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

  3. они + говорить (they speak)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

  4. вы + знать (you know)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

  5. ты + мочь (you can)

    Type Latin letters or Cyrillic - spasibo works too

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/6

First or second conjugation? Sort each verb by its ты form.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the mistake.

Pick the right one

0/4

Which tense is the form in?

  1. знаю

  2. знала

  3. буду знать

  4. говорили

Translation drill

0/3

Note where a verb is missing altogether.

  1. Я здесь.

  2. Он дома.

  3. Он не хочет.

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Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. Two patterns
  3. Two patterns
  4. The irregulars you need first
  5. The verb that is not there
  6. The past and the future, in brief
  7. Stress: learn it with the word
  8. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

How many conjugations does Russian have?
Two, conventionally numbered. The first conjugation has -е- in most of its present endings ( , you know) and the second has -и- ( , you speak). Which one a verb belongs to is largely predictable from its infinitive: most -ать verbs are first, most -ить verbs are second, with a handful of exceptions to learn.
Why is there no verb to be in Russian present tense?
It dropped out of use as a linking verb centuries ago. exists and is used in the past and the future, but in the present it is simply absent, so (I am here, literally I here) is a complete and perfectly normal sentence. Only , there is, survives, as in , I have a brother.
Is the Russian past tense difficult?
It is easier than the present. It ignores person completely and agrees with the subject's gender and number instead, so there are four forms, not six: , , , . The [Russian past tense](/russian/grammar/past-tense) article has the details.
How do I form the future in Russian?
Two ways, and which you use depends on aspect. An imperfective verb takes the future of plus the infinitive: , I will be reading. A perfective verb has no present tense, so the form that looks like its present is its future: , I will do it. The [future tense](/russian/grammar/future-tense) article covers both.
Do I need to learn the stress?
Eventually, yes. Russian stress can move within a paradigm and is not marked in ordinary writing: is stressed pi-SHU, is PI-shesh. Learn it with each word rather than trying to derive it, and treat the marks in a learner's dictionary as part of the spelling.