bɨtʲ

Line drawing of быть
Coloured illustration of быть
#29 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

to be

Word origin

From Proto-Slavic byti, from the Indo-European root bheuh, 'to become, to grow'.

Origin
Proto-Slavic
Root
byti
English cognates
be, future

Grammar

Verb typeimperfective, irregular; the present tense is normally zero, with есть as the surviving form

Irregular verb. A full conjugation table for irregular verbs is coming soon. For now, use a reference like Wordreference or RAE.

Examples

врачом.

I want to be a doctor.

Завтра дома .

Tomorrow I will be at home all day.

Вчера работе ночи.

Yesterday he was at work until late at night.

Where this fits

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Russian · Free printables

быть: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Russian word "быть" (to be): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 1.