ехать vs ездить vs поехать

yekhat vs yezdit vs poyekhat — go by vehicle now vs travel regularly vs set off once

What it really means

Е́хать is the unidirectional imperfective verb for travelling by a vehicle in one direction, usually a journey in progress: "Мы е́дем в Москву́" (we are going to Moscow). Е́здить is multidirectional: travelling regularly, making return trips, or using transport habitually. Поехать is perfective and presents one trip as a whole, often the moment of setting off: "Поедем!" (Let’s go!).

The same direction distinction applies as with идти́, but these verbs are for vehicles or riding rather than walking. In informal speech, поездка can include any vehicle, while the verb still keeps its motion distinction.

Examples in natural speech

Мы едем в аэропорт.
We are going to the airport.
Он ездит на работу на автобусе.
He commutes to work by bus.
Я часто езжу в Петербург.
I often travel to St Petersburg.
Поехали на дачу в субботу!
Let's go to the dacha on Saturday!
Она поехала домой после работы.
She went home after work.
Завтра я поеду поездом.
Tomorrow I will go by train.

Common mistakes

Do not use ездить for a single journey that is happening now: "Я еду в магазин" means I am going to the shop, while "Я езжу в магазин" means I go to the shop regularly. Поехать is not simply the past tense of ехать; it is perfective and can refer to a future one-off journey.

Memory tip

Ехать is one vehicle trip in one direction, ездить is repeated or return travel, and поехать is one complete trip or departure.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ехать, ездить, and поехать?

Ехать describes travelling by vehicle in one direction, ездить describes regular, repeated, or multidirectional travel, and поехать describes setting off on one particular trip.

How do you say I am going by car in Russian?

Say "Я еду на машине." Еду is used for the current one-direction journey. "Я езжу на машине" means I travel or commute by car habitually.

What does поехали mean?

"Поехали!" means "Let’s go!" or "We’re off!" It is the perfective form used as an energetic suggestion to begin a trip.

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