Russian Verb Conjugation

Russian verbs change form according to who acts, when the action happens, and whether you describe its process or result. Start with the six person-and-number forms below, then see how conjugation connects to tense, aspect, irregular verbs, and everyday practice.

How Russian verb conjugation works

In the present tense, the ending tells you the person (first, second, or third) and number (singular or plural). For example, читаю means “I read,” читаешь means “you read” (one person), and читают means “they read.” Russian usually has six forms: я, ты, он/она/оно, мы, вы, они. Вы also addresses one person politely, but takes the plural verb form.

Two common sets of endings are called first conjugation (читать: ты читаешь, они читают) and second conjugation (говорить: ты говоришь, они говорят). The endings in the table are the patterns to recognize; the infinitive is a clue, not a guarantee of which pattern a verb follows.

Present-tense endings at a glance

If needed, swipe sideways to see all columns.

Russian first and second conjugation endings by person and number
Subject	1st ending	читать	2nd ending	говорить
я	-ю / -у	читаю	-ю / -у	говорю
ты	-ешь	читаешь	-ишь	говоришь
он / она	-ет	читает	-ит	говорит
мы	-ем	читаем	-им	говорим
вы	-ете	читаете	-ите	говорите
они	-ют / -ут	читают	-ят / -ат	говорят

The -у/-ю and -ут/-ют or -ат/-ят variants depend on the stem and spelling rules. Learn a new verb with its я and они forms, not just its infinitive: пишу/пишут and говорю/говорят show more than -ть alone.

Practice this: first-conjugation forms

Infinitives are clues, not rules

Many infinitives in -ать/-ять use first-conjugation endings: читать → читаешь. Many in -ить use second-conjugation endings: говорить → говоришь. Neither ending guarantees the pattern.

Compare держать → держишь (second despite -ать) and брить → бреешь (first despite -ить). Check ты and они in a dictionary when unsure.

Practice this: second-conjugation forms

Important conjugation exceptions

Eleven common verbs take second-conjugation endings despite their infinitives: -ать verbs гнать, держать, дышать, слышать; -еть verbs видеть, ненавидеть, зависеть, обидеть, терпеть, вертеть, смотреть.

First-conjugation exceptions in -ить include брить → бреешь and стелить → стелешь. Some stems also change, so learn the spoken forms along with the list.

Practice this: common exceptions

Why the stem can change

To conjugate, remove the infinitive ending and use the present-tense stem. But do not simply attach endings to every written infinitive: some verbs change a consonant, especially in the я form. These are ordinary words, not a new conjugation group.

писать → пишу

I write · с → ш

любить → люблю

I love · б → бл

искать → ищу

I look for · ск → щ

For instance, Я пишу письмо means “I am writing a letter.” Notice that other forms can have a different stem: ты пишешь, он пишет.

Practice this: present-tense patterns

Present, past, and future in brief

Tense places an action in time. Present forms such as я читаю (“I read / am reading”) are imperfective. In the past, both aspects have forms that agree with the subject’s gender in the singular and use -ли in the plural: он читал, она читала, они читали.

For the future, imperfective verbs use буду + infinitive: я буду читать (“I will read / be reading”). A perfective verb has a simple future: я прочитаю(“I will read it through”). These are the basic forms; see the full Russian verb tenses guide for formation, usage, and more examples.

Practice this: past tense Practice this: future tense

Imperfective or perfective?

Imperfective focuses on process, repetition, or the fact of an action: Я читаю книгу — “I am reading a book.” Perfective presents an action as a whole with a result: Я прочитаю книгу — “I will read the book (through).” Many verbs have an aspect partner, but do not assume every pair is made by adding a prefix.

A perfective verb has no true present tense. Its forms look like present conjugations, but refer to the future: пишу means “I am writing,” while напишу means “I will write (and finish).” Read the full imperfective vs perfective guide for choosing aspect in context.

Practice this: choose an aspect

Six common irregular verbs to learn early

Frequent verbs do not always fit a neat first- or second-conjugation model. Learn their useful forms together rather than trying to derive them from the infinitive. These are examples, not complete paradigms:

If needed, swipe sideways to see all columns.

Useful forms of six common Russian irregular verbs
Infinitive	Useful forms	Meaning / note
быть	буду, будешь	to be · future; usually omitted in the present
хотеть	хочу, хочешь, хотят	to want · mixed endings
есть	ем, ешь, едят	to eat
дать	дам, дашь, дадут	to give · perfective, future meaning
идти	иду, идёшь, идут	to go on foot · one direction
мочь	могу, можешь, могут	to be able to

In everyday speech: Я хочу есть (“I want to eat”) and Я могу помочь (“I can help”). For movement, compare Я иду домой (“I’m going home on foot”) with habitual Я хожу домой пешком (“I walk home regularly”).

Practice this: irregular verbs

Commands and reflexive verbs

Imperatives: a request or command

Use the imperative to ask someone to act. Читай! means “Read!” to one person; Читайте! addresses several people or one person politely. Different stems form commands differently: Напиши мне means “Write to me.”

Practice this: commands

Reflexive verbs: -ся / -сь

The suffix can mark an action affecting oneself, a mutual action, or a verb with its own reflexive meaning. Compare я учусь (“I study”) and ты учишься (“you study”). The suffix follows the conjugated form.

Read the reflexive verbs guide for these meanings in context.

Practice this: reflexive verbs

Explore Russian verb lessons and drills

Choose a topic you need now, or work through the beginner verb drills before moving to intermediate practice.

Verb Conjugation Patterns

Practice the basic patterns for conjugating Russian verbs in the present tense

я читаю, ты читаешь, он читает
I read, you read, he reads

я говорю, ты говоришь, он говорит
I speak, you speak, he speaks

Tenses: Past, Present, Future

The three main tenses in Russian and when to use them

Я читал (прошлое), читаю (настоящее), буду читать (будущее)
I read (past), read (present), will read (future)

Aspects: Perfective vs Imperfective

Understanding the crucial concept of verbal aspects in Russian

писать (нсв.) / написать (св.)
to write (impf.) / to write completely (pf.)

читать (нсв.) / прочитать (св.)
to read (impf.) / to read through (pf.)

Reflexive Verbs

Verbs that end in -ся/-сь and their special meanings

Я учусь в университете.
I study at university.

Они встречаются каждый день.
They meet each other every day.

Motion Verbs

Special verbs of motion: ходить/идти, носить/нести, and others

Я хожу в магазин (часто) / Я иду в магазин (сейчас)
I go to the store (regularly) / I'm going to the store (now)

A practical order for learning verbs

1. Conjugate a familiar verb. Say all six present forms of читать, then practise говорить.
2. Add past and future. Use читал/читала and буду читать before learning perfective прочитаю.
3. Compare an aspect pair. Ask whether you mean a process or a finished result.
4. Expand your range. Add irregular verbs, motion verbs, and reflexive verbs one set at a time.

Where the Russian verb system fits in Russian grammar

See how conjugation, tense, aspect, and motion verbs connect with cases, agreement, and sentence structure in the complete Russian grammar guide.

Explore the complete Russian grammar guide