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Russian grammar · reference·спряже́ние

Russian verb tables: over 100 common verbs

Short answer: to conjugate a Russian verb is to change its ending for the person doing the action: я чита́ю (I read), ты чита́ешь (you read). Almost every verb follows one of two patterns, and once you know the я, ты and они forms you can predict the rest. Below are full tables for the 104 verbs you will use most, with stress marks and audio.

104 verbsPresent, past, future, imperativeAspect partners linked
чита́-stem: never changes ятыон, она́мывыони́ -ю-ешь-ет-ем-ете-ют
One stem, six endings. The ending alone tells you who is acting, so Russians often drop the pronoun.
On this page The two patternsVerb finderThe irregular fiveRelated guides

The two patterns: -ешь verbs and -ишь verbs

Russian grammars call them the first and second conjugation. The ты form tells you which one a verb belongs to. If the ending is stressed, е becomes ё: живёшь, идёшь.

FIRST CONJUGATION · -ЕШЬSECOND CONJUGATION · -ИШЬ я чита́юты чита́ешьон чита́етмы чита́емвы чита́етеони́ чита́ют я говорю́ты говори́шьон говори́тмы говори́мвы говори́теони́ говоря́т Most verbs in -ать, -ять, -овать, -нуть.They form “they” with -ют / -ут.Most verbs in -ить, many in -еть and some in -ать.They form “they” with -ят / -ат.
The vowel in the middle (е or и) runs through the whole pattern except я and они.
First conjugation my chi-TA-yim ga-ZYE-tu, a a-NEE chi-TA-yut KNEE-gu Мыweчита́емreadгазе́туnewspaperаandони́theyчита́ютreadкни́гуbook We are reading a newspaper and they are reading a book. мы -ем, они́ -ют: first-conjugation endings.
Second conjugation ty ga-va-REESH pa-RUS-ki? da, my ga-va-REEM Тыyouговори́шьspeakпо-ру́сскиRussianДаyesмыweговори́мspeak Do you speak Russian? Yes, we do. ты -ишь, мы -им: second-conjugation endings.

Verb finder

Search in Russian or English, or filter by aspect: imperfective verbs describe a process or habit, perfective verbs a single completed result. Perfective verbs have no present tense; their “present” forms mean the future. Tap any form to hear it.

ga-va-REET’ to speak, say imperfective Partner:
Present
Future: я бу́ду говори́ть, ты бу́дешь говори́ть…
Past
Imperative
104 of 104 verbs shown

The irregular five

Only a handful of everyday verbs break the two patterns. Learn these by heart; tap one to open its full table above.

  1. бытьto be бу́ду, бу́дешь… · был, была́No present-tense forms in normal use: “I am a student” is just Я студе́нт.
  2. естьto eat ем, ешь, ест, еди́м, еди́те, едя́тAn ancient pattern shared only with its prefixed forms (съесть, перее́сть).
  3. датьto give (pf) дам, дашь, даст, дади́м, дади́те, даду́тSame old pattern as есть.
  4. хоте́тьto want хочу́, хо́чешь, хо́чет · хоти́м, хоти́те, хотя́тFirst conjugation in the singular, second in the plural.
  5. бежа́тьto run бегу́, бежи́шь, бежи́т… бегу́тSecond-conjugation endings, but я and они́ take г and -ут.