Szczepanska Kathryn. Russian: A Self-Teaching Guide

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поступáть в университéт to apply to a university

поступñть в университéт to get into a university

решáть задáчу to work on a problem

решñть задáчу to have solved a problem

The imperfective verbs of these pairs always have the connotation of trying to

do something, perhaps unsuccessfully. The perfective verbs, on the other hand,

state emphatically that the things have been accomplished, that a successful result

has been achieved.

Summary

Infinitive

You must memorize a pair of verbs for every one English verb. Generally speak-

ing, aspectual pairs will resemble each other, differing only by prefix or suffix. On

rare occasion they will have entirely separate roots.

Past Tense

Both perfective and imperfective verbs are formed regularly from the infinitive.

Perfective verbs are ordinarily used with the words ужé and наконéц, the

verbs удалóсь and успéть, and others that point to successful completion.

Perfective verbs can be used only to describe one-time actions.

Imperfective verbs are used whenever any type of frequency is involved,such as

чáсто, кáждый день, развнедéлю, всегдá, никогдá, по суббóтам, and so forth.

Imperfective verbs are used when the result of an action has been negated. (Я

учила слова, но забыла несколько.)

Present Tense

Only conjugated imperfective verbs are used. Perfective verbs cannot be used

because they forcefully point to a completion, which can have occurred only in the

past or will have occurred in the future but, since they are not a process, cannot

take place in the present tense.Therefore, the idea of verbal aspect is not relevant

for the present tense.

164 RUSSIAN: A Self-Teaching Guide

Future Tense

Imperfective future is formed with the appropriate form of the verb буд- plus an

imperfective infinitive.

Perfective future is formed by conjugating the perfective infinitive.

Imperative

Perfective verbs are usually used to convey one command at one time: Съешь

óвощи! (Eat your vegetables!).

Imperfective verbs are used to convey general commands or suggestions: Ешь

óвощи кáждый день! (Eat vegetables every day!).

TEST FOR MASTERY

Choose the correct aspect in the past tense.

1. Вчерá я (читáла/прочитáла) «Áнну Карéнину» и сегóдня ÿтром

(возвращáла/вернÿла) œту кнñгу в библиотéку.

2. Вчерá я сидéлдóма весь день. Я (смотрéл/посмотрéл) телевñзор,

(слÿшал/послÿшал) рáдио,(убирáл/убрáл) квартñру, ивéчером

(отдыхáл/отдохнÿл).

3. Лéтом рабóчие (стрóили/пострóили) дом.

4. В октябрé рабóчие наконéц (стрóили/пострóили) наш дом.

5. Вмóлодости я чáсто (рисовáл/нарисовáл).

6. Вáня! Какÿю красñвую картñну ты (рисовáл/нарисовáл).

7. Мне нáдо бÿдет (убирáть/убрáть) квартñру, потомÿ что к нам

приезжáют гóсти сегóдня вéчером.

8. Мáша всегдá (отвечáла/отвéтила) прáвильно.

9. Ты былá на рπнке сегóдня ÿтром? Чтó ты (покупáла/купñла)?

10. Сегóдня ÿтром на урóке Сáша (болéл/заболéл) и пошёл домóй.

11. На прóшлой недéле я (болéл/заболéл), а тепéрь я совсéм здорóв.

12. В áвгусте мы бπли в Крымÿ и прекрáсно (отдыхáли/отдохнÿли).

Aspect of Verbs 165

13. Яужé (учñла/вπучила) граммáтику, и я готóва к зачёту (quiz).

14. Вшкóле он (изучáл/изучñл) áлгебру, но не (изучáл/изучñл).

15. Пáша (читáл/прочитáл) грóмко.

ANSWER KEY

Test for Mastery

1. прочитáла, вернÿла 9. купñла

2. смотрéл, слÿшал, убирáл, отдыхáл 10. заболéл

3. стрóили 11. болéл

4. пострóили 12. отдохнÿли

5. рисовáл 13. вπучила

6. нарисовáл 14. изучáл, изучñл

7. убрáть 15. читáл

8. отвечáла

166 RUSSIAN: A Self-Teaching Guide

Future Tense and

Imperative Mode

Будущее время и повелительное

наклонение

167

Useful Vocabulary

Verbs

вставáть/встáть to get up

встречáть/встрéтить to meet

выключáть/вπключить to turn off

выносñть/вπнести to take out

готóвить/приготóвить to prepare

дéлать/сдéлать to do, make

есть/съесть to eat

жáловаться/пожáловаться на (+ acc.) to complain

занимáться to study

изучáть/изучñть to study

ложñться/лечь to lie down

мыть/помπть to wash

обéдать/пообéдать to have dinner

отдыхáть/отдохнÿть

to rest, relax

писáть/написáть to write

пить/вπпить to drink

покупáть/купñть to buy

преподавáть to teach

принимáть/принûть to take (various senses)

путешéствовать to travel

садñться/сесть to sit down

слÿшать to listen (to)

сплéтничать to gossip

танцевáть to dance

трóгать/трóнуть to touch

учить/вπучить to memorize

чинñть/починñть to repair

NOTE: If no perfective is listed, it is because Russian does not normally

use one.

Future Tense

As mentioned in the discussion of verbal aspect (chapter 9), there are two future

tenses in Russian: imperfective future and perfective future. The imperfective

future is the easier of the two, so we shall begin there.

Imperfective

The imperfective future is similar to English in that it is formed with an auxiliary

verb.The Russian uses the conjugated form of the infinitive быть as the auxiliary,

plus the imperfective infinitive.

The imperfective future implies only that an action will take place over some

period of time in the future. It says nothing about the end of the action or any

results, expected or otherwise. Here are some paradigms:

Читáть Занимáться Слÿшать мÿзыку

ябÿду читáть я бÿду занимáться я бÿду слÿшать мÿзыку

ты бÿдешь читáть ты бÿдешь занимáться ты бÿдешь слÿшать мÿзыку

он бÿдет читáть он бÿдет занимáться он бÿдет слÿшать мÿзыку

онá бÿдет читáть она бÿдет занимáться она бÿдет слÿшать мÿзыку

мы бÿдем читáть мы бÿдем занимáться мы бÿдем слÿшать мÿзыку

вы бÿдете читáть вы бÿдете занимáться вы бÿдете слÿшать мÿзыку

онñ бÿдут читáть они бÿдут заним

áться они бÿдут слÿшать мÿзыку

Because of this close similarity to English, students tend to quickly learn (and

perhaps learn too well) this tense. You will have few problems with it, but be pre-

pared for the second part, the perfective future, covered later in this chapter.

168 RUSSIAN: A Self-Teaching Guide

CONVERSATION PRACTICE

Планы на лето

The following people have plans for the summer. Compose sentences stating what

they will be doing at their summer destination, choosing from the list of verbs

below. Use imperfective future for all of them.

Example: В Крымÿ Натáша бÿдет купáться в мóре.

(In the Crimea Natasha will go swimming in the sea.)

изучáть англñйский язπк to study English

танцевáть и слÿшать мÿзыку to dance and listen to music

отдыхáть на плûже to relax on the beach

чинñть своî стáрую машñну to repair his old car

жáловаться на всё to complain about everything

занимáться альпинñзмом to go mountain climbing

преподавáть теóрию мÿзыки to teach music theory

путешéствовать to travel

сидéть и сплéтничать to sit and gossip

ходñть по магазñнам to go shopping

пить вóдку весь день to drink vodka all day

1. Алексáндр/завóд

2. егó женáÁнна

/Еврóпа

3. их дочь Ирñна/Áльпы

4. их сын Дмñтрий/дискотéка

5. стáрая бáбушка Василñса/дóма

6. глухóйдéдушка Акáкий/дóма

7. Профéссор Лéнсон/консерватóрия

8. Мадáм Боварñ/Парñж

9. Ñгорь Самсóнов/Нью-Йóрк

10. Катерñна Ивáновна/Итáлия

11. Борñс Николáевич/у себû в кабинéте

Future Tense and Imperative Mode 169

Perfective

This verb tense has no correlate in English. The perfective future expresses the

opinion of the speaker that the action mentioned will end successfully or produce

a result. Remember, since the future has not yet happened, we cannot know with

certainty that this will be so. The speaker is merely expressing his or her convic-

tion and attitude regarding a future event.

Since the perfective future focuses on completion or the production of a

result, the perfective future, as well as the perfective past, verb will often sound

incomplete without a direct object. The phrase Я прочитáю would translate as I

will get read, which is just as incomplete in English. With its proper complement,

however, a complete thought would be expressed in Я прочитáю œту статьî,

translated as I will get that article read.

The perfective future is formed by conjugating the perfective infinitive. It is

extremely difficult for English speakers to become accustomed to this structure.

Since they are still in the process of learning the difference between imperfective

and perfective infinitives, native speakers of English do not easily discriminate

between the present tense and the perfective future: because they are hearing a

conjugated verb, they hear only the present tense. It is slightly easier to form and

use the perfective.

Some verbs do not form perfective future.These are verbs that express actions

and cannot, or normally do not, lead to results. Such verbs are жить, игрáть,

занимáться, сидéть, боûться, among others.

Consider these two paradigms of perfective future:

Прочитáть Написáть

я прочитáю книгу я напишÿ доклáд

ты прочитáешь кнñгу ты напñшешь доклáд

он/онá прочитáет кнñгу он/онá напñшет доклáд

мы прочитáем кнñгу мы напñшем доклáд

вы прочитáете кнñгу вы напñшете доклáд

они прочитáют кнñгу онñ напñшут доклáд

Both of these verbs, прочитáть and написáть, sound somehow incomplete

without the addition of the direct object.Without it your listener is left wondering

what will be read or written, since the notion of accomplishment is so strongly

emphasized by using this aspect.

Perfective verbs, both past and future, must be used with a sequence of actions

because logically the earlier verb(s) must be completed before the later verb(s).

To practice this principle, try the following exercise.

170 RUSSIAN: A Self-Teaching Guide

TEST FOR MASTERY 1, PART 1

In the left-hand column are activities that must be accomplished before the sub-

ject proceeds to go to the places listed in the right-hand column. Form sentences

of this type with this information. Change your subjects so that you can practice

conjugation at the same time.

Example: Когдá Джон напñшет доклáд, он пойдёт на собрáние.

(When/After John writes the report, he will go to the

meeting.)

написáть доклáд собрáние

пообéдать кинó

помπть посÿду гастронóм

вπучить нóвые словá урóк

принûть душ спать

встать вáнная

встрéтить дрÿга музéй

купñть нóвую машñну дерéвня

вπключить телевñзор кабинéт

приготóвить обéд столóвая

сдéлать всё спáльня

TEST FOR MASTERY 1, PART 2

For practice you might want to change all of the sentences above into the perfec-

tive past tense.

Example: Когда Джон написал доклад, он пошёл на собрание.

(After John wrote the report, he went to the meeting.)

Imperative Mode

The formation of the imperative in Russian has a series of straightforward rules

that admit very few exceptions.

Formation

First, take the third-person plural of the verb and remove the last two letters:

Future Tense and Imperative Mode 171

читáют мóют кÿрят готóвят плáчут

читá- мо- кур- готóв- плач-

If what remains ends in a vowel, simply add the letter й. This is the imperative

form. If what remains ends in a consonant, then check the stress of the first-person

singular. If the first-person singular is stressed on the end, add the letter и. If the

first-person singular is stressed on the stem, add the letter ь.

The imperatives of the above verbs are therefore читáй! мой! не курñ!

готóвь! не плачь! These forms of the imperative are used when addressing ты.

When addressing someone or a group as вы, add the particle -те: читáйте!

мóйте! не курñте! готóвьте! не плáчьте!

Reflexive verbs also follow these rules:

Infinitive Imperative English

Занимáться Занимáйся! Study!

Боûться Не бóйтесь! Don’t be afraid!

Одéться Одéнься! Get dressed!

Смеûться Не смéйтесь! Don’t laugh!

The only exceptions to these rules are as follows:

1. Verbs whose imperfective/perfective pairs end in -авать and -ать form

their imperative not according to the above rules but from the infinitive stem:

вставáй! давáй! узнавáй! передавáй! дай! узнáй! передáй!

2. The verbs встать, есть, and лечь form the imperatives встань, ешь, and

ляг (the expected soft sign in this last verb is missing).

3. There are a few verbs that by their nature do not form imperatives. Two

very common ones are éздить and вñдеть. Instead of these verbs, prefixed verbs

with the stem -езжать and смотри! are used.

4. In verbs such as пить, whose present-tense stems consist of a single conso-

nant plus a soft sign, the imperative is formed by adding the fleeting vowel е, after

which the soft sign changes to й: пьют

Æ пь Æ пеь Æ пей.

Aspect with Imperative

1. A single command to one person generally uses a perfective verb. It sug-

gests that you strongly want this one action completed, producing the desired

172 RUSSIAN: A Self-Teaching Guide

result. However, if you are extending an invitation or offering a suggestion rather

than issuing an order, the imperfective verb is normally used. Consider the fol-

lowing:

Imperfective English Perfective English

Садñтесь, пожáлуйста. Sit down, please. Сядь! Sit! (to a dog)

(Have a seat.)

Берñте кусóктóрта. Take (have) a piece Возьмñте торт Take the cake and

of cake. и понесñте егó bring it to the

в столóвую. dining room.

Входñте, пожáлуйста. Come in, please. Войдñте в кабинéт, Go into the den,

пáпа скóро будéт. dad will be there

right away.

2. The imperfective is normally used when there is no reference to a result

and/or you are focusing on the action itself, especially if you are focusing on how

or where the action should be performed rather than on the result.

Читáйте грóмче! Read more loudly!

Берñте кнñги в библиотéке. (You should) borrow books from

the library.

Идñте мéдленнее! Walk slower.

Читáйте œтот расскáздóма. Read this story at home.

Одевáйся теплó—на ÿлице хóлодно. Dress warmly—it’s cold outside.

3. The imperfective is used to convey urgency:

Спешñте! Ужé вóсемь часóв

(Hurry up, it’s already eight o’clock!).This is the sense that is intended when a com-

mand has to be repeated, especially when that command was originally issued in

the perfective:

Опустñ монéту! Put the coin in! (to a child who wanted to

drop the coin into the fare box of a tram

himself)

Ну, чегó ты стоñшь? Опускáй! Well, what are you waiting for? Drop it in!

Закрóй окнó. Close the window.

Ну, закрывáй! Well? Close it already!

Future Tense and Imperative Mode 173