Conjugation I
-ю –ешь -ет -ем -ете -ют

Model 1. Vowel-stem, stem-stressed verbs of Conjugation I.

Conjugation I has a large class of vowel-stem verbs which are similar to Model 1. As in читать, only TWO letters, “-ть” are removed to reveal the infinitive stem чита-. In this class of verbs, the present-tense stem (generally called present/future stem) and the infinitive stem are exactly alike. The Сonjugation-I endings are applied directly to the unmodified verb stem. The stress remains on the stem, just where it occurs in the infinitive.

читать (to read)

The present-tense stem is “чита-” and the stress pattern for this verb is “stem-stress”.

я читаю	мы читаем
ты читаешь	вы читаете
он читает	они читают

 

Model 2. Consonant-stem verbs of Conjugation I which are either stem-stressed or shifting-stressed.

A number (several dozen) of verbs in Conjugation I can experience consonant mutation or “-л” insertion.

писать (to write)

The present-tense stem is “пиш-” and the stress pattern for this verb is “shifting-stress”.

я пишу	мы пишем
ты пишешь	вы пишете
он пишет	они пишут

дремать (to doze)

The present-tense stem is “дремл-” and the stress pattern for this verb is “shifting-stress”.

я дремлю	мы дремлем
ты дремлешь	вы дремлете
он дремлет	они дремлют

 

Model 3. Ending-stressed verbs of Conjugation I.

жить (to live)

The present-tense stem is “жив-”.

я живу	мы живём
ты живёшь	вы живёте
он живёт	они живут

 

Conjugation II
-ю –ишь -ит -им -ите -ят

Unlike Conjugation I, consonant-stem verbs are the dominant force in Conjugation II. The usual model-verb is говорить, which is shown as Model 1. There are many consonants which require mutation, and they are similar to Model 2. Any of the three stress patterns can occur and they should be learned along with each verb.

Model 1. Consonant-stems which are unmutated, and vowel-stems of Conjugation II.

говорить (to speak)

Three letters are removed from the infinitive to reveal the stem говор-, and the stress pattern for this verb is “ending-stress”.

я говорю	мы говорим
ты говоришь	вы говорите
он говорит	они говорят

 

Model 2. Consonant-stems which mutate in Conjugation II.

видеть (to see)

Three letters are removed from the infinitive to reveal the stem вид-; however, the stem will mutate to виж- for the first-person singular. The stress pattern for this verb is “stem-stress”.

я вижу	мы видим
ты видишь	вы видите
он видит	они видят

 

Model 3. Consonant-stems which insert an “-л” in Conjugation II.

любить (to love, like)

Three letters are removed from the infinitive to reveal the stem люб-; however, the stem will mutate to любл- for the first-person singular. The stress pattern for this verb is “shifting-stress”.

я люблю	мы любим
ты любишь	вы любите
он любит	они любят

 

Questions and answers about Conjugations I and II

Q. If there is a consonant mutation or “-л” insertion, which of the six forms are affected?

A. For Conjugation I, all six forms are affected. For Conjugation II, only the first-person singular form is affected.

 

Q. What types of consonant mutation are possible?

A. These are the usual mutations:

г, д and з may mutate to ж;

с, к, т and ц may mutate to ч;

х may mutate to ш;

ск and ст may mutate to щ.

 

Q. Which consonants can have “-л” insertion?

A. An “-л” is inserted following б, в, п, ф or м.

 

Q. What types of stress patterns are there?

A. There are three stress patterns:

1. Stem stress -- the stress falls on a particular syllable of the infinitive-stem and the present-tense stem, and remains the same in all six conjugated forms.
2. Ending stress -- the stress is on the ending of the infinitive and all six endings of the conjugated forms.
3. Shifting stress – the stress is on the ending of the infinitive and the first-person singular form, and shifts to the stem for the five remaining forms.

 

Q. Why does -у appear in some first-person forms, when the basic endings list -ю.

A. In all of Russian spelling, the so-called “spelling rule” is in control. This is a collection of three rules -- an eight-letter, a seven-letter and a five-letter rule. The eight-letter rule states that

ю is replaced by у, and я is replaced by а, following the letters г к х ж ч ш щ and ц. Both conjugations adhere to this rule, but Conjugation I goes a step further and makes these replacements after most consonants.

Irregular Verbs

There are only four truly irregular verbs. They are called “irregular” because they do not use exclusively Conjugation-I or Conjugation-II endings. They either mix them or use new endings.
хотеть (to want)

я хочу	мы хотим
ты хочешь	вы хотите
он хочет	они хотят

 

Exercise using verbs:
read, write, doze, live, speak, see, love, want

 

Translate into Russian.

1. Boris sees the paper on the table.
2. Boris writes on the paper.
3. They see the notebook on the table.
4. Do you want to see the notebook?
5. Boris likes to read the newspaper.
6. They write on the blackboard.
7. Boris speaks Russian well.
8. They like to read the magazine.
9. We want to speak English well.
10. Boris lives in Moscow.
11. They speak English well.
12. Boris is reading the newspaper.
13. They live in St. Petersburg.
14. At the end of November Boris is dozing.
15. They are reading the book badly.
16. At the end of February they are dozing.
17. I want to speak Russian well.
18. She wants to doze in St. Petersburg.

Answers.

1. Boris sees the paper on the table.
   Борис видит бумагу на столе.
2. Boris writes on the paper.
   Борис пишет на бумагу.
3. They see the notebook on the table.
   Они видят тетрадь на столе.
4. Do you want to see the notebook?
   Вы хотите видеть тетрадь?
5. Boris likes to read the newspaper.
   Борис любит читать газету.
6. They write on the blackboard.
   Они пишут на доске.
7. Boris speaks Russian well.
   Борис хорошо говорит по-русски.
8. They like to read the magazine.
   Они любят читать журнал.
9. We want to speak English well.
   Мы хотим хорошо говорить по-английски.
10. Boris lives in Moscow.
    Борис живёт в Москве.
11. They speak English well.
    Они хорошо говорят по-английски.
12. Boris is reading the newspaper.
    Борис читает газету.
13. They live in St. Petersburg.
    Они живут в Санкт-Петербурге.
14. At the end of November Boris is dozing.
    В конце ноября Борис дремлет.
15. They are reading the book badly.
    Они плохо читают книгу.
16. At the end of February they are dozing.
    В конце февраля они дремлют.
17. I want to speak Russian well.
    Я хочу хорошо говорить по-русски.
18. She wants to doze in St. Petersburg.
    Оиа хочет дремать в Санкт-Петербурге.

 

 

 

3/17/2013

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