📝 Russian Present Tense Conjugation
The two conjugation classes and how to form present tense verbs
Two Conjugation Classes
Russian verbs in the present tense fall into two conjugation classes, traditionally called First Conjugation (е-type) and Second Conjugation (и-type). The class determines which vowel appears in the personal endings. Most verbs ending in -ать or -ять follow the First Conjugation. Most verbs ending in -ить follow the Second Conjugation. Verbs ending in -еть can go either way — you need to learn which class they belong to. Only imperfective verbs have a true present tense; perfective verbs use the same endings to form the future.
| Class | Key Vowel | Typical Infinitive Ending |
|---|---|---|
| First (е-type) | -е- / -ё- | -ать, -ять, some -еть |
| Second (и-type) | -и- | -ить, some -еть |
First Conjugation (е-type)
First conjugation verbs use the vowel е (or ё under stress) in most endings, and -ут/-ют in the они-form. Here are three common First Conjugation verbs conjugated in full:
| читать (to read) | работать (to work) | знать (to know) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| я | читаю | работаю | знаю |
| ты | читаешь | работаешь | знаешь |
| он/она | читает | работает | знает |
| мы | читаем | работаем | знаем |
| вы | читаете | работаете | знаете |
| они | читают | работают | знают |
Second Conjugation (и-type)
Second conjugation verbs use the vowel и in most endings, and -ат/-ят in the они-form. An important feature: the я-form often has a consonant mutation (the final consonant of the stem changes). This only happens in the first person singular — all other forms keep the original stem consonant.
| говорить (to speak) | любить (to love) | видеть (to see) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| я | говорю | люблю | вижу |
| ты | говоришь | любишь | видишь |
| он/она | говорит | любит | видит |
| мы | говорим | любим | видим |
| вы | говорите | любите | видите |
| они | говорят | любят | видят |
Key Irregular Verbs
Some of the most common Russian verbs are irregular and must be memorized individually. The verb быть (to be) is almost never used in the present tense — Russian simply omits it. Instead of "I am a student," Russians say "Я студент" (literally "I student"). The form есть survives only in the meaning "there is/are" or for emphasis. The verb хотеть (to want) is mixed — it uses First Conjugation endings in the singular but Second Conjugation endings in the plural.
| Verb | я | ты | он/она | мы | вы | они |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| быть (to be) | — | — | — (есть = "there is") | — | — | — |
| хотеть (to want) | хочу | хочешь | хочет | хотим | хотите | хотят |
| есть (to eat) | ем | ешь | ест | едим | едите | едят |
| дать (to give) | дам | дашь | даст | дадим | дадите | дадут |
How to Tell the Conjugation Class
The infinitive ending gives you a strong hint about which conjugation a verb follows, but there are exceptions. The safest approach is to learn the conjugation pattern together with each new verb. When you encounter a verb in a text, check its infinitive and its они-form: if они ends in -ут/-ют, it is First Conjugation; if it ends in -ат/-ят, it is Second Conjugation.
| Infinitive Ending | Usually... | Exceptions |
|---|---|---|
| -ать / -ять | First Conjugation | гнать, дышать, держать, слышать (→ Second) |
| -ить | Second Conjugation | брить (→ First: брею, бреешь...) |
| -еть | Could be either | видеть, ненавидеть, обидеть, терпеть, смотреть (→ Second) |
| -оть, -уть, -ыть | First Conjugation | Very few exceptions |
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