Russian Verbs

Welcome to the 10th lesson about verbs in Russian. We will first learn about the present tense, followed by the past tense, and future tense. We will also analyze some grammar rules, and finally practice how to ask for direction in Russian.

Verbs are used to express an action (I swim) or a state of being (I am). The present tense in Russian conveys a situation or event in the present time. Here are some examples:

Present Tense - Russian - Pronunciation
I speak English я говорю по-английски [ya govoryo po angliyski]
you speak French вы говорите по-французски [vi govoritye po-frantzoozski]
he speaks German он говорит на немецком [on govorit na nyemyetzkom]
she speaks Italian она говорит на итальянском [ona govorit na italʲyanskom]
we speak Arabic мы говорили по-арабски [mi govorili po-arabski]
they speak Chinese они говорят по-китайски [oni govoryat po-kitayski]

The past tense in Russian conveys a situation or event in the past time. Here are some examples:

Past Tense - Russian - Pronunciation
I visited France я посетил францию [ya posyetil frantziyo]
you visited Italy вы посетили италию [vi posyetili italiyo]
he visited Morocco он посетил марокко [on posyetil marokko]
she visited China она посетила китай [ona posyetila kitay]
we visited Mexico мы побывали в мексике [mi pobivali v myeksikye]
they visited Kenya они побывали в кении [oni pobivali v kyenii]

The future tense in Russian conveys a situation or event which is anticipated to happen in the future. Here are some examples:

Future Tense - Russian - Pronunciation
I will drink milk я буду пить молоко [ya boodoo pitʲ moloko]
you will drink coffee вы будете пить кофе [vi boodyetye pitʲ kofye]
he will drink tea он будет пить чай [on boodyet pitʲ chay]
she will drink water она будет пить воду [ona boodyet pitʲ vodoo]
we will drink apple juice мы будем пить яблочный сок [mi boodyem pitʲ yablochniy sok]
they will drink tea они будуг пить чай [oni boodoog pitʲ chay]

Now let's take a break and refresh our vocabulary by learning the body parts.

ear ухо [ookho]

eye глаз [glaz]

mouth рот [rot]

nose нос [nos]

hair волосы [volosi]

face лицо [litzo]

head голова [golova]

heart сердце [syerdtzye]

hand рука [rooka]

fingers пальцы [palʲtzi]

leg нога [noga]

feet ноги [nogi]

Travel Phrases in Russian

Imagine yourself in some Russian speaking country. The following travel phrases are highly important and can help you avoid misunderstanding. Try to memorize them and practice!

English - Russian - Pronunciation
Can you help me? можете ли вы мне помочь? [moʐyetye li vi mnye pomochʲ?]
Can I help you? могу ли я вам помочь? [mogoo li ya vam pomochʲ?]
Where is the airport? где же аэропорт? [gdye ʐye aeroport?]
Go straight идите прямо [iditye pryamo]
Then затем [zatyem]
Turn left поверните налево [povyernitye nalyevo]
Turn right поверните направо [povyernitye napravo]

I hope this lesson about the verbs in Russian was not hard for you. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.