Why do we need a verb form?
We all know how many verb tenses there are in English. Or in French. Or in Spanish. This has its own unconditional charm - but certain difficulties also lurk. How can you remember all this - the past simple, the past continuous, the past, connected with the present, the past perfect and imperfect, the past ... And if we are talking about Romance languages, then a number of Modo Subjuntivo / Subjonctif forms must be added to what has been said, expressing all the same , but with the addition of a touch of subjectivity ...
In this regard, the Russian language - drum roll should sound here - is much, well, simply incomparably simpler! We have only three tenses: past, present, future. However, let's stop jubilation and think: how could we fully express our thoughts if everything was limited to this? Why, then we would not be interested in talking at all!
And so that our thought is formed precisely, beautifully, interestingly, variously - the Russian language has an excellent tool: it has a kind of verb! And in this sense, the form of the verb is our best friend, and not at all a blood enemy. Contrary to the popular point of view, the aspect of the verb was created not to hopelessly complicate our life, but to make it easier and more beautiful.
What is the form of the verb and how to learn it?
Forget that the form of the verb is a complex grammatical topic. In my life I have taught Russian to several hundred students. From the most different countries, from all, it seems, continents. And therefore I know that the bulk of the problems with the aspect of the verb can be completely removed if, from the very beginning, the meaning and use of the aspects are clearly explained and consolidated. In doing so, it is important to follow two conditions.
Condition one:
First you need to master and thoroughly consolidate the basics of this grammatical topic, and only then turn to more complex special cases.
Condition two:
Verb pairs (in the sequence "imperfective-perfective" - this is how they will be written in any textbook, grammar manual, and so on) must be memorized. Even if you're lazy, even if you don't feel like it, there's nothing you can do about it. The verb, especially in the everyday sphere, is the organizing center of the sentence. Give it enough attention at the initial stage - and you will never regret it. Of course, at first we will talk about a relatively small number of verbs (at the same time, you need to be able to actively use all grammatical forms, that is, both the imperfect form and the perfect form in the present, past and future tenses), but gradually the list should expand.
In this article, we will talk about the basics of the topic. "kind of verb".
All verbs in Russian have the form: either imperfect (NSV) or perfect (CB). That is, every time you use a verb when building a phrase, you choose not only the time, but also the type of the verb. Without a form, a verb in Russian does not exist!
NSV verbs express an action in the course of its course. CB verbs denote an action limited by a limit (often we define this as "result").
Compare:
He is reading book(NSV): We imagine a person sitting at a table in a library or at home in a comfortable armchair. In front of him is an open book, he runs his eyes through page after page - that is, before our eyes unfolds process, course of action .
He read book(SV): Reading finished, book closed and put aside, maybe already back on the shelf or in the library. Before us - limit, result, end of action .
That is, when building your own sentence with this or that verb, you will first have to decide which type of verb to choose: imperfect or perfect. So, the English verb read corresponds to the aspect pair "read (NSV) / read (SV)". If you want to say something about the process of an action, you will form the appropriate form from the infinitive "read" (NSV); if about a completed action that has a result - from "read" (CB). [The infinitive is the base form of the verb, the form you find in the dictionary].
Let's consider one more example with a new aspect pair: write (SV)/write (SV).
She writes letter(NSV) - process, course of action: lines appear one after another on a sheet of paper.
She wrote and the letter is two hours(NSV) - we again have the process of action, but this time it is relegated to the past. From this sentence, we learn that for a certain time a girl unknown to us sat with a sheet of paper and a pen at the table or in front of the computer. We do not know how this process ended. Was the letter completed? Has it been sent to the recipient? The proposal does not provide answers to these questions.
The situation is fundamentally different in the following example:
She wrote letter(SV). This sentence tells us that the action has been terminated, and a specific result has been reached: the letter is finished, lying on the table in an envelope, or already sent.
The Russian language has a small number of two-spectrum verbs (that is, verbs that can be used both in the sense of NSV and in the sense of SV) and a certain number of single-spectrum verbs (that is, verbs that do not have an aspect pair and are used only in one form). We will not dwell on them now, it would be somewhat premature. Now we will talk about verbs that form aspect pairs- because it is precisely these verbs in the Russian language that are the majority, and at the initial stage it is very important to understand the difference between the perfect and imperfect forms of the verb and learn how to use them in speech.
Formation of perfect and imperfect forms
By way of education verbs that form aspect pairs, can be divided into three groups:
2. suffixes, for example: to tell - tell
3. suppletive, for example: speak - say
Let's take a closer look at each of the groups.
- What happens with the verbs of the first group is called the word "perfection". It means that the perfect aspect ("perfect", hence the name) is formed from the imperfect aspect by adding a prefix or prefix (pro-, s-, po-, you-, etc.). It is impossible to guess with the help of which prefix the perfect form will be formed! Therefore, verb pairs can only be memorized. So, remember the minimum program:
read - about read write - on write, draw on draw, draw - on draw, do With do, photograph With take pictures, sing - With sing dance - With dance, play With play, know how With be able, be able With can, have With eat (something specific; e.g. eat an apple), eat - By eat, drink - By drink, drink - You drink (something specific: for example, drink a glass of juice), wash - By wash (or You wash), call - By call, think By think knock - By knock, donate By give, kiss - By kiss, have breakfast - By breakfast, lunch By lunch, dinner - By have dinner, meet By meet, change By change (or about change), look - By watch, listen - By listen, put - By put, know at know, see at see, hear - at hear, cook at cook, wait By wait, pay behind pay (or O to pay) and finally learn - You learn.
Exception: buy (NSV) - buy (SV)!
- The second group behaves in exactly the opposite way. Here "imperfection" occurs, and the direction is reversed: a prefix is added to the perfect aspect - and thus an imperfect aspect ("imperfect") appears. As in the case of the first group, what kind of suffix we need to form the aspect pair of each particular verb cannot be either guessed or deduced logically. Therefore, we remember the minimum program:
give - give, get tired - get tired, get up - get up, open - open, forget - forget, tell - tell, show - show, consider - consider, ask - ask, decide - decide, study - study, receive - receive, repeat - repeat, throw - quit, finish - finish, answer - answer, send - send, congratulate - congratulate, understand - understand, hug - hug, start - start, remember - remember, choose - choose. Well, if you have already learned this, then you can rest - rest!
- The verbs of the third group behave in a very special way and do not obey any rules. The only thing that can be said about them is that the imperfective form and the perfective form of these verbs are completely different from each other. Therefore, these verbs just need to be learned by heart. Don't be discouraged, there aren't many of them.
speak - say, take - take, put - put, seek - find, catch - catch.
Verb aspect in the present, past and future tense
Already at the initial stage of learning the Russian language, it is very important to understand and remember:
● imperfective verbs have three tense forms: present, past, future, for example:
I'm reading a magazine;
Yesterday I read a magazine.
● perfective verbs have only two forms of tense: past and future, for example:
I read your letter;
Tomorrow I will read your letter.
This is due to the meaning of species: the perfect species denotes an action limited by a limit, and the imperfect species denotes a process. In the present tense, we are always dealing with the process, and never with the result (compare: I read, you watch, he eats...). The limit, or result, may either have already been reached (in which case we use the past tense, for example: " He ate an apple”), or will be reached in the future (then the future tense will be used, for example: “ He will eat an apple»).
Basic meanings of verb types
To understand and remember the meanings of the verb types in Russian well, analyze which ones are in your native language, and which ones you just need to remember.
There are three main meanings for NSV: the first is “process/duration/duration of action”, the second is “regular/repeated action” and the third is “fact”, while VS has two – “result” and “once” (we will combine them into one meaning, as the line between them is often blurred).
Compare:
The first and second values of NE, as well as the only value of NE, usually do not present difficulties for foreign students: it is enough to understand the logic once and remember one or two simple examples.
He read, read the novel - and finally read(in the first part of the sentence, NE is used, since it is about the process of action; in the second - CB, since the action is completed).
He opened, opened the door - and finally opened(same situation: NSV-SV).
In the morning he looks through the newspapers(Used NE as regular action is being described).
He will read this book in two days(used ST, future tense: the sentence tells us that the result will be reached in two days).
He plays tennis every week(regularity = NSW).
In addition, these species meanings can be accompanied by certain words to facilitate the selection of the desired form. Let's write them in the form of a table:
Difficulties for foreigners are usually caused by the third value of the NE, designated as "fact". Therefore, I advise you to immediately pay attention to it, listen more and remember how the Russians use it, and also fix the use of this meaning with a large number of examples. For example:
Last night I washed, soaps dishes, cooked dinner and then watched TV.
Happy me walked to the Hermitage, and then dined with a Russian friend in the same cafe.
Thanks, I don't want coffee, I already drank coffee this morning.
From these sentences, you get general information about what your interlocutor was doing. In this case, you are not interested in whether this or that action was completed, whether this or that result was obtained.
It is important to understand that in these sentences it is possible to replace the NE with the meaning "fact" with the NE with the value "result". In this case, the tone of the phrase will inevitably change (foreigners often do not take this change in meaning into account). Saying " I did the laundry, washed the dishes, cooked dinner”, the Russian means - cheers, I'm done, I'm free! " I went to the Hermitage”- it means that for a long time I could not get there, and finally I went, what happiness!
After you learn the aspect pairs and do the practice exercises, you will no longer feel insecure when using the verb aspects. And our professional teachers of Russian as a foreign language will be happy to help you make the process of learning Russian fun and effective. On our website, you can choose a teacher and order a free trial lesson with him.
One of the points in the study of the Russian language is the study of such a part of speech as a verb. The verb has several forms, types, conjugations. In this article, we will dwell on how you can determine the form of the verb. There are only two of them: perfect and imperfect.
Determine the form of the verb using a question
This is the simplest and most reliable option that does not require a lot of time and additional knowledge.
Perfective verbs answer the question “What to do (does, did, did)?”, And for imperfective verbs we ask the question “What to do (does, did, did)?”.
Determine the type of the verb by the nature of the action
Perfective verbs denote an action that, by the time the verb is used, has already been completed or will be completed by a certain time (or upon reaching a certain goal). Also indicate actions that do not need to be repeated. They can denote actions in the future, the main limit is the very implementation of this action. That is, the action is always limited by some framework.
Imperfect verbs are not limited by time frames and can occur at the moment, denote long-term actions, actions that require repetition.
Example. The verb "to wash" means that something must be completely washed by some specific moment. The action will end when the desired result is achieved, which means the perfective verb.
The verb "to wash" means that something must be washed for an indefinite period of time. Due to the fact that the time of action is not limited, we can conclude that the verb is imperfective.
However, it is not necessary to determine the form of the verb only by meaning. It will be safer to additionally ask a question, as we did in the first paragraph. This way you can avoid accidental errors.
Determine the form of the verb by parsing the word
Each of the types of verbs has some specific features in word formation. These signs can also tell you what kind of verb you are dealing with.
Perfective verbs are characterized by the following features:
- prefixes "from", "you", "by", "on", "about", etc.,
- suffix "well".
Imperfect verbs are characterized by the following features:
- prefixes "from", "you", "by", "on", "about", etc.,
- suffix "iva", "yva", "va", etc.
After reading this article, you may notice that you can determine the form of the verb very quickly and without much difficulty. You just need to know a few important rules and features, for example, what question a particular type of verb answers or what suffix is characteristic of it.
In modern Russian, it is a paired (binary) opposition of the perfect and.
Perfective verbs denote an action limited by an internal limit.
Perfective verbs can have the following particular meanings:
1. Specific actual value.
Indicates a single action in its entirety: entered, wrote, shouted.
- - I has entered, the old man was reading a newspaper in an armchair ...
- (A. N. Tolstoy)
2. Total value.
Indicates the integrity of an action united by a common result or goal; lexical indicators of type are used twice, thrice, several times and etc.
- Bulat-Tuganovskiy knocked three times short and decisive.
- (A. I. Kuprin)
- Mother baked a lot pancakes.
3. Cash-effective value.
The main thing is the end result of the action: the student came, the father returned.
- - You probably cold in my dancing shoes.
- (V. A. Soloukhin)
Grammatical features of perfective verbs
1. The perfective verbs will have two forms - and. They don't have forms. This is explained by the incompatibility of the grammatical meanings of the perfect form and the present tense.
2. Perfective verbs form synthetic forms of the future tense: look - look, sew - sew.
- write - write vsh oh, write nn th
- tell - story vsh uy, story nn th
4. Verbs of the perfect form form: say - tale V, look - look V, plant - plant V write - write V .
Verbs are either perfective or imperfective.
Imperfective verbs denote an unfinished action, they do not contain an indication of the limit or boundary of the action. For example: type, write, decide. These verbs answer the question what to do?
Perfective verbs denote an action completed, limited by some limit. For example: type, write, decide. These verbs answer the question what to do?
Imperfect verbs have three tenses: past, present and future (compound). For example: to type - I typed, I type, I will type.
Perfective verbs have two tenses: past and future (simple). For example: dial - dialed, dialed.
Among the verbs of the imperfect form, denoting the action of an incomplete, repetitive, multiple verbs stand out. For example: twitch, shake, shout.
Among perfective verbs denoting a completed action, one-time verbs stand out. For example: push, scream, pull.
As a rule, verbs form aspect pairs that have the same lexical meaning. Wed: decide - decide, write - write, lead - lead.
Some verbs do not have paired aspectual forms. For example: fawn, prevail, be present and other imperfective verbs do not have paired perfective forms. Perfective verbs to say, gush, need, and others do not have paired imperfective forms.
Some verbs, depending on the use, have either the meaning of the imperfect aspect, or the meaning of the perfect aspect (two aspect verbs). Wed: Every day our unit attacks the enemy (now, vr. - imperfect view) - The battalion will move at dawn and attack the enemy (bud * vr. - perfect view).
Two-species verbs include, for example: attack, arrest, influence, guarantee, bestow, use, investigate, execute, confiscate, bypass, say, inherit, form, examine, promise, organize, injure, investigate, telegraph, export, etc.
More on the topic § 76. Types of the verb:
- 16. Verb as part of speech; features of the morphemic structure and inflection of the verb. The system of lexico-grammatical categories and morphological categories of the verb
- 11. Verb as a part of speech: semantics and grammatical categories. Syntactic functions of the verb. The figurative use of mood forms and tense of the verb.
The form of the verb is one of the topics in the school curriculum that students forget or even “fly by”. Without a doubt, if you do not understand the easy rules of this section, you will not be able to understand the other, more complex ones. Students often confuse an imperfect verb with a perfect one, but they don’t even imagine, everything is so easy and simple, you just need to clearly sort out what is what.
View is such a unit, without which not a single verb in the Russian language can exist. It is worth remembering that it can always be determined! In some cases, the answer is on the surface, and in some you have to dig. In our language, there are two types of verbs: perfect (CB) and imperfect (NSV).
Perfect view
This is a form that denotes an already completed action, most often we use it in the past tense. If we draw a parallel with the English language, there the completed action can be indicated by such tenses as Past Simple and Present Perfect. It should be taken into account that the verbs CB direct us to the result, the end of the action or its beginning. For example: "He read a book." How can you know that this is not an imperfective verb? You just need to ask the question: “What did you do?”. Such a hint is given by teachers to children in almost all schools, explaining that if the predicate has the prefix “s” in the question, then this is a perfective verb.
This type can also be used in the future tense, questions to test: “what will (will) do?” etc.
You should take into account the fact that the present tense is completely absent from the NE, so if you saw the verb of this tense, know that it is NSV.
Imperfect species
The imperfective verb indicates the duration of the action, without emphasizing the result. The process can be regular, that is, someone does something every day. Or simply repetitive, in other words, someone does something infrequently. English also has process tenses, such as Present Continious. Adverbs in a sentence can also “give out” the imperfect form of the verb. Examples: constantly, often, always, regularly, usually, for a long time - they all indicate the absence of an end to the action.
To easily determine the imperfective verb, one has only to ask him the question: “What to do?” (the question does not contain the letter “s” indicating NE, therefore, this is NE). For example: Marina loves to sing (what to do?).
The verbs of this group can be both the present tense (what do (do)? Etc.), and the future (what will I do (will I do)? Etc.) and the past (what did (do)? Etc.). d.).
One-dimensional verbs and verbs with two forms
Many verbs in Russian have a pair of the opposite form (to give (SV) - to give (NSV)). They are formed by alternating vowels and consonants and syllables:
- o / a - late / late (SV / NSV);
- o / s - sigh / sigh (SV / NSV);
- I / them - raised / will raise (SV / NSV);
- at / them - took out / took out (SV / NSV);
- d / w - escorted / escorted (SV / NSV);
- t/h - answered / will answer (SV/NSV);
- p / pl - strengthened / strengthened (SV / NSV);
- st / u - treated / will treat (SV / NSV).
In addition to such verbs, there are also monospecies, which in no case can have a pair, they have only one form of the two: imperfect or perfect. Among them: to be, to be present, to be absent, to be inactive (only NE), and also: to scream, to be needed, to gush, to find oneself (only NE).
Examples of imperfective and perfective verbs
As it turned out, NE and NE are quite easy to find on the question, however, most often, students begin to understand the topic only after the teacher analyzes it with examples.
Imperfect appearance: boils, takes, takes care, will play, sheared, searched, sawed, interfered, I will sleep, etc.
Perfect view: pour, hammer, clean, bought, disappeared, displaced, opened, sit down, etc.
These are just some examples of perfective and imperfective verbs.
