Russian Verbs: First (е/ё) Conjugation

NOTE: An updated version of this video (with captions and better sound) is available at • Russian Verbs: An Intr...
This version will remain up for the sake of SEO, but I recommend the newer version!!
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A clear, detailed introduction to conjugating Russian verbs of the first (е/ё) conjugation, with tips on best practices for study. We'll cover the basic verb endings, how they change with stress and different stem types, and an essential tip for learning Russian verbs as efficiently as possible!
For over 200 videos like this one, and over 400 embedded comprehension checks, exercises, quizzes, and example sentences, visit my Russian Grammar Library Project at www.tips4russian.com.
For free sample lessons on verbs of motion, start at www.tips4russian.com/courses/...
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[@nanutree]

your voice is so calming. Thank you!

[@sandwichbreath0]

Thanks for these pattern tips. I've just arrived at conjugations in Russian and it wanted to make me cry. These will help!

[@Makrania]

Sandwich Breath I wish someone had told me from the outset: Let Russian come to you, don’t go chasing after sentence constructions, from the rules of grammar.

[@texlahomagirl9809]

Крестьянин Thank you. Learning Russian is not easy.

[@pault207]

I loved the "here are the good news" part, try to include more of those...

[@arminkrahbar]

It is hard to come by a channel thats got a good number of quality russian lessons on youtube. Thanks for the great work! Keep producing more PLEASE! Thanks again!

[@ROURussian]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6PXZICwrNGhjqc

[@russiangrammar]

Hi ZR - there's a fricative quality in the -те ending that reminds many English speakers of [ts], but it's really a palatalized т, not the same as ц (which is never palatalized in Russian). You might take a look at the video on hard and soft consonants and listen for how the native speaker there pronounces утюг, for example. The distinction between hard (unpalatalized) and soft (palatalized) consonants is fundamental and worth your attention!

[@pault207]

I AM serious about Russian, great tutorial as always my friend. Keep up the good work.

[@user-kb1mc1ql2g]

Great job, perfect explanation! Thank you!

[@joemiller947]

I love your voice mate, I could hear you talk about anything tbh

[@roosterruler]

Dude. This is rad. Thank you!

[@coquitaloca]

Hello! thanks for the video, which Iphone app is the one you put together yourself? I'd like to download it

[@xouleposxoulepos4506]

this is the best video..good job man..when yu broke the news I laughed so much..your voice was comforting with a dose of dispair...good one

[@Gabrisongschannel]

Very cool explanation.Thank you

[@russiangrammar]

Hi Alejandra - it's called Glagoly (глаголы = verbs). It's in the iTunes app store though it needs a refresh - an update is in the works, which will include better iPad compatibility and over 1500 examples of usage. It'll be a free update.

[@bonbonpony]

Where did the name "глагол" come from? Is it in any way related to the word "глаголица"?

[@johnpark3079]

Hi, can you tell me what app it is that you mentioned in the video?

[@russiangrammar]

Duolingo is popular, though I don't necessarily recommend it over a book like Nicholas Brown's 'New Penguin Russian Course.' I had a reference app on verbs called Глаголы in the iOS app store, though it's currently unavailable while I work on some updates.

[@almirrafaelarruda3295]

Very good work, your voice is very pleasant and soothing. Let's keep studying, Balshai spaciba!

[@samfisher7363]

What do you do with verbs like пить? I know it's я пью which, as you said, could not be determined, but will a verb stem ending in ь always be ю? Your videos are extremely helpful, thank you for your time!

[@samfisher7363]

Also, will the conjugation always be the vowel я uses + т?

[@russiangrammar]

+Sam Fisher It's probably more helpful to think of it this way: many one-syllable roots in -ить have forms like пить (пью, пьёшь, пьёт, пьём, пьёте, пьют). Other useful ones like this include бить 'to hit,' шить 'to sew,' лить 'to pour.'

[@russiangrammar]

+Sam Fisher I'm not sure I understand the question.. do you mean is there always т after я in the они ending?

[@samfisher7363]

+Russian grammar You can ignore the second part, I was just curious is the conjugations for я and они always shared the same vowel, as in чиитаЮ and читаЮТ, but I saw this wasn't true for the second conjugation when I watched again.

[@voxel3582]

Do you know any good way to go from here? I am in a position where i am stuck. I know how to introduce myself and say basic things. Anytime i look up videos it is either too far ahead or something I already know.

[@russiangrammar]

+Voxel It's helpful to go in a systematic way, which means taking a course or working through a book (these videos are certainly not a complete course! just a supplement, really). It's hard to suggest next steps without knowing more about what you've done, but I often recommend Nicholas Brown's 'The New Penguin Russian Course;' it's thorough without being overwhelming. For online materials, the course at learnrussian.rt.com looks helpful. If you can't take a course where you are, it may be good to find someone who can tutor you on Skype to keep you on track with whatever book or course you choose.

[@kishorshevde8357]

Can you kindly explain as to when the first conjugation is used and when the second? Are there any rule on this point?

[@russiangrammar]

There are tendencies and patterns; for example, many verbs in -ать are 1st conjugation, and most in -ить are 2nd conjugation. But there are many exceptions (держать, молчать are 2nd conjugation, and пить, лить, бить are 1st conjugation). That's why it's best practice to learn the я, ты, and они forms for each new verb you come to.

[@Lazuli901]

Question. The -TE that marks the second person plural. Does that have mroe of a ch sound or a ts sound?

[@bonbonpony]

It's a palatalized "t", that is, you raise the middle/back of your tongue a bit closer to the palate, while keeping the tip of the tongue where it is. You may also release the tip so that it made a bit hissing sound.

[@YamenKhaddour]

so great!

[@jontheroman]

very helpful man. thank you

[@roboticzamat]

Can I ask for the link to your verb app, please?

[@russiangrammar]

I'm afraid the verb app is no longer in the Apple Store - sales didn't justify the time & expense of maintaining it through various required upgrades. Sorry! But you might find this page helpful: masterrussian.com/verbs/conjugations.htm

[@roboticzamat]

@@russiangrammar Oh, too bad. t.t Thanks for the link! Say awesome.

[@outdoorsywannabe1888]

What’s your website?

[@moviesync3131]

Basic, e and ë is interchangeable?

[@russiangrammar]

In these verb endings, we pronounce ё when the ending is stressed, and е when the ending is not stressed. In written Russian the letter ё isn't always used, but 'we live,' for example, is always pronounced [živʲom], regardless of whether the writer is spelling it живем or живём.

[@danmarsden1769]

Could u link to the app pls

[@russiangrammar]

Thanks for asking - I'm afraid it's being updated now. I'll certainly let you all know when it's available again!

[@TheLolman3433]

Can't you use consonant mutation to predict the stem?

[@russiangrammar]

Andrew3433 If you know common consonant mutations (д > ж, к > ч, т > ч, etc.) that may help you make educated guesses. Just keep in mind that there's more to it - for example, 2nd conjugation verbs would have a mutation in just the я form (платить - я плачу, ты платишь), but 1st conjugation would have a mutation in all forms (плакать - я плачу, ты плачешь). And infinitives that look similar won't necessarily conjugate in similar ways (читать - я читаю, but спать - я сплю; любить - я люблю, but бить - я бью). So learning я, ты, они forms is a great way to get the stem, and also get used to these common consonant changes, which you'll see later in many other forms.

[@heathensein6582]

​@@russiangrammar www.alphadictionary.com/rusgrammar/palatal.html

[@duruldavrasl5748]

I just discovered this channel and you are incredible. Can you recommend any apps on android for learning the infinitive forms?

[@russiangrammar]

I'm afraid I don't have experience with Android apps. The infinitives would simply be the basic, dictionary forms; if you're interested in a reference for how verbs conjugate, this site may be helpful (no stress marks, unfortunately, but there is synthesized speech at least): conjugator.reverso.net/conjugation-russian.html :)

[@loveleopardprint]

which app did you help to put together yourself?

[@russiangrammar]

I record audio in Reaper, make slides in Keynote, then put it together in ScreenFlow. :)

[@tovincentchia]

helpful. thanks

[@ioanadraghiceanu7184]

Good bless you!

[@texlahomagirl9809]

Большое вам спасибо за вашу помощь! Мой учитель сказал мне посмотреть это видео. 👍

[@russiangrammar]

Пожалуйста! :) Tip: 'to tell someone to do something' = сказать, чтобы ... + past tense. Он сказал, чтобы я посмотрел... = He told me to watch... Similarly: Он хотел, чтобы я посмотрела... = He wanted me to watch...

[@texlahomagirl9809]

Russian grammar, спасибо большое!!!! 😊

[@harrodesu]

@@russiangrammar но ведь форма "Он сказал мне посмотреть" имеет место быть в современном русском языке. Зачем иностранцам усложнять жизнь?

[@russiangrammar]

@harrodesu Да, такой вариант тоже есть. Вы согласны, что он немного более разговорный? В некоторых учебниках пишут, что вариант 'сказал, чтобы...' чаще употребляется в письменных контекстах, но и в устном языке - поэтому стоит выучить, понимать, и употреблять и этот вариант. В изучении русского иностранцам, к сожалению, совсем без сложностей не обойтись. ))

[@harrodesu]

@@russiangrammar согласен, но лишь отчасти. Можно было сказать девушке, что оба варианта используются. А так она теперь возможно не будет использовать сказанный ей вариант, что не есть хорошо.

[@mr.veryqqinteresting879]

Was this Simple Present Tense?

[@russiangrammar]

Yes - in fact Russian has only one present tense. 'I write,' 'I am writing,' 'I do write' all = я пишу.

[@obsidian_gmd]

Can't "I *do* write" be "Я и пишу"?

[@russiangrammar]

Yes, that'd be a reasonable translation in some contexts. While a basic meaning of и is 'and,' it's also sometimes used to add emphasis. There are good examples here from Derek Offord's excellent 'Using Russian: a Guide to Contemporary Usage' - books.google.com/books?id=iWy0clZRkQwC&pg=PA138&lpg=PA138&dq=Russian+%D0%B8+emphasis&source=bl&ots=MpXkOHuljT&sig=uPaV8YvCESknCvk1xYl3jPnbsGE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjgspr9m9bXAhVict8KHYRNBqYQ6AEITzAF#v=onepage&q=Russian%20%D0%B8%20emphasis&f=false

[@Search4truth488]

Why do you need to learn the 3rd person plural form if it's always the same as the first person singular but with -T?

[@russiangrammar]

While you may not have seen examples of it yet, there are verbs in which the 1st singular and 3rd plural forms are different in other ways - the stress may be different, or (if it's и-conjugation) the stem of the я form only may change. So in the long run, I think the simplest and safest approach is just to make sure you've learned the я, ты, and они forms.

[@Search4truth488]

Russian grammar Ahh, thank you.

[@bonbonpony]

Then it would be enough to learn just the two most of the time, and focus on the third only for those edge cases, right? Less clutter in the head...

[@ricodelpiero1697]

You are a wonderful teacher thank you for making this video i will study all your videos through greeting from Mexico......

[@Makrania]

Как по-русски «You cannot predict verb conjugations from the infinitives» ?

[@russiangrammar]

Нельзя определить, как спрягается тот или иной глагол на базе инфинитива. Иными словами, 'основа инфинитива и настоящего/ простого будущего времени могут отличаться существенно' - см. ещё metodika-rki.livejournal.com/123183.html

[@Makrania]

Russian grammar Профессор, огромное спасибо!!

[@yousfahmad4775]

Really you are splendid professor

[@annschneider8684]

Very helpful. I'm grateful!

[@russiangrammar]

Пожалуйста! :)

[@1337Unlucky]

Good think I was sitting down.

[@corpuscallosum2328]

Thank you

[@xouleposxoulepos4506]

I subed..thanks man

[@lucasorlebeke2130]

are you native russian?

[@russiangrammar]

My native language is English, but I've been learning and teaching Russian for quite a while now... ))

[@kweenk5072]

At about 1:08 how you pronounce the third word down on the left starts with...”OH”.... it sounds like you are saying something in between the “OH” part and the word that comes right after it. I even slowed it down and watched it several times and I can’t figure out what you are saying??

[@kweenk5072]

Yes your pronouncing extra letters in that third word. You read all the others like they are spelled except that word. The third one on the left. Can’t make out exactly what you are saying but you are pronouncing an “L” in there right after you say “OH” can you explain this or maybe put up the letters and word that you are actually saying. This confuses ppl who are new at this trying to learn.

[@russiangrammar]

Sorry for the confusion. I'm saying он или она - "he or she," though I don't (and should) have он/она in the chart. I'll fix it in an update. :)

[@kweenk5072]

@@russiangrammar oh ok 👍🏼 thank you so much!! I was very confused. I couldn’t figure out what that word was and how you were saying it. Lol Thanks for explaining it and the quick reply!!!! 🤗🤗

[@ir8096]

What the fuck!

[@russiangrammar]

If you have a more specific question or comment I'd be happy to try & help! ;)

[@hcamry]

you did a good video about soft and hard letters, but what are stressed and unstressed letters?

[@russiangrammar]

+h corolla Stressed (or accented) syllables are pronounced a little more loudly or forcefully than others (examples from English: Lóndon and Wáshington have stress on the first syllables). In Russian the stress can fall on the first, last, or any other syllable, so you generally need to learn for each word which syllable is stressed.

[@hcamry]

+Russian grammar I see, but here, do we know the stress from the pronunciation or by learning the pattern of the verb? 5:45 , how do we know where the syllable ends, is it where the vowel starts in russian? The middle column, ya form (I) for example, how many syllables cheetayo has, and how many does cheetaesh have? Thanks!

[@russiangrammar]

+h corolla There's a vowel sound in each syllable in Russian, but a syllable can start (or end) with a vowel or consonant sound (огород has 3 syllables: о-го-род). Читаю and читаешь both have 3 syllables, with stress on the second syllable. You can learn the stress by listening carefully and paying attention to the stress marks in dictionaries, etc; for a summary of the possible patterns for verbs, see point 4 in this page: www.russianforeveryone.com/Rufe/Lessons/Course1/Grammar/GramUnit5/GramUnit5_2.htm