Verbs in Russian

108 words on the topic

• хочу

  khochu

  I want

  One of the two verbs that refuse the regular pattern — learn its row whole. It takes the object straight: khochu vodu, no preposition.
• пить

  pit

  to drink

  The present tense reshapes the consonant: pyu, pyosh, pyot. Its result twin is vypit — the same verb with a prefix for "down to the bottom".
• есть

  est

  to eat

  Conjugated from a different root, like "to go" in many languages: yem, yesh, yest. Do not mix it with the "there is" of possession — that one is a lone form.
• я люблю

  ya lyublyu

  I love

  Works for coffee as for people: ya lyublyu kofe is ordinary. English guards "love"; here it is the everyday word for liking things too.
• идти

  idti

  to go (on foot)

  On foot; riding is another verb, ekhat. The pair is stricter than English "go": walking one way, transport the other. The present comes from a different root: idu, idyosh.
• ехать

  ekhat

  to go (by vehicle)

  Riding: yedu na avtobuse, yedu v Moskvu. Its present also comes from a different root: yedu, yedesh, yedet.
• быть

  byt

  to be

  In the present the linking verb simply vanishes: ya student — no "am" anywhere. One yest survives in the sense of "there is"; past and future are honest: byl, budu.
• иметь

  imet

  to have

  Grammatically fine, but live speech says u menya yest — the owner stands aside while the thing "is at" them. Tengo and "have" both turn the sentence inside out.
• жить

  zhit

  to live

  Zhivu, zhivyosh, zhivyot — its yo is written, not guessed. Zhit v Moskve is about the address; zhit khorosho is about life.
• работать

  rabotat

  to work

  From rabota, and rabota from rab — "a slave": an ancient trace in an everyday word. It answers both "where do you work" and "what do you do".
• учить

  uchit

  to teach, to study, to learn

  One verb covers teach, study and learn: uchit detey, uchit slova. English splits the job three ways; here it is one word with context.
• выбирать

  vybirat

  to choose

  Ya lyublyu vybirat yabloki — "I love choosing apples". The result twin is vybrat, with the i melting away.
• видеть

  videt

  to see

  Vizhu, vidish — the v- softens in the present. Khochu videt solntse.
• слышать

  slyshat

  to hear

  The soft sh- in the present: slyshu, slyshish. Lyublyu slyshat dozhd.
• спать

  spat

  to sleep

  Spyu, spish, spit — the i stretches in the present. Deti khochut spat.
• нести

  nesti

  to carry

  Carrying on foot; on a vehicle it is vozit. Pomogi nesti paket.
• ставить

  stavit

  to put (standing)

  Things that stand go with stavit: kuda stavit chay? Lying things take klast.
• ломать

  lomat

  to break

  Deti lyubyat lomat khleb — children break bread, and so does everyone at the table.
• строить

  stroit

  to build

  Otets khochet stroit dom — "father wants to build a house". Postroit is the done-deal twin.
• греть

  gret

  to warm, to heat

  Greyu, greyesh — the e holds. Gret sup ili net?
• учиться

  uchitsya

  to study, to be in school

  The -sya verb of learning: Deti khotyat uchitsya — "the children want to study". Ya uchus — "I am a student".
• запомнить

  zapomnit

  to memorize, to remember (once)

  Za- plus pomyat: to get it into memory. Ya khochu zapomnit eto — "I want to remember this".
• собирать вещи

  sobirat veshchi

  to pack (gather things)

  Utrom ya sobirayu veshchi — "in the morning I pack my things" — the same sobrat as the furniture.
• купаться

  kupatsya

  to swim, to bathe

  The -sya verb of bathing yourself: ya khochu kupatsya. Swimming laps is plavat.
• плавать

  plavat

  to swim

  My plavayem zdes — "we swim here" — the skill of moving through water; kupatsya is just getting in.
• загорать

  zagorat

  to sunbathe, to tan

  Ya khochu zagorat — "I want to get a tan" — the tan itself is zagar.
• ловить рыбу

  lovit rybu

  to fish

  Literally "to catch fish": ya khochu lovit rybu — lovit is the catching verb, plus rybu.
• поливать

  polivat

  to water (plants)

  Ya khochu polivat tsvety — "I want to water the flowers" — po- spreads the water around.
• надеть

  nadet

  to put on (wearing)

  Ya khochu nadet kurtku — "I want to put the jacket on" — nadet is for putting on; odet is wearing it.
• примерить

  primerit

  to try on

  Ya khochu primerit kurtku — "I want to try the jacket on" — the result verb of fitting.
• смеяться

  smeyatsya

  to laugh

  The -sya verb: laughter happens to you. Ya lyublyu smeyatsya — "I love to laugh".
• плакать

  plakat

  to cry

  Ya ne khochu plakat — "I do not want to cry". Slezy are the tears it makes.
• бояться

  boyatsya

  to be afraid

  Ya boyus vody — "I am afraid of water" — the thing feared takes the of-form.
• удивляться

  udivlyatsya

  to be surprised

  Mama udivlyayetsya — "mom is surprised" — the -sya verb; the surprise itself is udivleniye.
• надеяться

  nadeyatsya

  to hope

  Ya nadeyus, ty byl zdes — "I hope you were here" — nadezhda is the hope itself.
• спорить

  sporit

  to argue

  Ya ne khochu sporit — "I do not want to argue" — the verb of the dispute.
• обещать

  obeshchat

  to promise

  Mama obeshchala, i ona byla tam — "mom promised, and she was there" — the promise kept.
• ссориться

  ssoritsya

  to quarrel

  Ya ne khochu ssoritsya — "I do not want to quarrel" — ssora is the quarrel, the falling-out.
• обнять

  obnyat

  to hug

  Ya khochu obnyat mamu — "I want to hug mom" — ob- plus yat: arms around.
• готовить

  gotovit

  to cook, to prepare

  Ya khochu gotovit — "I want to cook" — gotov is what the dish becomes.
• мыть

  myt

  to wash

  Ya khochu myt nozh — "I want to wash the knife" — myu, myyesh: the letter i carries the wash.
• варить

  varit

  to boil, to cook (in water)

  Ya khochu varit sup — "I want to make soup" — the pot-and-water verb.
• жарить

  zharit

  to fry

  Ya khochu zharit rybu — "I want to fry the fish" — zhar is the heat that does it.
• печь

  pech

  to bake

  Ya khochu pech khleb — "I want to bake bread" — the oven is pechka, the same root.
• резать

  rezat

  to cut

  Ya khochu rezat morkov — "I want to cut the carrot" — the everyday knife work.
• пробовать

  probovat

  to try, to taste

  Ya ne khochu probovat fasol — "I do not want to try the beans" — the tasting and the attempting share the verb.
• заказать

  zakazat

  to order

  Ya khochu zakazat sup — "I want to order soup" — za- plus kazat: to call it in.
• звонить

  zvonit

  to call

  Mama zvonit mne kazhdyy vecher — "mom calls me every evening" — the person takes the to-form, no "to".
• скачать

  skachat

  to download

  Ya khochu skachat prilozheniye — "I want to download the app" — s- means "down off" the network.
• отправить

  otpravit

  to send (once)

  Ya otpravlyu video vecherom — "I will send the video in the evening" — the result verb of sending.
• получить

  poluchit

  to receive, to get

  Ya poluchil tvoye soobshcheniye — "I got your message" — a woman says ya poluchila.
• ответить

  otvetit

  to reply

  Otvet mne, pozhaluysta! — "please reply to me!" — the imperative; the to-form names who.
• включить

  vklyuchit

  to switch on

  Vklyuchi gromkost, pozhaluysta — "turn the volume up, please" — v- plus klyuch, the key of the circuit.
• выключить

  vyklyuchit

  to switch off

  Vyklyuchi telefon, pozhaluysta — "turn the phone off, please" — the same klyuch with vy-, out.
• починить

  pochinit

  to fix (result)

  Master pochinit noutbuk — "the repairman will fix the laptop" — the result verb of mending.
• заменить

  zamenit

  to replace

  Zamenite batareyku, pozhaluysta — "please replace the battery" — za- plus mena, the swap.
• выиграть

  vyigrat

  to win

  Ya khochu vyigrat — "I want to win" — vy- means "out": to win it out.
• проиграть

  proigrat

  to lose (a game)

  My vchera proigrali — "we lost yesterday" — pro-, past: to play it through and lose.
• бегать

  begat

  to run (habitually)

  Ya begayu v parke kazhdoye utro — "I run in the park every morning" — the multidirectional run.
• прыгать

  prygat

  to jump

  Ona prygayet vysoko — "she jumps high" — the verb of every playground.
• сидеть

  sidet

  to sit

  Ya sizhu doma i chitayu — "I sit at home and read" — sizhu, the softening present.
• стоять

  stoyat

  to stand

  Avtobus stoit na ostanovke — "the bus stands at the stop" — the verb every bus and clock obeys.
• лежать

  lezhat

  to lie (be lying)

  Pismo lezhit na stole — "the letter lies on the table" — the verb of things at rest.
• поднимать

  podnimat

  to lift, to raise

  Ya podnimayu korobku — "I lift the box" — pod- plus yimat: up it goes.
• бросать

  brosat

  to throw

  Bros mne myach! — "throw me the ball!" — the imperative does the playground.
• ловить

  lovit

  to catch

  Ya lovlyu myach — "I catch the ball" — the same lovit as the fishing.
• падать

  padat

  to fall

  Telefon padayet! — "the phone is falling!" — said in the very moment.
• петь

  pet

  to sing

  Moy drug poyet kazhdyy den — "my friend sings every day" — poyu, poyyosh: the letter yo again.
• танцевать

  tantsevat

  to dance

  My tantsuyem na ulitse — "we dance in the street".
• играть

  igrat

  to play

  Ya igrayu v futbol — "I play football" — v plus the whom-what form of the game; an instrument takes na.
• рисовать

  risovat

  to draw

  Ya risuyu kazhdyy den — "I draw every day" — risunok is the drawing.
• фотографировать

  fotografirovat

  to take photos

  Zdes nelzya fotografirovat — "no photos here" — the rule in one infinitive.
• гулять

  gulyat

  to stroll, to walk for pleasure

  Ya lyublyu gulyat v parke — "I love strolling in the park" — the walk that goes nowhere in particular.
• отдыхать

  otdykhat

  to rest

  Vecherom ya otdykhayu doma — "in the evening I rest at home" — the exhale verb of unit four.
• жениться

  zhenitsya

  to marry (of a man)

  Moy drug zhenitsya — "my friend is getting married" — the -sya verb that takes a wife; a woman vykhodit zamuzh — goes out behind the husband.
• пригласить

  priglasit

  to invite

  Ya khochu priglasit vas na prazdnik — "I want to invite you to the celebration" — na plus the whom-what form of the occasion.
• молиться

  molitsya

  to pray

  Ona molitsya kazhdyy vecher — "she prays every evening" — the -sya verb of the prayer.
• поститься

  postitsya

  to fast

  Oni postyatsya do Rozhdestva — "they fast until Christmas" — post is the fast itself.
• поздравить

  pozdravit

  to congratulate (once)

  Ya khochu pozdravit tebya — "I want to congratulate you" — the result verb of the greeting.
• подметать

  podmetat

  to sweep

  Ya podmetayu pol kazhdyy den — "I sweep the floor every day" — pod- plus metat, the sweeping.
• стирать

  stirat

  to do the laundry

  Ya stirayu rubashki — "I wash the shirts" — the everyday verb of the washing machine.
• гладить

  gladit

  to iron

  Rubashki ya glazhu vecherom — "I iron the shirts in the evening" — gladkiy, smooth, is the goal.
• помогать

  pomogat

  to help

  Ya pomogayu mame — "I help mom" — the person helped takes the to-form, no "to".
• просить

  prosit

  to ask for, to request

  O chyom ty prosish? — "what are you asking for?" — o plus the location form of the request.
• разрешить

  razreshit

  to allow

  Mama ne razreshayet gulyat nochyu — "mom does not allow walking at night" — raz- plus reshit: the untangling yes.
• запрещать

  zapreshchat

  to forbid

  Vrach zapreshchayet mne kofe — "the doctor forbids me coffee" — za-, the shutting prefix.
• списывать

  spisyvat

  to copy (cheat)

  Uchitel videl, kak on spisyvayet — "the teacher saw him copying" — the school word for cheating.
• исправить

  ispravit

  to correct, to fix (a mistake)

  Isprav oshibku i pokazhi yeshchyo raz — "fix the mistake and show it again" — the imperative of the teacher.
• экономить

  ekonomit

  to save (money)

  My ekonomim na taksi i khodim peshekom — "we save on taxis and walk" — na plus the location form of the saving.
• тратить

  tratit

  to spend

  Ne trat vse dengi srazu — "do not spend all the money at once" — the imperative of spending.
• копить

  kopit

  to save up

  Ya koplyu na novuyu mashinu — "I am saving up for a new car" — na plus the whom-what form of the goal.
• застраховать

  zastrakhovat

  to insure

  Mashinu zastrakhovali na god — "the car was insured for a year" — za- plus strakh, the fear.
• чихать

  chikhat

  to sneeze

  Ya chikhayu ot pyltsy — "I sneeze from pollen" — ot plus the of-form of the trigger.
• заболеть

  zabolet

  to fall ill

  Ya zabolel pryamo pered otpuskom — "I fell ill right before the vacation" — the result verb of getting sick.
• выздороветь

  vyzdorovet

  to recover, to get well

  On vyzdorovel za nedelyu — "he recovered in a week" — vy-, out: out of the illness.
• договориться

  dogovoritsya

  to arrange, to agree

  Dogovorimsya o vstreche v pyatnitsu — "let us arrange a meeting for Friday" — o plus the location form of the matter.
• уволиться

  uvolitsya

  to quit (a job)

  On reshil uvolitsya i uyekhat — "he decided to quit and leave" — the -sya verb of leaving yourself.
• уволить

  uvolit

  to fire, to dismiss

  Yego uvolili za proguly — "he was fired for absenteeism" — the transitive verb; the deed done to you.
• переезжать

  pereezzhat

  to move house

  My pereyezzhayem v novyy rayon — "we are moving to a new district" — the process of the crossing.
• упаковать

  upakovat

  to pack up

  Knigi ya upakoval v korobki — "I packed the books into boxes" — v plus the whom-what form of the boxes.
• распаковать

  raspakovat

  to unpack

  Vecherom raspakuyem kukhnyu — "in the evening we will unpack the kitchen" — the same verb with raz-, apart.
• обустроиться

  obustroitsya

  to get settled, to set up home

  Na novom meste my bystro obustroilis — "in the new place we settled in quickly" — ob- plus ustroit: the fitting-out.
• смотреть

  smotret

  to watch, to look

  Vecherom my smotrim film — "in the evening we watch a film". The result twin is posmotret.
• летать

  letat

  to fly

  The all-purpose flying: airplanes, birds and time. Samolyoty letayut vysoko.
• использовать

  ispolzovat

  to use

  The bookish cousin of the everyday brat. Ya ispolzuyu telefon na rabote.
• уметь

  umet

  to know how to

  Skill, not permission: moy brat umeyet gotovit — "my brother can cook". Mogu would be ability; umeYu is skill.
• встречать

  vstrechat

  to meet, to greet

  Ya vstrechayu druga na vokzale — "I am meeting my friend at the station". The result twin is vstretit.
• трогать

  trogat

  to touch

  Ne trogay sobaku — "do not touch the dog". The imperative does the politeness work.

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How it sounds in a sentence

A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.

• Я хочу воду и хлеб

  Ya khochu vodu i khleb

  I want water and bread
• Утром я пью кофе

  Utrom ya pyu kofe

  In the morning I drink coffee
• Утром я ем хлеб с сыром

  Utrom ya em khleb s syrom

  In the morning I eat bread with cheese
• Я люблю кофе, а ты?

  Ya lyublyu kofe, a ty?

  I love coffee, and you?
• Я иду домой

  Ya idu domoy

  I am walking home
• Мы едем в город на автобусе

  My edem v gorod na avtobuse

  We are going to the city by bus

What is worth knowing about these words

хочу (khochu) — I want. One of the two verbs that refuse the regular pattern — learn its row whole. It takes the object straight: khochu vodu, no preposition.

пить (pit) — to drink. The present tense reshapes the consonant: pyu, pyosh, pyot. Its result twin is vypit — the same verb with a prefix for "down to the bottom".

есть (est) — to eat. Conjugated from a different root, like "to go" in many languages: yem, yesh, yest. Do not mix it with the "there is" of possession — that one is a lone form.

я люблю (ya lyublyu) — I love. Works for coffee as for people: ya lyublyu kofe is ordinary. English guards "love"; here it is the everyday word for liking things too.

Test yourself

Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

I want, I can, I am going, I know. The verb holds a sentence together: a few of the most frequent ones cover more everyday talk than a long list of nouns.

A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.

• Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many times
  Adesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
• Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many times
  Mawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.

Next

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• Pronunciation
• From scratch
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