Verb (perfective, on foot): сходи́ть — "to go (somewhere) and come back, once" Verb (perfective, by transport): съе́здить — "to take a trip somewhere and back, once" Type: perfective verbs built with с-… on the multidirectional stems ходи́ть / е́здить — a special "there-and-back" perfective
сходи́ть and съе́здить fill a slot English has no single word for: one complete round trip. Я схожу́ в магази́н doesn't mean "I'll go to the shop" in the sense of setting off and staying there — it means "I'll pop to the shop (and be right back)." This is the natural verb for running an errand: pop to the pharmacy, nip to the bank, run to the post office, take a quick trip to your parents'. It is built on the multidirectional stems ходи́ть (on foot) and е́здить (by vehicle), but the prefix с- here is not the directional "down/off" с-; it adds the meaning "do the whole out-and-back motion and complete it." That makes these verbs perfective, even though their base verbs (ходи́ть / е́здить) are imperfective. Distinguishing this from пойти́ "set off" and from habitual ходи́ть is the whole point of the page; the wider system is on the prefixed motion overview.
Present tense — there is none
Both сходи́ть and съе́здить are perfective, so neither has a present tense. (The forms схожу́, схо́дишь below are the future.) If you want a present-tense "I'm going" or "I go regularly," you need the imperfective base verbs ходи́ть / идти́ / е́здить, covered on the идти́ / ходи́ть page. This is a frequent source of confusion, so it is worth stating plainly: there is no "I am round-tripping right now" — the round trip is conceived as a single bounded act.
Future tense (simple, perfective)
Because both verbs are perfective, their conjugated forms are the simple future — "I'll pop / I'll take a trip." сходи́ть is second-conjugation with the predictable -д- → -ж- consonant change in the я-form (схожу́); съе́здить has -д- → -ж- too (съе́зжу), and is stem-stressed throughout.
| Person | сходи́ть — FUTURE (on foot) | съе́здить — FUTURE (by transport) |
|---|---|---|
| я | схожу́ | съе́зжу |
| ты | схо́дишь | съе́здишь |
| он / она́ / оно́ | схо́дит | съе́здит |
| мы | схо́дим | съе́здим |
| вы | схо́дите | съе́здите |
| они́ | схо́дят | съе́здят |
Two stress notes. сходи́ть has shifting stress: end-stress only in the я-form схожу́, stem-stress everywhere after (схо́дишь, схо́дит, схо́дят) — the same shape as ходи́ть. съе́здить is stem-stressed throughout (съе́зжу, съе́здишь). The forms look present-tense but mean a single future round trip; the everyday "I'll pop to the shop" is схожу́ в магази́н.
Я схожу́ в апте́ку и сра́зу верну́сь.
I'll pop to the pharmacy and come right back. — схожу́: one round trip on foot; the 'and back' is built in.
Дава́й съе́здим на да́чу на выходны́х.
Let's take a trip to the dacha this weekend. — съе́здим: a there-and-back trip by transport.
Ты схо́дишь за хле́бом? У нас зако́нчился.
Will you run out for bread? We're out. — схо́дишь за + instrumental (за хле́бом, 'to fetch bread').
Past tense
A regular, gender-marked past. Stress sits on -ди́- in сходи́ть and on съе́з- in съе́здить throughout — no shifts.
| Gender / number | сходи́ть | съе́здить |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | сходи́л | съе́здил |
| feminine | сходи́ла | съе́здила |
| neuter | сходи́ло | съе́здило |
| plural | сходи́ли | съе́здили |
The past is where these verbs are most idiomatic. Я сходи́л в магази́н is the natural "I went to the shop (and I'm back)" — it reports a completed errand, with the speaker now returned. Contrast Я ходи́л в магази́н, the imperfective, which also means "I went (and came back)" but stresses the fact of having been rather than the round trip as a single accomplished act; in practice сходи́л often adds a flavour of "I managed to / I got it done."
Я сходи́л в банк и оплати́л счета́.
I went to the bank and paid the bills. — сходи́л: a completed there-and-back errand; perfective.
Она́ съе́здила к роди́телям на неде́лю.
She went to visit her parents for a week. — съе́здила: a finished round trip by transport.
Мы сходи́ли в кино́, фильм отли́чный.
We went to the movies, the film's great. — сходи́ли: the outing as one completed act.
Imperative
Regular imperatives. The perfective round-trip imperative is extremely common for sending someone on an errand.
| Addressee | сходи́ть | съе́здить |
|---|---|---|
| ты (informal) | сходи́ | съе́зди |
| вы (formal / plural) | сходи́те | съе́здите |
Сходи́ в апте́ку "pop to the pharmacy" and Съе́зди к ба́бушке "go visit grandma" are the everyday ways to ask someone to run an errand or pay a visit. Because the round trip is bounded and concrete, the perfective is exactly right; the imperfective ходи́ here would sound like "go habitually," which is not the intended command.
Сходи́ за молоко́м, пожа́луйста.
Pop out for some milk, please. — сходи́ + за + instrumental (за молоко́м).
Съе́здите к врачу́, не тяни́те.
Go and see the doctor, don't put it off. — съе́здите, a round-trip visit by transport.
Participles and verbal adverbs
| Form | сходи́ть | съе́здить |
|---|---|---|
| past active participle | сходи́вший | съе́здивший |
| verbal adverb | сходи́в "having popped (somewhere)" | съе́здив "having taken a trip" |
Being perfective and intransitive, these verbs have no present participle and no passive participle. The useful form is the perfective verbal adverb сходи́в / съе́здив "having gone and come back," common in narrative: Сходи́в в магази́н, она́ начала́ гото́вить — "Having popped to the shop, she started cooking."
Съе́здив в о́тпуск, он почу́вствовал себя́ намно́го лу́чше.
Having taken a holiday trip, he felt much better. — verbal adverb съе́здив.
Key uses & collocations
1. в / на + accusative — the destination
The place you pop to takes в or на + accusative (the direction-of-motion construction): сходи́ть в магази́н, в банк, на по́чту, на ры́нок; съе́здить в дере́вню, на мо́ре. The accusative marks the goal of motion. See the accusative direct object / destination page for the case forms.
На́до сходи́ть на по́чту за посы́лкой.
I need to pop to the post office for a parcel. — на + accusative (на по́чту) for the destination.
2. за + instrumental — what you go to fetch
To express what you go to get, use за + instrumental: сходи́ть за хле́бом "go for bread," съе́здить за веща́ми "go for one's things." This за- of purpose ("after, to fetch") is a very frequent companion of these verbs. See the instrumental case.
Схожу́ за сига́ретами, я на мину́тку.
I'll nip out for cigarettes, back in a sec. — за + instrumental (за сига́ретами).
3. к + dative — visiting a person
To pop in on, or pay a visit to, a person, use к + dative: сходи́ть к врачу́ "go to the doctor," съе́здить к друзья́м "go visit friends." The destination is the person, marked by к + dative.
Дава́й съе́здим к ба́бушке в воскресе́нье.
Let's go visit grandma on Sunday. — к + dative (к ба́бушке), a round-trip visit.
4. сходи́ть vs пойти́ vs ходи́ть — the three-way choice
The trio is the heart of the matter. пойти́ = set off (one-way start): Я пошёл! "I'm off!" ходи́ть = go habitually / make a round trip as a repeated or open fact: Я хожу́ в спортза́л "I go to the gym (regularly)." сходи́ть = make one complete round trip now or soon: Я схожу́ в спортза́л "I'll pop to the gym (and be back)."
Я схожу́ в спортза́л на час, а пото́м пойду́ на рабо́ту.
I'll pop to the gym for an hour, then head to work. — сходи́ть (round trip) vs пойти́ (set off, one-way).
Common Mistakes
❌ Сейча́с я схожу́ в магази́н ка́ждый день.
Aspect mismatch — for a daily habit use the imperfective хожу́, not the perfective future схожу́: 'Я хожу́ в магази́н ка́ждый день'. схожу́ is one round trip, not a routine.
✅ Я хожу́ в магази́н ка́ждый день.
I go to the shop every day.
❌ Я бу́ду сходи́ть в апте́ку.
Aspect error — сходи́ть is perfective and makes its own simple future схожу́; it never combines with бу́ду.
✅ Я схожу́ в апте́ку.
I'll pop to the pharmacy.
❌ Я схожу́ в магази́н и оста́нусь там до ве́чера.
Meaning clash — сходи́ть means 'go AND come back'; you can't 'pop somewhere and stay'. For staying, use пойти́: 'Я пойду́ в магази́н…'.
✅ Я пойду́ в магази́н и оста́нусь там до ве́чера.
I'll go to the shop and stay there till evening.
❌ Я схожу́ за хлеб.
Case error — 'to fetch' takes за + INSTRUMENTAL, not accusative: за хле́бом, not 'за хлеб'.
✅ Я схожу́ за хле́бом.
I'll run out for bread.
❌ Я съе́здю к роди́телям.
Form error — съе́здить has the -д- → -ж- change in the я-form: съе́зжу, not *съе́здю.
✅ Я съе́зжу к роди́телям на выходны́х.
I'll go visit my parents at the weekend.
Key Takeaways
- сходи́ть / съе́здить = one complete round trip — "pop out and come back," the everyday errand-and-visit verbs. сходи́ть on foot, съе́здить by transport.
- Both are perfective — no present tense; their conjugated forms are the simple future (схожу́ = "I'll pop," not "I'm popping").
- Future: схожу́ / схо́дишь … (shifting stress, end-stress only in схожу́); съе́зжу / съе́здишь … (stem-stressed; -д- → -ж- in the я-form).
- Past: сходи́л / съе́здил — a completed errand or visit, speaker now returned.
- Imperative: Сходи́ / Съе́зди — the standard way to send someone on an errand or a visit.
- Government: destination with в/на + accusative; what you fetch with за + instrumental (сходи́ть за хле́бом); a person with к + dative (съе́здить к ба́бушке).
- The three-way choice: пойти́ (set off, one-way) · ходи́ть (habit) · сходи́ть (one round trip).
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- Идти vs Ходить (Going on Foot)A2 — The single most frequent motion pair in Russian. ИДТИ́ (unidirectional) is a trip on foot in progress toward one goal — Я иду́ домо́й ('I'm on my way home') — and covers the planned near future (За́втра я иду́ в теа́тр). ХОДИ́ТЬ (multidirectional) covers habits, round trips, general walking ability, and 'attend' — Я хожу́ в спортза́л три ра́за в неде́лю. Plus the idioms идёт carries: Дождь идёт, Вре́мя идёт, Фильм идёт.
- Пойти and the Inceptive По- (Setting Off)A2 — The prefix по- on a unidirectional motion verb means 'set off, start going' — and ПОЙТИ́ (set off on foot) / ПОЕ́ХАТЬ (set off by vehicle) are the everyday way Russian says 'I'll go' and 'he went off'. Future пойду́…пойду́т, past пошёл/пошла́/пошли́, and the exhortations Пошли́! / Пойдём! / Пое́хали! ('Let's go!'). The insight English speakers miss: по- + unidirectional is THE go-to perfective for a single past or future trip, far more frequent than the spatial prefixes.
- Prefixed Verbs of Motion: How the System WorksB1 — The second half of the motion system. Adding a directional prefix (при-, у-, в-, вы-, под-, от-, до-, пере-, про-, за-, об-) does two things at once: it specifies a spatial direction AND converts the verb into an ordinary aspect pair. Prefix + UNIDIRECTIONAL stem = PERFECTIVE (прийти́ 'arrive'); prefix + MULTIDIRECTIONAL stem = its IMPERFECTIVE partner (приходи́ть). The unidirectional/multidirectional contrast is replaced by perfective/imperfective — the structural pivot that makes the whole prefixed system tractable.
- Accusative: The Direct ObjectA1 — The accusative marks the direct object — the thing a transitive verb acts on directly. Verbs like чита́ть, смотре́ть, люби́ть, ви́деть, знать all take an accusative object (чита́ть кни́гу, люби́ть му́зыку). Because Russian word order is free, the case ending — not position — tells you which noun is being acted upon, so every direct object must be marked. Object pronouns (меня́, тебя́, его́, её, нас, вас, их) are accusative too.
- Instrumental as Predicate (Profession, Becoming)B1 — When 'to be / become / work as / seem' link a subject to a role or state, the role takes the instrumental — especially in the past and future: Он был врачо́м, Она́ ста́ла учи́тельницей. The key contrast: the PRESENT tense uses the nominative (Он врач), but past/future быть and the verbs стать, рабо́тать, каза́ться switch the predicate to the instrumental. Являться always takes the instrumental, even in the present.
- Идти / Ходить (to go on foot)A2 — Complete conjugation-and-usage reference for the motion pair идти́ (unidirectional) / ходи́ть (multidirectional), 'to go on foot'. Full paradigms side by side — иду́/идёшь, the suppletive past шёл/шла/шло/шли, хожу́/хо́дишь/хо́дят — the one-trip vs habitual/round-trip contrast, and the perfective пойти́.