English packs an enormous range of departures into two small words: go and leave. He left could mean he walked out for a minute, drove off to another city, or quit his job. Russian refuses this vagueness. It chooses a different verb depending on how you go (on foot or by vehicle), how far and for how long (a few steps, out the door, away to another town), and whether you took something with you or left it behind. The reward for learning the distinctions is precision: when a Russian says Он вы́шел versus Он ушёл versus Он уе́хал, the listener already knows roughly when — and whether — to expect the person back.
This page assumes you have met the basic motion verbs идти́/ходи́ть (go on foot) and е́хать/е́здить (go by vehicle); see идти́ / ходи́ть and е́хать / е́здить. Here we focus on the departure verbs built from them, plus two "leave" verbs that aren't motion verbs at all.
The big split: motion-away vs leaving-behind
English leave hides two completely different ideas:
- Leaving = departing — you move away from a place. This is a motion verb with a departure prefix: уйти́, уе́хать, вы́йти, отойти́.
- Leaving = leaving behind — something or someone stays where it is while you go. This is оста́вить (+ accusative): Я оста́вил ключи́ до́ма "I left the keys at home."
Mixing these up is the single most common error. I left the keys is never a motion verb — the keys didn't go anywhere; you abandoned them. I left the room is a motion verb — you crossed the doorway. Keep this fork in mind as you read.
Я оста́вил ключи́ до́ма.
I left the keys at home. — оста́вить + accusative: the keys stayed; this is NOT a motion verb.
Я вы́шел из ко́мнаты.
I left the room. — выйти из + genitive: I crossed the threshold; this IS a motion verb.
The four departure verbs (motion away)
Each is an aspect pair: an imperfective (the habitual/process verb) and a perfective (the completed single act). The prefix у- means "away, off the scene"; вы- means "out, across a boundary"; от- means "off, a short remove."
| Imperfective | Perfective | Means | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| уходи́ть | уйти́ | on foot | go away, depart, leave (gone a while) |
| уезжа́ть | уе́хать | by vehicle | leave, travel away (often far / longer) |
| выходи́ть | вы́йти | on foot | step out, exit (cross a threshold, often briefly) |
| отходи́ть | отойти́ | on foot | step away, move off a short distance |
These are all prefixed motion verbs; their full system (приходи́ть, доходи́ть, переходи́ть, and so on) is laid out on prefixed motion overview and the specific departure prefixes on arrive / leave prefixes.
уйти́ / уходи́ть — gone, on foot
The doer leaves the scene on foot and is now absent. The implication is that they're gone for a meaningful stretch, not just popping out.
Извини́те, дире́ктора нет — он уже́ ушёл домо́й.
Sorry, the director isn't here — he's already left for home. — ушёл (perfective of уйти́): gone, on foot, for the day.
Я обы́чно ухожу́ с рабо́ты в шесть.
I usually leave work at six. — ухожу́ (imperfective): a habit.
To name the place you left, use из / с / от + genitive: уйти́ из до́ма "leave the house," уйти́ с рабо́ты "leave work," уйти́ от врача́ "leave the doctor's."
уе́хать / уезжа́ть — gone by vehicle, usually far
The doer departs by transport — and typically the distance or duration is greater: another city, a holiday, a move.
Она́ уе́хала в о́тпуск на две неде́ли.
She's gone away on holiday for two weeks. — уе́хала: departed by vehicle, far, for a while.
Мы уезжа́ем из Москвы́ за́втра у́тром.
We're leaving Moscow tomorrow morning. — уезжа́ть из + genitive of the place left.
вы́йти / выходи́ть — step out, cross a threshold
The doer crosses a boundary outward — through a door, off a bus, out of a building — often briefly, and may well come right back. This is the verb for "he stepped out for a moment."
Он то́лько что вы́шел, перезвони́те че́рез пять мину́т.
He's just stepped out, call back in five minutes. — вы́шел: out the door, probably back soon.
На како́й остано́вке вы выхо́дите?
Which stop are you getting off at? — выходи́ть also = get off (a bus, train): cross the doorway out of the vehicle.
Вы́йди из ку́хни, я убира́юсь.
Get out of the kitchen, I'm cleaning. — вы́йти из + genitive: leave/exit a room.
отойти́ / отходи́ть — step away a short distance
The doer moves off a few paces — not leaving the scene, just creating a small gap. Very common as a polite request (Отойди́те! "Step back/aside!") and to explain a brief absence from a desk or phone.
Отойди́те, пожа́луйста, от две́ри — она́ открыва́ется.
Please step away from the door — it's opening. — отойти́ от + genitive: move off a short distance.
Он на мину́тку отошёл, сейча́с вернётся.
He's stepped away for a moment, he'll be right back. — отошёл: momentary, will return immediately.
The contrast in one breath
Picture a man named Ва́ня leaving his office. Each verb tells a different story, and English he left can't distinguish them:
| Russian | What actually happened | Expect him back? |
|---|---|---|
| Ва́ня вы́шел. | Stepped out the door | Probably any second |
| Ва́ня отошёл. | Moved a few steps away (e.g. from his desk) | Immediately |
| Ва́ня ушёл. | Left on foot, off the scene | Not for a while (maybe gone for the day) |
| Ва́ня уе́хал. | Departed by car/train, far | Definitely not soon |
Leaving something behind: оставля́ть / оста́вить
When the thing you "leave" is an object or a person that stays put, you need оставля́ть (impf.) / оста́вить (pf.) + accusative. This is not motion at all — it is "to leave X (somewhere)."
Не забу́дь: ты оста́вил зонт в по́езде.
Don't forget: you left your umbrella on the train. — оста́вить + accusative; the umbrella stayed behind.
Оста́вь сообще́ние по́сле сигна́ла.
Leave a message after the beep. — оста́вить + accusative.
Они́ оста́вили дете́й с ба́бушкой.
They left the kids with grandma. — leaving a person in someone's care.
Abandoning and quitting: броса́ть / бро́сить
To abandon, give up, or quit — a habit, a job, a person — Russian uses броса́ть (impf.) / бро́сить (pf.), literally "to throw." This carries an emotional or decisive weight that оста́вить lacks.
Он бро́сил кури́ть три го́да наза́д.
He quit smoking three years ago. — бро́сить + infinitive = give up a habit.
Она́ бро́сила рабо́ту и уе́хала в дере́вню.
She quit her job and left for the countryside. — бро́сить рабо́ту = quit work (decisively); then уе́хать for the physical departure.
Как ты мог бро́сить её одну́?
How could you leave her alone? — бро́сить a person = abandon, with strong emotional force.
English → Russian decision guide
| English | Russian | Why |
|---|---|---|
| He left (for the day, on foot) | Он ушёл. | уйти́ — gone, on foot |
| He left (drove off, far) | Он уе́хал. | уе́хать — by vehicle, far |
| He left the room | Он вы́шел из ко́мнаты. | вы́йти из + gen. — cross a threshold |
| He left Moscow | Он уе́хал из Москвы́. | уе́хать из + gen. — depart a city |
| He stepped out for a minute | Он вы́шел на мину́тку. | вы́йти — brief, may be back |
| He stepped away from the desk | Он отошёл от стола́. | отойти́ от + gen. — a few paces |
| He left the keys at home | Он оста́вил ключи́ до́ма. | оста́вить + acc. — left behind |
| He left his wife | Он бро́сил жену́. | бро́сить — abandon a person |
| He left (quit) his job | Он бро́сил / ушёл с рабо́ты. | бро́сить (quit) or ушёл с (departed) |
Common Mistakes
❌ Я ушёл ключи́ до́ма.
A motion verb can't take a thing as object; 'leave the keys behind' needs оста́вить.
✅ Я оста́вил ключи́ до́ма.
I left the keys at home.
❌ Он ушёл из Москвы́ на по́езде.
You don't walk out of a city; departure by vehicle is уе́хать.
✅ Он уе́хал из Москвы́ на по́езде.
He left Moscow by train.
❌ Он ушёл на мину́тку, сейча́с вернётся.
уйти́ implies a real absence; 'stepped out, right back' is вы́йти.
✅ Он вы́шел на мину́тку, сейча́с вернётся.
He stepped out for a minute, he'll be right back.
❌ Вы́йдите от две́ри, она́ открыва́ется.
вы́йти is 'exit through' a doorway; moving a few paces away from something is отойти́ от.
✅ Отойди́те от две́ри, она́ открыва́ется.
Step away from the door, it's opening.
❌ Он оста́вил кури́ть.
Giving up a habit is бро́сить, not оста́вить.
✅ Он бро́сил кури́ть.
He quit smoking.
Key Takeaways
- First fork: departing (a motion verb — you move) vs leaving behind (оста́вить — the thing stays). Leave the room = вы́йти; leave the keys = оста́вить ключи́.
- уйти́ = gone on foot, off the scene for a while; уе́хать = gone by vehicle, usually far/longer; вы́йти = step out across a threshold, often briefly; отойти́ = step a few paces away, back at once.
- Departure verbs name the place left with из / с / от + genitive: уйти́ с рабо́ты, вы́йти из ко́мнаты, отойти́ от стола́, уе́хать из Москвы́.
- оста́вить + accusative = leave an object/person behind (Оста́вь сообще́ние; оста́вить дете́й с ба́бушкой).
- бро́сить = abandon or quit, with weight: бро́сить кури́ть, бро́сить рабо́ту, бро́сить кого́-то.
- Choosing the right verb tells your listener whether and how the person will return — information English supplies only through context. See the wider system on prefixed motion overview and in / out prefixes.
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- Motion Prefixes: При- (Arrive) and У- (Leave)B1 — The first and most frequent pair of directional prefixes. ПРИ- marks arrival — motion that ends at a destination, so the subject is now here (Он прие́хал в Москву́). У- marks departure into absence — the subject is now gone (Она́ уе́хала в Москву́). Each builds an ordinary aspect pair (прийти́/приходи́ть, уйти́/уходи́ть) and pairs with its own prepositions: при- with destinations (в/на + acc, к + dat), у- with sources (из/с + gen, от + dat-person).
- 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.
- 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.
- Ехать vs Ездить (Going by Vehicle)A2 — The vehicle counterpart to идти́/ходи́ть. Е́ХАТЬ (unidirectional) is one trip by vehicle, in progress or planned — Я е́ду в Москву́, Куда́ вы е́дете? Е́ЗДИТЬ (multidirectional) is habitual trips and past round trips — Я ка́ждый год е́зжу к роди́телям; В про́шлом году́ я е́здил в Япо́нию ('I went and came back'). Russian obligatorily distinguishes foot from vehicle, and the imperative is the irregular поезжа́й — never *ехай.
- 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.
- Motion Prefixes: В- (In) and Вы- (Out)B1 — The threshold pair. В-/ВО- means enter, go in (войти́/входи́ть + в/на + acc); ВЫ- means exit, go out, and also the everyday 'step out for a moment' (вы́йти/выходи́ть + из/с + gen). Two things to lock in: the в↔из symmetry, and the systematic stress shift — вы- is ALWAYS stressed in the perfective (вы́йти, вы́шел, вы́еду) but unstressed in the imperfective (выходи́ть, выезжа́ть).