Я перелистываю страницы учебника.

I am flipping through the pages of the textbook.

Breakdown of Я перелистываю страницы учебника.

• я: I
• учебник: the textbook
• страница: the page
• перелистывать: to flip through

Questions & Answers about Я перелистываю страницы учебника.

Why is the verb перелистываю in the imperfective aspect here instead of the perfective?

Russian verbs have two aspects: imperfective (ongoing or habitual actions) and perfective (completed actions). Перелистываю is the imperfective present tense, 1st person singular, which conveys that you are in the process of flipping through pages (or that you do it habitually). If you wanted to express that you will flip through all the pages to completion (or that you have already done so), you would use the perfective перелистаю. For example:
• Я перелистаю страницы учебника – “I will (or I have) flip(ped) through the pages of the textbook,” with emphasis on the action’s completion.

What role does the prefix пере- play in перелистываю?

The root листать means “to leaf through” or “to flip pages.” The prefix пере- adds a sense of moving “across” or “through” something, often implying that you cover multiple units (here, pages) in sequence. So перелистывать emphasizes turning one page after another, whereas листать alone can be more neutral or intermittent.

Why is страницы in the accusative plural case?

In the sentence Я перелистываю страницы учебника, страницы is the direct object of the verb перелистывать. Страница is a feminine noun whose nominative plural is страницы. For most feminine nouns ending in -а, the accusative plural form is identical to the nominative plural form, so we see страницы for “pages” in the accusative plural.

Why is учебника in the genitive singular?

The construction страницы учебника means “pages of the textbook.” In Russian, the thing possessed (страницы) remains in its own case (here, accusative plural), while the possessor (учебник) takes the genitive case to show the relationship “of the textbook.” Учебник is masculine, and its genitive singular ending is -а, giving учебника.

Could I say Я перелистаю страницы учебника instead? What would change?

Yes. Перелистаю is the perfective future (or past) form of перелистывать. Using Я перелистаю страницы учебника shifts the focus to completing the action of flipping through all the pages. It implies either that you will do it (future) or have done it (if context makes it past), whereas the original imperfective present stresses the ongoing process.

Can I omit страницы and just say Я перелистываю учебник?

Absolutely. Я перелистываю учебник literally means “I am leafing through the textbook.” It’s more general—browsing the book by turning its pages—without explicitly mentioning “pages.” Including страницы simply makes the object more specific.

Is the word order in Я перелистываю страницы учебника fixed?

No. Russian relies on case endings rather than strict word order to show grammatical relations. The neutral, most common order is Subject–Verb–Object (SVO): Я (S) перелистываю (V) страницы учебника (O). You can front-focus the object for emphasis:
– Страницы учебника я перелистываю (It’s the pages of the textbook that I’m flipping through).
– Учебника страницы я перелистываю is grammatically possible but stylistically odd. Overall, SVO sounds most natural for a simple statement.

How would you form the past tense of this sentence?

To convert to past tense, use the past form of the verb and match gender/number:
• Masculine speaker: Я перелистывал страницы учебника.
• Feminine speaker: Я перелистывала страницы учебника.
• Neuter (rare for “I”): Я перелистывало страницы учебника.
• Plural subject: Мы перелистывали страницы учебника.

What’s the difference between листать, перелистывать, and пролистывать?

All three relate to turning pages but differ in nuance:
• листать (imperfective) – to leaf through pages generally, without a prefix.
• перелистывать (imperfective, prefix пере-) – to flip through pages in sequence, often covering a large portion or the entirety.
• пролистывать (imperfective, prefix про-) – to skim or scroll quickly through pages, possibly skipping details.
Choosing among them depends on how thoroughly or quickly you flip.

Can I replace учебника with учебная книга? How would that look?

Yes. If you use учебная книга (“textbook”), you must still put it in the genitive case to show possession:
Я перелистываю страницы учебной книги.
Here, учебная книга (nominative) becomes учебной книги (genitive feminine singular) because книга is a feminine noun.