Welcome to the baking competition (конкурс)! Today, we will learn how to talk about the time it takes to whip up a prize-winning dessert.
| Today is our first competition. | Сегодня наш первый конкурс. |
| This baker is the winner. | Этот пекарь — победитель. |
Duration: How Long It Took (Imperfective)
To state how long an ongoing process lasted (duration), use an imperfective verb. Simply put the time phrase directly into the Accusative case—no preposition is needed.
| The baker was making dough for twenty minutes. | Пекарь делал тесто двадцать минут. |
The imperfective verb печь (to bake) emphasizes the continuous process of baking.
| Anna was baking a cake for an hour. | Анна пекла торт час. |
| I was baking this pie all night. | Я пёк этот пирог всю ночь. |
Completion: How Fast It Was Done (Perfective + за)
To state how much time it took to finish a task, use a perfective verb. To express that a result was achieved "in" a certain amount of time, use the preposition за followed by the Accusative case.
| He made the dough in ten minutes. | Он сделал тесто за десять минут. |
The perfective pair for baking is испечь (to have baked completely).
| She baked the whole cake in an hour. | Она испекла весь торт за час. |
| Ivan baked a pie in forty minutes. | Иван испёк пирог за сорок минут. |
Comparing Results
Notice how the imperfective verb pairs with a bare time phrase (duration), while the perfective verb pairs with за (completion).
| At the competition I baked a cake for an hour, but the winner baked it in thirty minutes. | На конкурсе я пёк торт час, а победитель испёк его за тридцать минут. |
| The baker made the dough for an hour, but baked the pie in ten minutes. | Пекарь делал тесто час, а испёк пирог за десять минут. |
