Most Russian verbs ending in -ить belong to the second conjugation. To form the present tense, drop -ить from the infinitive and add the corresponding endings:
| Pronoun | Ending | Example (говорить - to speak) |
|---|---|---|
| я | -ю / -у | говорю |
| ты | -ишь | говоришь |
| он/она | -ит | говорит |
| мы | -им | говорим |
| вы | -ите | говорите |
| они | -ят / -ат | говорят |
Speaking and Adverbs
The verb говорить conjugates normally. You will frequently see it paired with по-русски (in Russian).
| I speak Russian. | Я говорю по-русски. |
You can describe actions using adverbs like быстро (fast) and медленно (slowly).
| They speak very fast. | Они говорят очень быстро. |
| My dad speaks slowly. | Мой папа говорит медленно. |
Regular -ить Verbs
Verbs like помнить (to remember) and строить (to build) follow the standard second conjugation pattern exactly.
| Do you remember our old house? | Вы помните наш старый дом? |
| We are building a new restaurant. | Мы строим новый ресторан. |
Spelling Rules and Consonant Changes
Russian spelling rules dictate that you cannot write ю or я after certain letters like ч and ш.
For verbs like учить (to learn) and спешить (to hurry), this means the я form ends in -у (instead of -ю) and the они form ends in -ат (instead of -ят).
| I am learning a new language. | Я учу новый язык. |
| They are learning this language. | Они учат этот язык. |
Finally, some common verbs have a slight change in the я form. For example, любить (to love, to like) adds an л for я (я люблю), but remains completely regular for all other pronouns.
| I really love hot tea. | Я очень люблю горячий чай. |
| Do you like this old movie? | Ты любишь этот старый фильм? |
