Exact Duration: The Prefix про-
When you want to emphasize that an action lasted for a specific, continuous—and often painfully long—chunk of time, attach the prefix про- to the verb.
These verbs are perfective because they view that entire block of time as one completed event. They are always paired with a time expression in the Accusative case, such as час (an hour), два часа (two hours), or весь день (all day).
Enduring the Delay
If your flight is delayed, you might spend hours sitting (просидеть), standing (простоять), or waiting (прождать). Notice how the prefix transforms a continuous state into a finished block of time spent doing it.
| We sat in the waiting area for an hour. | Мы просидели в зоне ожидания час. |
| The passengers stood in line for two hours. | Пассажиры простояли в очереди два часа. |
| Did they really sit in the terminal for five hours? | Неужели они просидели в терминале пять часов? |
Sleeping and Staying
If the wait is exceptionally long, passengers might simply stay or "be" (пробыть) in the terminal all day, or even sleep (проспать) right through the delay.
| We stayed in this terminal all day. | Мы пробыли в этом терминале весь день. |
| My brother slept in an armchair through the whole delay. | Мой брат проспал в кресле всю задержку. |
Weather and Chatting
Sometimes flights are grounded due to poor, "unfit for flying" weather (нелётная погода). To pass the time, stranded travelers might strike up a conversation and talk (проговорить) for hours.
| The weather was unfit for flying, and we sat in the cafe all evening. | Погода была нелётной, и мы просидели в кафе весь вечер. |
| They talked on the phone for a whole hour. | Они проговорили по телефону целый час. |