Two Ways to View the Past
In English, we can say "I was reading" (an ongoing process) or "I read" (a completed result). Russian handles this by giving most verbs two forms, called aspects:
- Imperfective: Focuses on the process or ongoing action.
- Perfective: Focuses on the completed result.
Notice how the Imperfective highlights that an action took a long time, while the Perfective jumps straight to the finished result:
Perfective Prefixes
Many Perfective verbs are formed by attaching a prefix to the Imperfective verb. They still use the exact same past tense endings (-л, -ла, -ло, -ли).
For example, adding на- turns писать (to be writing) into написать (to finish writing):
Adding с- turns делать into сделать:
Adding по- turns смотреть into посмотреть:
Other Verb Pairs
Not all verbs use prefixes to change aspect. Sometimes the middle or end of the verb changes.
For example, покупать drops a syllable to become купить:
Similarly, отвечать changes its ending to become ответить:
Moving the Story Forward
Because Perfective verbs emphasize completed results, you use them in a row to tell a story in chronological order. Stringing them together means "I finished X, and then I finished Y."
