How to use

The present tense of verbs is used to describe actions that:

• Are happening right now:
  • Я сейчас работаю. (I am working now.)
• Occur regularly or habitually:
  • Каждый день я работаю в магазине. (Every day I work in the shop.)
• Express general truths:
  • Трудоголики много работают. (Workaholics work a lot.)

Verbs ending in -ать, -ять, -еть, and, less commonly, -уть, -оть, -ыть, -ти, -сть, -зть ,-чь — which are the majority of Russian verbs — belong to the first conjugation. However, there are exceptions to these patterns. It's best to memorize verbs that are exceptions as you encounter them.

How to form

To conjugate a verb in the present tense, follow these steps:

1. Remove the infinitive ending (-ть) to find the stem:
   • читать → чита
2. Add the appropriate ending depending on the subject (person):
   • Я читаю, а он читает. (I read, and he reads.)

The table below shows the endings for the first conjugation verbs:

For я and они, the choice between -у/-ю depends on the last letter of the stem:

• If the last letter is a vowel, use -ю (читать → я читаю).
• If the last letter is a consonant, use -у (идти → я иду).

Common Irregularities:

The vowel е is replaced by ё under stress in verb endings. For example:

• жить → ты живёшь

Some verbs have a stem alternation in the root when conjugated. For example:

• Писáть → я пишу, ты пишешь, он пишет, мы пишем, вы пишете, они пишут.

The conjugation patterns remain consistent for verbs with the same root but different prefixes. For instance:

• Переписáть (to rewrite) → я перепишу, ты перепишешь, etc.