How to use

In Russian, verbs are categorized into perfective and imperfective aspects.

The perfective aspect indicates a completed action, focusing on the result. For example: поза́втракать (to finish breakfast).

The imperfective aspect indicates an ongoing, habitual, or repeated action without focusing on its completion. For example: за́втракать (to have breakfast).

How to form & distinguish

The distinction between perfective and imperfective verbs is often marked by the use of prefixes. Typically, a verb becomes perfective when a prefix is added to its imperfective form.

Common prefixes used to form perfective verbs include:

1. по-
   • Usage: Often denotes the beginning of an action or a short-duration action.
   • Example: гуля́ть (to walk, imperfective) → погуля́ть (to take a walk, perfective).
2. на-
   • Usage: Indicates that the action is performed to a sufficient extent or completion.
   • Example: писа́ть (to write, imperfective) → написа́ть (to write, to complete writing, perfective).
3. про-
   • Usage: Suggests that the action goes through something or is completed thoroughly.
   • Example: чита́ть (to read, imperfective) → прочита́ть (to read through, perfective).

However, it is not recommended to try to form the perfective verb on your own if you only know the imperfective form, because many different prefixes exist, and not all prefixes can be applied to all verbs. Additionally, some verbs can change meaning significantly when a prefix is added. Therefore, this understanding can be used as a guide to distinguish which verb is perfective and which one is imperfective in a pair.

An exception to this pattern is the pair купи́ть (to buy, perfective) and покупа́ть (to buy, imperfective), where the imperfective form has a prefix, and the perfective form does not.