How to use

Verbs of motion can be modified with prefixes to add specific meanings to the movement. Two common prefixes are по- and при-.

The prefix по- is used with verbs of motion to indicate the beginning of an action. For example:

• Мы пошли в магазин. (We started going to the store)

It can also convey a short-duration action. It often implies that the action is performed for a while and then stops. For example:

• Я побе́гаю 15 минут и приду домой. (I will run for 15 minutes and then come home)

After verbs with this prefix, prepositions with nouns can be used to describe the destination or place:

• в/на + accusative case to indicate the direction towards a place.
• в/на + prepositional case to indicate the location where the action is performed.
• к + dative case to indicate moving towards a person or place.

The prefix при- indicates arrival or coming to a place. It emphasizes the endpoint or the destination of the movement. For example:

• Соседи завтра приедут из отпуска. (The neighbors will come back from vacation tomorrow)

After verbs with this prefix, prepositions with nouns can be used to describe the destination or place:

• в/на + accusative case to indicate arriving at a place.
• к + dative case to indicate arriving to a person or a specific place.
• из/с + genitive case to indicate coming from a place.

Note: Verbs with these prefixes are usually perfective. That means they don’t have present tense forms, only past or future.

At this point, we introduce the usage with unidirectional verbs. The prefix при- can also be used with multidirectional verbs.

This time, we also introduce new verb of motion: бежа́ть (unidirectional verb) and бе́гать (multidirectional verb), both meaning 'to run'.

Бежа́ть is an irregular verb of the first conjugation.

Бе́гать is a regular first-conjugation verb.