Russian Verbs

[movewoman]

Im new to the russian language. I know very little about it. I studied and have a strong grip on the grammar of english, spanish, and japanese. Can somebody explain how you congugate a russian verb? They teach verbs but in different tenses and they dont congugate them. Also, What is the verb "to be"? How do I say things like "I am tall" or "I am sad" or "I am 16"

[Pollyanna]

Hello, movewoman!

Russian language has two types of verbs conjugation. The conjugation type defines how to change the verb in present and future simple tenses by persons and numbers. To find the conjugation type you should look at the ending of the infinitive verb (but there are some exceptions).

I conjugation verbs :
- 3 verbs: брить, стелить, зиждиться
- verbs end in - еть (there are 7 exceptions) - e.g. петь - pet' - to sing
- verbs end in - ать (there are 4 exceptions) - e.g. бежать - bezhat'- to run
- the rest of verbs which ends in -оть, -уть, -ть - e.g. тянуть - tyanut' - to pull

II conjugation verbs:
- verbs end in -ить (except 3 from type I) - e.g. жить - zhit' - to live
- 7 verbs: видеть, ненавидеть, обидеть, зависеть, терпеть, вертеть, смотреть
- 4 verbs: гнать, дышать, держать, слышать

When you have defined which conjugation has the verb, you may change the present tense verb according the table below:

_____________________|____ Conjugation I____|___ Conjugation II____|
_________Person______|__Singular_|__ Plural_ |__Singular_|__ Plural _|
--------------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
1-st (I, we)____________|___-у(-ю)_|_-ем ______|_ -у(-ю)___|_-им______|
2-nd (you) ____________|___-ешь__|_-ете______|__-ишь____|_-ите_____|
3-rd (he, she, it, they)_|___-ет____|_-ут (-ют)__|__-ит_____|_-ат (-ят)__|

Please note, that there are also some exceptions.

The information is extracted from:
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%BB_%D0%B2_%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC_%D1%8F%D0%B7%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%B5 and http://ruslit.ioso.ru/verb.htm.

I think we shall wait for the appropriate lesson, where this question will be explained in more understandable way.

[Pollyanna]

About "to be" verb

In Russain "to be" is "быть" - byt' . But it is not used in the same way as "to be" in English. See:
"I am tall" will be "Я высокий" - Ya vysokiy - for male and "Я высокая" - Ya vysokaya - for female.
"I am sad" - "Мне грустно" - Mne grusno,
"I am 16" - "Мне 16" - Mne shesnatsat'.

The verb "быть" is special. Singular and plural 1-st and 2-nd persons of the present tense are not used for this verb. The rare forms of this verb - "есть" and "суть" - are used instead. Last two are also used for 3-d person, singular and plural, present tense.
"быть" in a verb of the I conjugation. So:

Future tense: "быть"
Я буду. Мы будем - I will. We will
Ты будешь. Вы будете - You will (singular, informal). You will (plural, formal)
Он/ она/ оно будет. Они будут. - He/ she / it will. They will.

Present tense: "есть" or "суть" (very rare).
Я есть - I am (here; I am exist).
Мы/ ты/ вы/ они есть - We/ you (singular, informal)/ you (plural, formal)/ they are
Он/ она/ оно есть - He / she / it is

[toharsky]

Present tense: "есть" or "суть" (very rare).

As far as I know, суть can only be used in 3rd person plural. There is an article on быть and суть usage by russian philologist Vinogradov, but I don't know whether it's translated into English.. well, anyway, it's really enough to recognize it as быть-form)

[Pollyanna]

toharsky, thanks!

The article you mentioned is “A History of Words” by Vinogradov. It is available in English for purchase. Or in Russian for free.
The article is interesting, but mostly from the academic point of view. It is quite complex for the beginner level.
You may meet “суть” verb in literature, especially in old styled. But in the modern spoken Russian language this verb is not used.
If you hear the word “суть”, 99% that it is a noun means “essence”, “matter”, “content”.

[toharsky]

If you hear the word “суть”, 99% that it is a noun means “essence”, “matter”, “content”.

that's right) at some point using it as a verb became kinda fashionable in periodicals, but it seemes to go down again... so to come across a verb-usage is still a rare occasion (thanks god))))

just as you mentioned it)