Second Conjugation Verbs in Russian

In Brief

Most Russian verbs ending in -ить use the second conjugation. Remove -ить and add -ю/-у, -ишь, -ит, -им, -ите, -ят/-ат: говорю, говоришь, говорит, говорим, говорите, говорят. The я form may change the final consonant of the stem, so learn it separately when necessary: любить → люблю, видеть → вижу.

Overview

A conjugation is a pattern of verb endings that changes according to who performs an action. Russian has two main present-tense conjugation patterns. This article covers the second conjugation, recognisable above all by -ишь, -ит, -им, -ите in the middle four forms and -ят/-ат in the third-person plural.

This is an A1 foundation because these endings appear constantly in everyday speech: Ты говоришь по-русски? (“Do you speak Russian?”), Я люблю кофе (“I love coffee”), and Они смотрят фильм (“They are watching a film”). Unlike English, Russian changes the verb ending for every grammatical person. English often relies on an explicit subject such as “I” or “they”; Russian can omit a subject pronoun when the ending and context make the subject clear.

The beginner rule—“most -ить verbs belong to the second conjugation”—is a useful starting point, not a perfect definition. Some verbs ending differently also follow this pattern, while a small number of -ить verbs do not. First master the regular endings and a few high-frequency verbs; the exceptions and stem changes become manageable when learned in families.

How It Works

The six present-tense endings

The infinitive is the dictionary form of a verb, equivalent to English “to speak” or “to love.” For a regular verb such as говорить (“to speak”), remove infinitive -ить to find the stem говор- and attach the second-conjugation endings.

Person	Pronoun	Ending	говорить (“to speak”)	English
1st person singular	я	-ю/-у	я говорю	I speak / I am speaking
2nd person singular	ты	-ишь	ты говоришь	you speak (informal singular)
3rd person singular	он/она/оно	-ит	он/она говорит	he/she speaks
1st person plural	мы	-им	мы говорим	we speak
2nd person plural	вы	-ите	вы говорите	you speak (plural or formal)
3rd person plural	они	-ят/-ат	они говорят	they speak

Russian has one present tense where English distinguishes “I speak” from “I am speaking.” Context supplies the difference: Я часто говорю по-русски means “I often speak Russian,” while Сейчас я говорю по телефону means “I am speaking on the phone now.”

Choosing between -ю and -у, or -ят and -ат

These are not optional alternatives. The shape of the stem and Russian spelling rules determine which form appears. Compare:

• говорить → говорю, говорят
• любить → люблю, любят
• видеть → вижу, видят
• учить → учу, учат

For practical learning, remember each verb’s я and они forms rather than trying to choose from the written infinitive alone. This is especially helpful after consonants such as ж, ш, ч, щ, where Russian spelling conventions require у or а: вижу, учу, учат.

A regular model: говорить

Once the stem is known, the five forms after я are highly predictable.

Form	Construction	Result
я	говор- + -ю	говорю
ты	говор- + -ишь	говоришь
он/она/оно	говор- + -ит	говорит
мы	говор- + -им	говорим
вы	говор- + -ите	говорите
они	говор- + -ят	говорят

The endings also tell you the subject, so both Я говорю медленно and, in a clear context, Говорю медленно can mean “I speak slowly.” Beginners should keep the pronouns while learning the pattern, then notice when native speakers leave them out.

Stem changes in the я form

The first-person singular often has a consonant change that does not appear in the other forms. A stem is the part carrying the verb’s main meaning before the personal ending. Common patterns include:

Infinitive	я form	ты form	What to notice
любить (to love)	люблю	любишь	л appears after б
видеть (to see)	вижу	видишь	д → ж in the я form
сидеть (to sit)	сижу	сидишь	д → ж in the я form
просить (to ask/request)	прошу	просишь	с → ш in the я form
платить (to pay)	плачу	платишь	т → ч in the я form
готовить (to prepare)	готовлю	готовишь	л appears after в

Do not apply these changes to every similar-looking verb by guesswork. Treat the я form as a principal form—a form worth memorising alongside the infinitive. If you know люблю, the remaining forms любишь, любит, любим, любите, любят follow the familiar endings.

Which verbs belong here?

The safest A1 rule is:

1. Expect most verbs in -ить to use the second conjugation: говорить, любить, учить, готовить.
2. Learn брить (“to shave”) and стелить (“to spread/lay”) as common -ить verbs that use first-conjugation endings: бреешь, бреют; стелешь, стелют.
3. Recognise several frequent verbs not ending in -ить that nevertheless use second-conjugation endings.

A traditional school list groups eleven important non--ить verbs with the second conjugation:

• -еть: видеть (see), ненавидеть (hate), зависеть (depend), терпеть (endure), обидеть (offend), вертеть (turn/twirl), смотреть (watch/look)
• -ать: гнать (drive/chase), держать (hold), дышать (breathe), слышать (hear)

At A1, видеть, смотреть, слышать, and держать are the most useful members of this list. Their infinitive endings do not reliably reveal their conjugation, so learn forms such as видишь, смотришь, слышишь, and держишь.

Negatives and questions

Conjugation does not change in a negative sentence. Put не directly before the verb:

• Я не говорю по-русски. — “I do not speak Russian.”
• Она не любит чай. — “She does not like tea.”

A yes/no question normally keeps the same words and uses question intonation in speech:

• Ты любишь кофе? — “Do you like coffee?”
• Вы говорите по-английски? — “Do you speak English?”

Russian needs no equivalent of English auxiliary “do” in these questions or negatives. Forms such as делаешь говорить are therefore not Russian constructions.

Examples in Context

Russian	English	Note
Я говорю немного по-русски.	I speak a little Russian.	1st person singular
Ты говоришь очень быстро.	You are speaking very quickly.	Informal singular ты
Анна говорит с директором.	Anna is speaking with the director.	3rd person singular
Мы говорим о работе.	We are talking about work.	1st person plural
Вы говорите по-английски?	Do you speak English?	Formal or plural вы
Дети говорят тихо.	The children are speaking quietly.	3rd person plural
Я люблю русскую музыку.	I love Russian music.	Stem change: люблю
Он любит готовить дома.	He likes cooking at home.	No stem change in любит
Мы видим автобус.	We see the bus.	видеть is a non-‑ить member
Я вижу твой дом.	I can see your house.	Stem change: видеть → вижу
Они смотрят новый фильм.	They are watching a new film.	смотреть → смотрят
Ты слышишь музыку?	Can you hear the music?	слышать follows the pattern
Я не курю.	I do not smoke.	Negative with не
Учитель учит нас читать.	The teacher teaches us to read.	учить → учит
Что вы готовите?	What are you preparing?	готовить → готовите

Common Mistakes

Keeping the infinitive ending

• Wrong: Я говорить по-русски.
• Right: Я говорю по-русски.
• Why: The infinitive говорить means “to speak.” A present-tense statement needs a personal ending.

Using first-conjugation endings

• Wrong: Ты говориешь медленно.
• Right: Ты говоришь медленно.
• Why: Second-conjugation verbs take -ишь, not first-conjugation -ешь, with ты.

Missing a stem change

• Wrong: Я любю эту песню.
• Right: Я люблю эту песню.
• Why: The я form of любить inserts л. Learn любить — люблю as a pair.

Guessing the conjugation only from -еть or -ать

• Wrong: Он смотреет телевизор.
• Right: Он смотрит телевизор.
• Why: Смотреть is one of the non--ить verbs that uses second-conjugation endings.

Treating every -ить verb as second conjugation

• Wrong: Ты бришься утром.
• Right: Ты бреешься утром.
• Why: Брить is a common exception and takes first-conjugation forms.

Copying English question structure

• Wrong: Ты делаешь говорить по-русски?
• Right: Ты говоришь по-русски?
• Why: Russian does not add an auxiliary equivalent to English “do.” The conjugated verb and intonation are enough.

Usage Notes

Ты addresses one person informally. Вы addresses more than one person or one person formally; in letters and direct formal correspondence, singular respectful Вы is often capitalised. Both uses take говорите, любите, видите, and so on.

Russian commonly leaves out subject pronouns when the person is already clear, especially in replies and connected speech: Что делаешь? — Смотрю фильм. (“What are you doing? — I’m watching a film.”) State the pronoun for contrast—Я говорю, а он слушает (“I’m speaking, while he listens”)—or when the subject might otherwise be unclear.

Stress is part of the verb form and is not normally marked in ordinary Russian writing. Learn it from audio and a dictionary. One frequent standard pattern is звоню́, звони́шь, звони́т, звони́м, звони́те, звоня́т (“call/phone”), with stress on the ending throughout the present tense. Incorrect stress may still be understood, but it is noticeable.

Beyond the Basics

You do not need to master the following points at A1, but they explain forms you will meet later.

Aspect changes the time meaning

Russian verbs have aspect, a distinction between an activity viewed as ongoing/repeated (imperfective) and an event viewed as complete (perfective). The verbs used throughout this article—such as говорить, любить, and смотреть—are imperfective and have a true present tense.

A perfective verb can take endings that look like the present pattern, but the result normally refers to the future. Compare:

• Я покупаю книгу. — “I am buying a book.” (imperfective present)
• Я куплю книгу. — “I will buy the book.” (perfective future)

Thus, recognising -ю, -ишь, -ит tells you the person and conjugation, but aspect helps determine whether the meaning is present or future.

Prefixes usually preserve the pattern

A prefix added before a verb often changes its meaning or aspect without changing its conjugation pattern: готовить → приготовить, смотреть → посмотреть. Compare я готовлю and я приготовлю, or ты смотришь and ты посмотришь. Stem alternations and stress can still require attention.

Some verbs are mixed or highly irregular

The two-conjugation system covers most Russian verbs, but not every verb fits it neatly. Very common verbs such as хотеть (“to want”) combine endings associated with different patterns: хочу, хочешь, хочет, хотим, хотите, хотят. Learn such verbs as complete paradigms rather than forcing them into the regular second-conjugation model.

Practice Tips

1. Use a six-slot drill. Write я, ты, он/она, мы, вы, они, then conjugate one verb down the list. Start with говорить, then repeat with любить, видеть, and смотреть.
2. Memorise three forms per verb. Record the infinitive, я, and они forms: любить — люблю — любят; учить — учу — учат. These expose the most important stem and spelling changes; the middle four endings are then predictable.
3. Build short contrasts aloud. Say Я говорю — мы говорим — они говорят or ask and answer Ты любишь кофе? — Да, люблю. This links the ending to a real speaker rather than to an isolated chart.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Personal Pronouns (Nominative) — learn я, ты, он/она/оно, мы, вы, and они before matching them to verb endings.