First Conjugation Verbs in Russian

Overview

Russian verbs in the present tense follow one of two conjugation patterns. First conjugation verbs are the larger group, encompassing most verbs with infinitives ending in -ать, -еть, -овать, and some in -ить. At the A1 level, mastering first conjugation endings is essential because these verbs cover core actions like reading, working, knowing, and doing.

The conjugation system works by removing the infinitive ending and adding person/number endings to the stem. First conjugation is characterized by the vowel -е- in most of its endings (ешь, ет, ем, ете) and -ю-/-ут- in first and third person forms. This contrasts with second conjugation, which uses -и- instead.

Learning conjugation is not just about memorizing endings -- it is about building the reflex to match the verb form to the subject automatically. Since Russian can omit subject pronouns when context is clear, the verb ending itself often carries the information about who is performing the action.

How It Works

First Conjugation Endings

Person	Singular	Plural
1st (я/мы)	-ю / -у	-ем
2nd (ты/вы)	-ешь	-ете
3rd (он,она/они)	-ет	-ют / -ут

Formation

1. Take the infinitive: читать (to read)
2. Remove -ть: чита-
3. Add endings: читаю, читаешь, читает, читаем, читаете, читают

Common First Conjugation Verbs

Infinitive	Meaning	я	ты	он/она
читать	to read	читаю	читаешь	читает
работать	to work	работаю	работаешь	работает
знать	to know	знаю	знаешь	знает
делать	to do	делаю	делаешь	делает
понимать	to understand	понимаю	понимаешь	понимает
гулять	to walk	гуляю	гуляешь	гуляет

-овать Verbs (Stem Change)

Verbs in -овать change -ова- to -у- before adding endings:

• рисовать → рисую, рисуешь, рисует (to draw)
• танцевать → танцую, танцуешь, танцует (to dance)

Examples in Context

Russian	English	Note
читать: читаю, читаешь, читает	to read: I read, you read, he reads	Regular -ать verb
работать: работаю, работаем, работают	to work: I work, we work, they work	All persons
знать: знаю, знаешь, знает	to know: I know, you know, he knows	Regular -ать
делать: делаю, делаешь, делает	to do: I do, you do, he does	Regular -ать
Я читаю книгу.	I am reading a book.	Full sentence
Ты работаешь здесь?	Do you work here?	Question
Они понимают по-русски.	They understand Russian.	3rd person plural
Мы гуляем в парке.	We are walking in the park.	1st person plural
Она рисует хорошо.	She draws well.	-овать stem change
Вы знаете его?	Do you know him?	Formal/plural

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the -овать stem change

• Wrong: Я рисоваю
• Right: Я рисую
• Why: Verbs in -овать lose the -ова- and replace it with -у- in all present tense forms.

Mixing first and second conjugation endings

• Wrong: Я читаишь (using -ишь from second conjugation)
• Right: Ты читаешь (using -ешь from first conjugation)
• Why: First conjugation uses -е- in its endings; second conjugation uses -и-.

Confusing infinitive and conjugated forms

• Wrong: Я читать книгу.
• Right: Я читаю книгу.
• Why: The infinitive (читать) is the dictionary form; in sentences with a subject, the verb must be conjugated.

Practice Tips

• Conjugate five new verbs daily, writing out all six forms. Say them aloud to build muscle memory.
• Practice describing your daily routine using first conjugation verbs: Я завтракаю, работаю, читаю, гуляю.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Personal Pronouns (Nominative) -- pronouns determine which ending to use
• Next steps: Reflexive Verbs -ся/-сь -- adding reflexive suffixes to conjugated verbs
• Next steps: Imperative Mood -- forming commands from verb stems
• Next steps: Хотеть and Мочь -- key irregular/mixed conjugation verbs
• Next steps: Going: идти vs. ехать -- important motion verbs
• Next steps: Past Tense -- moving beyond present tense