A1 · Anfänger Kapitel 5

The Present Tense World

4 Gesamtregeln
40 Beispiele
1 Min.
Regeln in diesem Kapitel Schnelle Übung

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Unlock the power of action by mastering the Russian present tense.

  • Conjugate regular verbs ending in -ать and -ить.
  • Identify and use common irregular 'rebel' verbs.
  • Construct simple sentences without the verb 'to be'.
From static words to dynamic action.

Was du lernen wirst

Understanding basic verb conjugation in the present tense. Introduction to the two main conjugation patterns.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to conjugate regular -ать verbs in the present tense.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to describe your state of being using zero copula.

Wichtige Beispiele (8)

1

Я сейчас работаю в кафе.

I am working in a café right now.

Russische Verbkonjugation 1: Die 'E'-Gruppe (-ать/-ять)
2

Что ты слушаешь?

What are you listening to?

Russische Verbkonjugation 1: Die 'E'-Gruppe (-ать/-ять)
3

Я очень люблю этот сериал.

I really love this series.

Russische Verben der 2. Konjugation: Die 'i'-Gruppe (говорить, любить)
4

Ты говоришь по-русски?

Do you speak Russian?

Russische Verben der 2. Konjugation: Die 'i'-Gruppe (говорить, любить)
5

Я хочу заказать пиццу через приложение.

I want to order pizza through the app.

Russische Rebellen-Verben: Wollen, Essen und Leben (Unregelmäßige Verben)
6

Ты хочешь пойти в кино сегодня?

Do you want to go to the cinema today?

Russische Rebellen-Verben: Wollen, Essen und Leben (Unregelmäßige Verben)
7

Я дома.

I am home.

Das fehlende „sein“ (Nullkopula)
8

Где мой Uber?

Where is my Uber?

Das fehlende „sein“ (Nullkopula)

Tipps & Tricks (4)

💡

The 'E' Rule

If you see an 'е' in the ending (like -ешь, -ет), you are almost certainly looking at a First Conjugation verb.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russische Verbkonjugation 1: Die 'E'-Gruppe (-ать/-ять)
💡

The 'I' Team

If the infinitive ends in -ить, it's almost certainly a 2nd conjugation verb. Think of the 'i' in -ить as your signal to use 'и' endings!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russische Verben der 2. Konjugation: Die 'i'-Gruppe (говорить, любить)
🎯

The 'V' is for Vitality

Always remember the extra 'в' in жить (to live). It helps the word flow and distinguishes it from other similar-looking verbs.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russische Rebellen-Verben: Wollen, Essen und Leben (Unregelmäßige Verben)
🎯

The 'Is' Dash

When writing, if you can replace the word 'is' with a dash in your head, do it in Russian too! It's especially important when connecting two nouns.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Das fehlende „sein“ (Nullkopula)

Wichtige Vokabeln (6)

читать to read говорить to speak хотеть to want жить to live я I хороший good

Real-World Preview

coffee

Meeting a friend

Review Summary

  • -ать -> -аю, -аешь, -ает, -аем, -аете, -ают
  • -ить -> -ю, -ишь, -ит, -им, -ите, -ят
  • Irregular stems
  • Subject + Noun/Adjective

Häufige Fehler

You don't need 'есть' (to be) in the present tense. It's redundant.

Wrong: Я есть студент
Richtig: Я студент

Ensure the ending matches the subject 'Я'.

Wrong: Я читает
Richtig: Я читаю

Rebel verbs like 'хотеть' have irregular forms.

Wrong: Я хотею
Richtig: Я хочу

Next Steps

You have mastered the foundation of Russian verbs. Keep practicing, and you will be speaking fluently in no time!

Write 5 sentences about your hobbies.

Continue to: Who Are You? Pronouns

Schnelle Übung (9)

Complete the sentence 'I am a blogger' in Russian.

Я ___. (blogger)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: блогер
In the present tense, you don't use 'есть' or 'быть'. You just say 'Я блогер'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Das fehlende „sein“ (Nullkopula)

Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'читать' (to read).

Я ___ интересную книгу.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: читаю
For the subject 'Я' (I), we use the ending '-ю'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russische Verbkonjugation 1: Die 'E'-Gruppe (-ать/-ять)

Find and fix the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Я любию пиццу.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Я люблю пиццу.
Verbs like 'любить' add an 'л' in the 'я' form (consonant mutation).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russische Verben der 2. Konjugation: Die 'i'-Gruppe (говорить, любить)

Remove the unnecessary word from this sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Он есть мой друг.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Он мой друг.
The verb 'есть' is redundant and sounds unnatural when identifying someone.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Das fehlende „sein“ (Nullkopula)

Fill in the correct form of 'говорить' (to speak).

Мы хорошо ___ по-русски.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: говорим
For the pronoun 'Мы' (We), the second conjugation ending is -им.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russische Verben der 2. Konjugation: Die 'i'-Gruppe (говорить, любить)

Which sentence is natural Russian for 'Where is the car?'

Choose the correct translation:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Где машина?
Russian omits 'is' in questions about location. 'Где машина?' is the standard way to ask.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Das fehlende „sein“ (Nullkopula)

Find and fix the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Они работает в банке.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Они работают в банке.
The subject 'Они' (They) requires the plural ending '-ют'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russische Verbkonjugation 1: Die 'E'-Gruppe (-ать/-ять)

Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'хотеть'

Мы ___ (хотеть) пойти в парк.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: хотим
For 'мы' (we), the verb 'хотеть' uses the second conjugation ending -им.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russische Rebellen-Verben: Wollen, Essen und Leben (Unregelmäßige Verben)

Find and fix the mistake

Find and fix the mistake:

Я еду яблоко на завтрак.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Я ем яблоко на завтрак.
'Еду' means 'I am going/driving'. 'Ем' means 'I am eating'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Russische Rebellen-Verben: Wollen, Essen und Leben (Unregelmäßige Verben)

Score: /9

Häufige Fragen (6)

It's just a fancy word for changing a verb to match the person doing it. Instead of saying 'I to work,' you say 'I work' (Я работаю).
Most verbs that end in -ать or -ять in their infinitive form belong here. Examples include 'знать' (to know) and 'гулять' (to walk).
Look at the infinitive. If it ends in -ить, it's 2nd conjugation about 99% of the time. There are a few exceptions ending in -еть or -ать, but -ить is your main clue.
The main vowel in the endings. 1st conjugation uses е (e.g., читаешь), while 2nd conjugation uses и (e.g., говоришь).
Yes, in basic A1 Russian, 'я хочу' is the standard way to express desire. While there is a conditional form 'я хотел бы' (I would like), 'я хочу' is perfectly acceptable in daily life.
This is a historical consonant mutation common in Russian. The 'g' sound softens to 'zh' when followed by certain vowels in the middle of the conjugation.
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