Conjugation › Russian › Nachinat'
Russian · Verb Tables · Advanced
начинать (nachinat') means "to begin" in Russian. Present: я (ya) начинаю (nachinayu), ты (ty) начинаешь (nachinayesh'), он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) начинает (nachinayet), мы (my) начинаем (nachinayem), вы (vy) начинаете (nachinayete), они (oni) начинают (nachinayut). Below: all 16 tenses we teach, with examples.
Imperfective verbs only — perfective verbs have no present tense. Stem + personal endings, expresses actions happening now, repeated/habitual actions, and general truths; also covers what English marks as the present continuous.
| я (ya) | начинаю (nachinayu) |
| ты (ty) | начинаешь (nachinayesh') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | начинает (nachinayet) |
| мы (my) | начинаем (nachinayem) |
| вы (vy) | начинаете (nachinayete) |
| они (oni) | начинают (nachinayut) |
Perfective/imperfective distinction lives in the stem, not the ending: infinitive stem minus -ть + -л (masculine), -ла (feminine), -ло (neuter), -ли (plural) — the same ending set for every verb in the language. Does not mark person, only gender and number; agreement is with the real subject's gender, so "I"/"you (singular)" have separate masculine/feminine forms. Imperfective past describes an ongoing, repeated or general past action, or one whose completion is not in focus.
| я (ya) | начинал / начинала (nachinal / nachinala) |
| ты (ty) | начинал / начинала (nachinal / nachinala) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | начинал / начинала / начинало (nachinal / nachinala / nachinalo) |
| мы (my) | начинали (nachinali) |
| вы (vy) | начинали (nachinali) |
| они (oni) | начинали (nachinali) |
Same -л/-ла/-ло/-ли endings, but on the perfective partner verb's stem (прочитать, поговорить); marks a single completed action or its result, the normal choice for narrating a sequence of finished events.
| я (ya) | начал / начала (nachal / nachala) |
| ты (ty) | начал / начала (nachal / nachala) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | начал / начала / начало (nachal / nachala / nachalo) |
| мы (my) | начали (nachali) |
| вы (vy) | начали (nachali) |
| они (oni) | начали (nachali) |
Future of быть (буду, будешь, будет, будем, будете, будут) + imperfective infinitive. Used for ongoing, repeated or general actions in the future, or when the aspect of the action is not being emphasized.
| я (ya) | буду начинать (budu nachinat') |
| ты (ty) | будешь начинать (budesh' nachinat') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | будет начинать (budet nachinat') |
| мы (my) | будем начинать (budem nachinat') |
| вы (vy) | будете начинать (budete nachinat') |
| они (oni) | будут начинать (budut nachinat') |
The perfective verb's present-tense-shaped conjugation (same endings as an imperfective present) automatically carries future meaning, because a perfective verb cannot describe an ongoing present. Used for a single completed action that will happen once.
| я (ya) | начну (nachnu) |
| ты (ty) | начнёшь (nachnyosh') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | начнёт (nachnyot) |
| мы (my) | начнём (nachnyom) |
| вы (vy) | начнёте (nachnyote) |
| они (oni) | начнут (nachnut) |
Past-tense form (either aspect) + the invariant, moveable particle бы. There is only one form for past, present and future hypotheticals — context and adverbs (тогда, сейчас, завтра) show the time meant. Used for hypothetical or unreal conditions (usually with если...бы), polite requests and suggestions, and wishes.
| я (ya) | начал бы / начала бы (nachal by / nachala by) |
| ты (ty) | начал бы / начала бы (nachal by / nachala by) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | начал бы / начала бы / начало бы (nachal by / nachala by / nachalo by) |
| мы (my) | начали бы (nachali by) |
| вы (vy) | начали бы (nachali by) |
| они (oni) | начали бы (nachali by) |
чтобы (что + бы fused into one word) + past-tense form, used after verbs of wanting, asking, ordering something for someone else to do (хочу, чтобы...), in purpose clauses ("in order that"), and after жаль/жалко for regrets. The subordinate verb always takes this чтобы + past shape regardless of the real time of the wish.
| я (ya) | чтобы я начал / начала (chtoby ya nachal / nachala) |
| ты (ty) | чтобы ты начал / начала (chtoby ty nachal / nachala) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | чтобы он начал / она начала / оно начало (chtoby on nachal / ona nachala / ono nachalo) |
| мы (my) | чтобы мы начали (chtoby my nachali) |
| вы (vy) | чтобы вы начали (chtoby vy nachali) |
| они (oni) | чтобы они начали (chtoby oni nachali) |
True 2nd-person imperative: stem + -й (after a vowel), -и (after a consonant, stressed), or -ь (after a single consonant, unstressed) for "you (singular)"; add -те for "you (plural/formal)". 1st-person plural uses давай(те) + infinitive ("let's..."); 3rd person uses пусть/пускай + the ordinary present or simple-future form (a jussive, not a true imperative). Positive commands typically use the perfective aspect for a single expected action.
| я (ya) | — |
| ты (ty) | начинай (nachinay) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | пусть начинает (pust' nachinayet) |
| мы (my) | давайте начинать (davayte nachinat') |
| вы (vy) | начинайте (nachinayte) |
| они (oni) | пусть начинают (pust' nachinayut) |
не + the same imperative forms. Negative commands strongly prefer the imperfective aspect (не читай, not не прочитай), because a perfective negative imperative sounds like a warning against something happening accidentally rather than a plain prohibition.
| я (ya) | — |
| ты (ty) | не начинай (ne nachinay) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | пусть не начинает (pust' ne nachinayet) |
| мы (my) | давайте не будем начинать (davayte ne budem nachinat') |
| вы (vy) | не начинайте (ne nachinayte) |
| они (oni) | пусть не начинают (pust' ne nachinayut) |
Dictionary form, ending in -ть (or -ти/-чь for some consonant stems). Used after modal words (нужно, можно, хочу) and other conjugated verbs, and as a verbal noun.
| начинать (nachinat') |
Imperfective verbs only: 3rd-person-plural present stem + -щий, declined like an adjective for gender, case and number (citation form is masculine nominative singular). Means "[who/that is] verb-ing".
| начинающий (nachinayushchiy) — also the everyday noun "beginner" (курс для начинающих) |
Past-tense stem (either aspect) + -вший (or -ший after a consonant), declined like an adjective. Means "[who/that] verbed / has verbed".
| начинавший / начавший (nachinavshiy / nachavshiy) |
Imperfective, mainly transitive verbs: 1st-person-plural present stem + adjective endings (-ый/-ая/-ое). Fairly bookish; not every verb forms one in everyday use (говорить rarely does — a paraphrase like о чём говорится is used instead).
| начинаемый (nachinayemyy) — bookish |
Mostly from perfective transitive verbs: stem + -нный/-тый, declined like an adjective; has a short form (-н/-т, agreeing only in gender/number) used as the predicate of passive sentences. The everyday way to say "is/was done".
| начатый, short начат/начата/начато/начаты (nachatyy, nachat/nachata/nachato/nachaty) |
Imperfective only: present stem + -я (-а after ж/ш/ч/щ). Invariable; describes an action simultaneous with the main verb's ("while verb-ing").
| начиная (nachinaya) — also fixed as the preposition-like "начиная с" ("starting from") |
Perfective only: past stem + -в (-вши before a reflexive -сь, or -ши after a consonant). Invariable; describes a completed action prior to the main verb's ("having verbed").
| начав (nachav) |
| Начиная с понедельника, магазин работает с восьми утра. Nachinaya s ponedel'nika, magazin rabotayet s vos'mi utra. | Starting from Monday, the shop is open from 8 a.m. |
| Он начал новую работу в марте. On nachal novuyu rabotu v marte. | He started a new job in March. |
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