Conjugation › Russian › Spat'
Russian · Verb Tables · Advanced
спать (spat') means "to sleep" in Russian. Present: я (ya) сплю (splyu), ты (ty) спишь (spish'), он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) спит (spit), мы (my) спим (spim), вы (vy) спите (spite), они (oni) спят (spyat). Below: all 13 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) | сплю (splyu) |
| ты (ty) | спишь (spish') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | спит (spit) |
| мы (my) | спим (spim) |
| вы (vy) | спите (spite) |
| они (oni) | спят (spyat) |
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) | спал / спала (spal / spala) |
| ты (ty) | спал / спала (spal / spala) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | спал / спала / спало (spal / spala / spalo) |
| мы (my) | спали (spali) |
| вы (vy) | спали (spali) |
| они (oni) | спали (spali) |
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) | поспал / поспала (pospal / pospala) |
| ты (ty) | поспал / поспала (pospal / pospala) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | поспал / поспала / поспало (pospal / pospala / pospalo) |
| мы (my) | поспали (pospali) |
| вы (vy) | поспали (pospali) |
| они (oni) | поспали (pospali) |
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 спать (budu spat') |
| ты (ty) | будешь спать (budesh' spat') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | будет спать (budet spat') |
| мы (my) | будем спать (budem spat') |
| вы (vy) | будете спать (budete spat') |
| они (oni) | будут спать (budut spat') |
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) | посплю (posplyu) |
| ты (ty) | поспишь (pospish') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | поспит (pospit) |
| мы (my) | поспим (pospim) |
| вы (vy) | поспите (pospite) |
| они (oni) | поспят (pospyat) |
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) | спал бы / спала бы (spal by / spala by) |
| ты (ty) | спал бы / спала бы (spal by / spala by) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | спал бы / спала бы / спало бы (spal by / spala by / spalo by) |
| мы (my) | спали бы (spali by) |
| вы (vy) | спали бы (spali by) |
| они (oni) | спали бы (spali 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 спал / спала (chtoby ya spal / spala) |
| ты (ty) | чтобы ты спал / спала (chtoby ty spal / spala) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | чтобы он спал / она спала / оно спало (chtoby on spal / ona spala / ono spalo) |
| мы (my) | чтобы мы спали (chtoby my spali) |
| вы (vy) | чтобы вы спали (chtoby vy spali) |
| они (oni) | чтобы они спали (chtoby oni spali) |
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) | спи (spi) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | пусть спит (pust' spit) |
| мы (my) | давайте спать (davayte spat') |
| вы (vy) | спите (spite) |
| они (oni) | пусть спят (pust' spyat) |
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 спи (ne spi) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | пусть не спит (pust' ne spit) |
| мы (my) | давайте не будем спать (davayte ne budem spat') |
| вы (vy) | не спите (ne spite) |
| они (oni) | пусть не спят (pust' ne spyat) |
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.
| спать (spat') |
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".
| спящий (spyashchiy) |
Past-tense stem (either aspect) + -вший (or -ший after a consonant), declined like an adjective. Means "[who/that] verbed / has verbed".
| спавший / поспавший (spavshiy / pospavshiy) |
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").
| поспав (pospav) |
| Ребёнок спал всю ночь. Rebyonok spal vsyu noch'. | The child slept all night. |
| Поспи немного, ты устал. Pospi nemnogo, ty ustal. | Sleep a little, you're tired. |
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