Conjugation › Russian › Yest'
Russian · Verb Tables · Advanced
есть (yest') means "to eat" in Russian. Present: я (ya) ем (yem), ты (ty) ешь (yesh'), он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) ест (yest), мы (my) едим (yedim), вы (vy) едите (yedite), они (oni) едят (yedyat). Below: all 15 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) | ем (yem) |
| ты (ty) | ешь (yesh') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | ест (yest) |
| мы (my) | едим (yedim) |
| вы (vy) | едите (yedite) |
| они (oni) | едят (yedyat) |
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) | ел / ела (yel / yela) |
| ты (ty) | ел / ела (yel / yela) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | ел / ела / ело (yel / yela / yelo) |
| мы (my) | ели (yeli) |
| вы (vy) | ели (yeli) |
| они (oni) | ели (yeli) |
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) | съел / съела (syel / syela) |
| ты (ty) | съел / съела (syel / syela) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | съел / съела / съело (syel / syela / syelo) |
| мы (my) | съели (syeli) |
| вы (vy) | съели (syeli) |
| они (oni) | съели (syeli) |
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 есть (budu yest') |
| ты (ty) | будешь есть (budesh' yest') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | будет есть (budet yest') |
| мы (my) | будем есть (budem yest') |
| вы (vy) | будете есть (budete yest') |
| они (oni) | будут есть (budut yest') |
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) | съем (syem) |
| ты (ty) | съешь (syesh') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | съест (syest) |
| мы (my) | съедим (syedim) |
| вы (vy) | съедите (syedite) |
| они (oni) | съедят (syedyat) |
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) | ел бы / ела бы (yel by / yela by) |
| ты (ty) | ел бы / ела бы (yel by / yela by) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | ел бы / ела бы / ело бы (yel by / yela by / yelo by) |
| мы (my) | ели бы (yeli by) |
| вы (vy) | ели бы (yeli by) |
| они (oni) | ели бы (yeli 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 ел / ела (chtoby ya yel / yela) |
| ты (ty) | чтобы ты ел / ела (chtoby ty yel / yela) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | чтобы он ел / она ела / оно ело (chtoby on yel / ona yela / ono yelo) |
| мы (my) | чтобы мы ели (chtoby my yeli) |
| вы (vy) | чтобы вы ели (chtoby vy yeli) |
| они (oni) | чтобы они ели (chtoby oni yeli) |
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) | ешь (yesh') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | пусть ест (pust' yest) |
| мы (my) | давайте есть (davayte yest') |
| вы (vy) | ешьте (yesh'te) |
| они (oni) | пусть едят (pust' yedyat) |
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 ешь (ne yesh') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | пусть не ест (pust' ne yest) |
| мы (my) | давайте не будем есть (davayte ne budem yest') |
| вы (vy) | не ешьте (ne yesh'te) |
| они (oni) | пусть не едят (pust' ne yedyat) |
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.
| есть (yest') |
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".
| едящий (yedyashchiy) |
Past-tense stem (either aspect) + -вший (or -ший after a consonant), declined like an adjective. Means "[who/that] verbed / has verbed".
| евший / съевший (yevshiy / syevshiy) |
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".
| съеденный, short съеден/съедена/съедено/съедены (syedennyy, syeden/syedena/syedeno/syedeny) |
Imperfective only: present stem + -я (-а after ж/ш/ч/щ). Invariable; describes an action simultaneous with the main verb's ("while verb-ing").
| едя (yedya) — rare, bookish |
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").
| съев (syev) |
| Мы едим завтрак в семь часов. My yedim zavtrak v sem' chasov. | We eat breakfast at seven o'clock. |
| Съешь это яблоко, пожалуйста. Syesh' eto yabloko, pozhaluysta. | Eat this apple, please. |
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