---

Some common difficulties for the anglophone learner

Tense and Aspect

The Russian verbal system differs from that of other European languages in one important way: it is built primarily on the distinction of aspect rather than tense.
Russian verbs have only three tenses: past, present and future. In addition, Russian verbs have two aspects: Imperfective aspect and Perfective aspect. Aspect is the verbal category which refers to the view of the speaker toward the action he/she is describing. In most instances, a Russian speaker has a choice of two verbs to describe the same action but from a different view, or focus. Verbs that are Imperfective focus on the process of an action, while Perfective verbs focus on the result of the action.

Using an Imperfective aspect verb you can form the present tense, the past tense and the future tense. Using a Perfective aspect verb you can only form the past tense and the future tense. The following chart summarises the characteristics and uses of the Perfective and the Imperfective aspect:

Imperfective Aspect	Perfective Aspect
Action as process	Action as completion
Repeated or habitual actions	Single or momentary actions
Simultaneous actions	Consecutive actions
Actions which do not terminate in a result	Actions which emphasise completion

Perfective or Imperfective

English verbs may be translated into Russian with either aspects, if there are no key words which show an attitude towards time. However, the meanings of the sentences will be different, as the Imperfective and Perfective aspects are not interchangeable, for example:

Our partners held talks.
Наши партнеры проводили переговоры. – The Imperfective verb проводили states the fact of the action, but there is no indication of the result.

Наши партнеры провели переговоры. – The Perfective verb провели focuses on the completion of the action.

Present Tense or Past Tense

Most present tenses of English verbs may be translated into Russian with the present tense with the exception of the present perfect tense. The present perfect tense translates into Russian with the present tense only if the context implies that the action is continuing at the present time, for example:

Boris has already worked for this firm for three years.
Борис работает на этой фирме уже три года.

When the action of a present perfect verb does not continue in the present, it is translated with the past tense, for example:

Boris has worked for this firm.
Борис работал на этой фирме.

Present Tense or Future Tense

In English, the expressions which introduce an action which will take place in the future such as if, when, as soon as, by the time are followed by the verbs in present tense. In Russian, the future tense must be used, for example:

If Ivan sends a fax, they will deliver goods on time.
Если Иван пришлет факс, они доставят товары вовремя.

The Past Tense Verbs Used to Refer to the Future

A small number of Perfective verbs, most notably, пойти ‘to walk, go on foot’ and поехать ‘to drive, ride, go by vehicle’ can be used in the past tense to refer to an action that will take place in the future, for example:

Ну, мы пошли на совещание. ‘Well, we are going to go to the meeting’

The Imperative

The type of command you are giving will determine the tense and aspect of the verb you choose. The following chart summarises the various forms of the imperative and their Russian equivalents:

	Imperfective Aspect	Perfective Aspect
	General Advice, Invitations	Specific commands
2nd person	-ай (те) -и(те) -ь(те)	-ай (те) -и(те) -ь(те)
1st person	давай(те) + infinitive	давай(те) + 1st person pl. future tense
3rd person	пусть + 3rd person, singular or plural, present tense	пусть + 3rd person, singular or plural, future tense

Conditional Mood

The Conditional Mood is formed with the particle бы and the verb in the past tense. Note that verbs are not past tense in meaning; they acquire tense only from context, for example:

Если бы Саша принимал партнеров вчера, я бы помогла ему.
If Sasha had received his partners yesterday, I would have helped him.

Если бы Саша принимал партнеров завтра, я бы помогла ему.
If Sasha would receive his partners tomorrow, I would help him.

Subjunctive Mood

Not all grammars agree that there is the subjunctive mood in Russian. Some of them suggest that Russian uses two constructions to express many functions of the English subjunctive:

1) either the conditional mood, for example:

Я хотел бы решить срочный вопрос.
I would like to settle an urgent matter.

2) or the conjunction чтобы and a clause with the verb in the past tense expressing an indirect command, for example:

Она просит, чтобы мы немедленно связались с поставщиком.
She asks us to contact the supplier immediately.

Infinitive

You will have to memorise two Russian infinitives for each English infinitive: one for the Imperfective aspect and one for the Perfective aspect.

Participles

Unlike English participles, Russian participles, also known as the verbal adjectives, do not combine with auxiliary verbs to form tenses. The verbal adjective has four forms: present active, present passive, past active and past passive. All four forms can function as attribute adjectives and they agree with the noun they modify in gender, number and case, for example:

Борис знает стоимость купленных вами товаров.
Boris knows the cost of the goods bought by you.

Only short-form past passive participles can be used as predicate adjectives. They agree with the noun they modify in gender and number, for example:

Этот запрос был написан вчера.
This request was written yesterday.

Gerund

There is no gerund or verbal noun in Russian. It is usually translated with an infinitive, for example:

Signing the contract is important for us.
Для нас важно подписать контракт.

Verbal Adverb

If the main and the embedded clauses each contain verbs, it is possible for two clauses to have two different subjects, for example:

Когда партнеры подписывали контракт, приехало такси.
As the partners were signing the contract, the taxi arrived.

However, the phrase in which the verbal adverb appears does not have a subject of its own; it modifies the subject in the main clause. The verbal adverb CANNOT BE USED if the subjects in the main and embedded clauses are different; this renders the sentence ungrammatical, for example:

Подписывая контракт, приехало такси.
While signing the contract, the taxi arrived.

Dr Natalia Tronenko