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  3. <title xmlns:ng="http://docbook.org/docbook-ng">Chapter&nbsp;1.&nbsp;Introduction</title><meta xmlns:ng="http://docbook.org/docbook-ng" name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.79.2"><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="Russian verbs of motion:"><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="Russian verbs of motion:"><link rel="prev" href="pr01.html" title="Conjugation patterns of the verbs of locomotion and conveyance"><link rel="next" href="ch02.html" title="Chapter&nbsp;2.&nbsp;Verbs of motion"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter&nbsp;1.&nbsp;Introduction</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="pr01.html">Prev</a>&nbsp;</td><th width="60%" align="center">&nbsp;</th><td width="20%" align="right">&nbsp;<a accesskey="n" href="ch02.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="chapter"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a name="d5e461"></a>Chapter&nbsp;1.&nbsp;Introduction</h1></div></div></div><p>As you already know, Russian verbs exist in pairs -- imperfective and perfective. In
  4. Russian it is necessary to have at your command both verbs, the imperfective and the
  5. perfective, to express all the possibilities of a <span class="bold"><strong>verbal
  6. idea</strong></span>. The imperfective and the perfective verbs are basically identical in meaning,
  7. but differ in aspect. To express the verbal idea of "writing" in English we need only one verb
  8. "to write". The Russian language has two verbs, the imperfective <span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1090;&#1100;</em></span> and the perfective <span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1085;&#1072;&#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1090;&#1100;</em></span>. Both mean "to write".</p><p>Perfective verbs generally express the notion of completion. For example, the perfective
  9. verb <span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1085;&#1072;&#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1090;&#1100;</em></span> "to write" is used in the past
  10. tense below expressing the notion of a completed action. </p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" width="100%" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1"><col class="c2"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td><span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1071; &#1085;&#1072;&#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1083; &#1101;&#1090;&#1091; &#1082;&#1085;&#1080;&#1075;&#1091;.</em></span></td><td>I wrote this book.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Imperfective verbs describe an action without reference to its completion. imperfective
  11. verbs are used when expressing a progressive action, repetition, or simply naming the action.
  12. Considering only the past tense of the imperfective verb <span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1090;&#1100;</em></span> "to write", you might find the following:</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" width="100%" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1"><col class="c2"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td><span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1071; &#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1083; &#1074;&#1077;&#1089;&#1100; &#1076;&#1077;&#1085;&#1100;.</em></span></td><td>I was writing all day. (progressive)</td></tr><tr><td valign="middle"><span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1071; &#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1083; &#1082;&#1072;&#1078;&#1076;&#1099;&#1081;
  13. &#1076;&#1077;&#1085;&#1100;.</em></span></td><td>
  14. <p>I wrote every day. (repetition) </p>
  15. <p>I would write every day. </p>
  16. <p>I used to write every day.</p>
  17. </td></tr><tr><td><span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1071; &#1093;&#1086;&#1088;&#1086;&#1096;&#1086; &#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1083; &#1087;&#1086;-&#1088;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;.</em></span></td><td>I wrote Russian well. (naming the action)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>This opposition between imperfective and perfective verbs is superficially adequate for
  18. most verbs in most contexts.</p><div class="informaltable"><table class="informaltable" width="100%" border="1"><colgroup><col class="c1"><col align="left" class="c2"><col class="c3"><col class="c4"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td valign="middle"><span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1071; &#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1083;</em></span></td><td align="left">
  19. <p>progressive</p>
  20. <p>repetition</p>
  21. <p>naming the action</p>
  22. </td><td valign="middle"><span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1103; &#1085;&#1072;&#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1083;</em></span></td><td valign="middle">completion</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>Before we start with the "verbs of motion" translate this sentence into English.</p><p>RUSSIAN: <span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1071; &#1085;&#1072;&#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1083; &#1101;&#1090;&#1086; &#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1100;&#1084;&#1086;</em></span>.</p><p>ENGLISH:</p><p><span class="bold"><strong>Answer</strong></span>:</p><p>ENGLISH: I wrote this letter. (a completed action)</p><p>That was simple. The perfective verb tells you it is a completed action. </p><p>O.K.:<span class="bold"><strong> translate this one.</strong></span></p><p>RUSSIAN: <span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1071; &#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1083; &#1084;&#1072;&#1084;&#1077;.</em></span></p><p>ENGLISH:</p><p><span class="bold"><strong>Answer</strong></span>:</p><p>ENGLISH:</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; "><li class="listitem"><p>I was writing Mother (when you called),</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>I wrote Mother (every day).</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>I would write to Mother (every morning before school).</p></li></ul></div><p>The three translations above point out the problem with imperfective verbs -- they can be
  23. interpreted in several ways. All you know when you see an imperfective verb is that the
  24. emphasis is <span class="bold"><strong>not</strong></span> on a completed action.</p><p>This is an important point to know about Russian verbs: perfective verbs carry an
  25. intrinsic meaning of completion, while imperfective verbs have no intrinsic meaning. The
  26. problem with imperfective verbs is one of interpretation.</p><p><span class="bold"><strong>Where do you suppose you would look for hints on interpreting the
  27. meaning of an imperfective verb?</strong></span></p><p><span class="bold"><strong>Answer</strong></span>: Look at the rest of the sentence or
  28. paragraph.</p><p>Looking at the rest of the sentence for clues is the normal approach. Since imperfective
  29. verbs may have several meanings (interpretations), it is necessary to know the sentence
  30. context as well as the possible meanings of the imperfective verb. From now on we shall deal
  31. with imperfective verbs only.</p><p><span class="bold"><strong>What are the three basic meanings of the imperfective
  32. verbs?</strong></span></p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>_______________________________</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>_______________________________</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>_______________________________</p></li></ol></div><p><span class="bold"><strong>Answer</strong></span>:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>progressive action</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>repeated action</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>naming the action</p></li></ol></div><p>Now, in the sentences below <span class="bold"><strong>choose the best meaning for the
  33. imperfective verbs</strong></span> according to the context of the sentences; progressive,
  34. repeated, or naming.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p><span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1071; &#1087;&#1080;&#1089;&#1072;&#1083; &#1086;&#1090;&#1094;&#1091; &#1090;&#1088;&#1080; &#1088;&#1072;&#1079;&#1072;.</em></span> I wrote to father
  35. three times.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p><span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1071; &#1095;&#1080;&#1090;&#1072;&#1083; &#1074;&#1089;&#1105; &#1091;&#1090;&#1088;&#1086;.</em></span> I read (was reading)
  36. all morning.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p><span lang="ru" class="foreignphrase"><em lang="ru" class="foreignphrase">&#1071; &#1075;&#1086;&#1074;&#1086;&#1088;&#1080;&#1083; &#1087;&#1086;-&#1088;&#1091;&#1089;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;.</em></span> I spoke (used to
  37. speak) Russian.</p></li></ol></div><p><span class="bold"><strong>Answer</strong></span>:</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>repeated action</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>progressive action</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>naming the action</p></li></ol></div><p>The last answer, "naming the action" occasionally gives the student some trouble. This
  38. meaning, of imperfective verbs is used to simply state the verb without reference to any
  39. quality of action or time.</p><p>Below are listed some English sentences that name the verb.</p><div class="orderedlist"><ol class="orderedlist" type="1"><li class="listitem"><p>I like to play.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>My dog limps.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Most people sneeze.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>He reads Russian.</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>We eat to live.</p></li></ol></div><p>None of these verbs truly tie themselves to the notions of progression or
  40. repetition.</p></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="pr01.html">Prev</a>&nbsp;</td><td width="20%" align="center">&nbsp;</td><td width="40%" align="right">&nbsp;<a accesskey="n" href="ch02.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Conjugation patterns of the verbs of locomotion and conveyance&nbsp;</td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top">&nbsp;Chapter&nbsp;2.&nbsp;Verbs of motion</td></tr></table></div></body></html>