Настоящее время (Present Simple)
The Настоящее время (Present Simple) tene in Russian is used to describe actions that are happening right now or habitual actions. Unlike other tenses, the present tense only exists in the imperfective aspect because the perfective aspect is used for completed actions, which do not happen in the present.
Aspect:
- Imperfective Aspect: Used to describe actions that are ongoing, habitual, or repeated.
- Example: Я читаю книгу. (I am reading a book / I read books.)
- Perfective Aspect: The perfective aspect is not used in the present tense in Russian. Perfective verbs only have past and future forms because they describe completed actions.
Active Voice Conjugation (Imperfective Aspect):
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | я читаю (I am reading) | мы читаем (We are reading) |
| 2nd Person | ты читаешь (You are reading) | вы читаете (You are reading) |
| 3rd Person | он/она читает (He/She is reading) | они читают (They are reading) |
Examples of Imperfective Verbs:
- делать (to do) → Я делаю уроки. (I am doing my homework.)
- писать (to write) → Она пишет письмо. (She is writing a letter.)
Common Time Expressions:
- Сейчас (Now)
- Каждый день (Every day)
- Обычно (Usually)
Examples:
- Imperfective Positive: Он работает. (He is working.)
- Imperfective Negative: Она не говорит. (She is not speaking.)
