← Back

Verbal Aspect: Imperfective & Perfective

Aspectual pairs
читать (impf.) / прочитать (pf.)
to read (process) / to finish reading
chitat' / prochitat'
Basic aspectual pair: impf vs perfective
писать (impf.) / написать (pf.)
to write (process) / to write (completed)
pisat' / napisat'
Aspectual pair: писать / написать
Я читал книгу. (impf. past)
I was reading a book.
Ya chital knigu.
Imperfective past: ongoing/repeated action
Я прочитал книгу. (pf. past)
I read/finished the book.
Ya prochital knigu.
Perfective past: completed result
Я буду читать. (impf. future)
I will be reading / I will read (generally).
Ya budu chitat'.
Imperfective future: буду + infinitive
Я прочитаю. (pf. future)
I will read (and finish) it.
Ya prochitayu.
Perfective future: conjugated perfective verb
Читай каждый день! (impf. imp.)
Read every day! (habitual)
Chitay kazhdyy den'!
Imperfective imperative for habitual commands
Прочитай эту книгу! (pf. imp.)
Read this book (completely)!
Prochitay etu knigu!
Perfective imperative for one-time completion
Не читай это! (impf. neg. imp.)
Don't read this!
Ne chitay eto!
Negative imperative always imperfective
Он уже поел. / Он ещё ест.
He has already eaten. / He is still eating.
On uzhe poyel. / On yeshcho yest.
Уже + perf. = already done; ещё + impf. = still doing