Lesson 13 of 24

Aspect I: Every Verb Has Two Faces

Every Russian verb comes in two halves, and this lesson installs both. Seventeen high-frequency aspect pairs, the ten prefixes that build the perfective, the rule that the present tense belongs to the imperfective alone, and the four meanings a past tense can carry.

⏱ About 60 minutes 24 phrases 34 exercises

Two theatre masks joined into one face — the left half a green mask trailing film stock labelled «НСВ — процесс», the right half a golden mask with a closed eye labelled «СВ — результат» — under «У каждого глагола два лица», «Every verb has two faces».

What you will learn

Recognise that almost every Russian verb is half of a pair, and store the two halves as one vocabulary entry with two columns rather than as two words
Name the four labels the past tense carries — факт, процесс, повторение and результат — and say which aspect each one belongs to
Use the imperfective for the present tense and explain why a perfective verb has no present tense at all
Identify the ten perfective prefixes — по-, на-, с-, про-, пере-, до-, за-, вы-, у-, при- — and the core idea each one adds
Choose between «я писал» and «я написал» in ordinary sentences about yesterday, and say what the choice changes
Conjugate the seventeen pairs of this lesson, including the mobile-stress verbs and the four irregulars дать, взять, начать and понять

Quick review

Say these aloud before you start. They come from earlier lessons.

Я чита́ю кни́гу. I am reading a book. (Lesson 2 — the present tense of a conjugation I verb) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я чита́ю кни́гу.
Вчера́ она́ рабо́тала. Yesterday she worked. (Lesson 2 — the past agrees in gender, not in person) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Вчера́ она́ рабо́тала.
За́втра мы бу́дем гуля́ть. Tomorrow we shall go for a walk. (Lesson 2 — the compound future with быть) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: За́втра мы бу́дем гуля́ть.
У меня́ есть брат. I have a brother. (Lesson 4 — у + the genitive, with есть) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: У меня́ есть брат.
Я живу́ в Москве́. I live in Moscow. (Lesson 5 — в + the Prepositional for where something is) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я живу́ в Москве́.
У меня́ нет вре́мени. I have no time. (Lesson 8 — нет + the genitive) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: У меня́ нет вре́мени.

Theory

Every verb has two faces

Russian has no progressive tense, no perfect tense and no way of saying "have done". It has something smaller and far more useful instead: almost every verb exists twice. делать and сделать, писать and написать, читать and прочитать. The two halves are not two forms of one word — they are two vocabulary items that happen to share a meaning, and you learn them the way you learn the gender of a noun, as part of the word itself.

The first half is the imperfective, НСВ, несовершенный вид. It describes the action itself: the process, the bare fact that it happened, the habit. The second half is the perfective, СВ, совершенный вид. It describes the action as one completed whole with a result you can point at. English hides most of this inside its tenses; Russian puts it in the verb and leaves the tenses almost empty.

There is no ending that turns one into the other and no rule that reliably predicts a partner, so a pair is stored as one entry with two columns, never as two separate entries. The seventeen pairs in this lesson are the ones the rest of the course is built on. Learn them as pairs from day one and you will never again have to translate "have you ever…" word by word.

Я чита́ю кни́гу. I am reading a book. (imperfective present — the process) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я чита́ю кни́гу.
Я прочита́л кни́гу. I have read the book. (perfective past — the result: it is finished) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я прочита́л кни́гу.
Я писа́л письмо́. I was writing the letter. (imperfective past — the action under way) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я писа́л письмо́.
Я написа́л письмо́. I wrote the letter. (perfective past — the letter now exists) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я написа́л письмо́.

How a pair is made: a prefix, a suffix, or nothing at all

Three machines build the pairs. The commonest is a prefix, and it always produces the perfective half: писать → написать, делать → сделать, читать → прочитать. Ten prefixes do most of the work — по-, на-, с-, про-, пере-, до-, за-, вы-, у- and при- — and each one carries a core idea that recurs across dozens of verbs, so learning the ten pays for itself many times over.

The second machine is a suffix, and it produces the imperfective half. Sometimes it works on an already prefixed perfective — закончить → заканчивать, спросить → спрашивать — and sometimes on a plain one: купить → покупать, дать → давать, начать → начинать. The third machine is suppletion, where the two halves share no letters at all: говорить — сказать, брать — взять. Those simply have to be memorised, and there are only a handful of them.

One warning, and it is the mistake that costs beginners most. A prefix very often changes the meaning as well as the aspect. писать is "to write"; подписать is "to sign"; списать is "to copy out". Those are three different verbs that happen to share a root, not three aspects of one verb — and each one then acquires an imperfective of its own. Treat every prefixed verb as new vocabulary and learn its partner along with it.

писа́ть → написа́ть to write → to write and finish. The prefix на- makes the perfective. Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: писа́ть → написа́ть
купи́ть → покупа́ть to buy → to be buying. Here the suffix -а- makes the imperfective instead. Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: купи́ть → покупа́ть
говори́ть → сказа́ть to speak → to say. Suppletion: the two halves share not one letter. Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: говори́ть → сказа́ть
писа́ть → подписа́ть to write → to sign. The prefix has changed the meaning, not only the aspect. Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: писа́ть → подписа́ть

The present tense belongs to the imperfective alone

This is the rule that unlocks the whole system, and it admits no exceptions. A perfective verb has no present tense. Not a rare one, not an awkward one — none at all. The six forms that look exactly like a present, я прочитаю and ты прочитаешь, are future forms, and Russian has no other way of saying "I shall read it and finish it".

So the two halves divide the tense system between them. The imperfective has a present, a past and a compound future built from быть: читаю, читал, буду читать. The perfective has a past and a simple future of six forms: прочитал, прочитаю. Both aspects have exactly the same four past forms — читал, читала, читало, читали — and the difference between them is entirely one of meaning.

The practical consequence is the one that catches English speakers out. "What are you doing?" can only ever be «Что ты делаешь?». You cannot ask it with a perfective verb, because a perfective has no present to ask it in. Lesson 14 takes the two futures apart and shows you when to choose which; today the point is simply that the present-tense column has one occupant, and that this is a fact about the verb, not about the sentence.

Что ты де́лаешь? What are you doing? (imperfective — the only possible choice in the present) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Что ты де́лаешь?
Сейча́с я чита́ю кни́гу. Right now I am reading a book. Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Сейча́с я чита́ю кни́гу.
Я прочита́ю кни́гу за́втра. I shall finish the book tomorrow. (a perfective’s "present" forms are future) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я прочита́ю кни́гу за́втра.
Он не понима́ет вопро́с. He does not understand the question. (понять, its partner, cannot say this) Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Он не понима́ет вопро́с.

The past: one set of endings, four meanings

In the past tense both halves exist, both are trivial to form, and the whole difficulty is choosing. The imperfective past carries three meanings. Факт, the bare fact that something happened: «Ты читал мою книгу?» — did you ever read it, yes or no. Процесс, the action under way at a particular moment: «Когда ты пришёл, я читал». And повторение, the same thing again and again: «Она писала письма» — she used to write letters.

The perfective past carries one, and it is the one English spends two tenses on. Результат: «Я прочитал книгу» — I have read it, I know what is in it, the job is done. Завершённость is the same idea seen from the other end: «Я написал письмо» — the letter is written and now exists. Neither meaning says anything about when.

Two habits are worth acquiring straight away. Negation normally takes the imperfective, because you are describing a state of affairs rather than a failure to complete — «Я не читал твою книгу» — but the perfective negative means precisely that the result was not reached, and «Я не понял» is the everyday way to say "I did not catch that". And a chain of completed steps, the way a story is told, is perfective all the way through: «Я написал письмо и получил ответ».

Ты чита́л мою́ кни́гу? Have you read my book (at all)? — факт, the bare fact Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Ты чита́л мою́ кни́гу?
Когда́ ты пришёл, я чита́л. When you came in I was reading. — процесс Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Когда́ ты пришёл, я чита́л.
Она́ писа́ла пи́сьма. She used to write letters. — повторение, the plural object does the work Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Она́ писа́ла пи́сьма.
Я написа́л письмо́ и получи́л отве́т. I wrote the letter and got an answer. — two completed acts in a chain Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я написа́л письмо́ и получи́л отве́т.

Sound focus

The traps inside these seventeen pairs: stress and spelling

Several of the pairs move their stress, and if you learn them without the mark you will learn them wrong. писать gives я пишу́ against ты пи́шешь; сказать gives я скажу́ against ты ска́жешь; купить gives я куплю́ against ты ку́пишь. In each case the first person singular throws its stress onto the ending and every other form pulls it back onto the stem. написать, спросить and посмотреть behave exactly the same way.

Four past tenses move too, and they all move in the feminine only: дал — дала́ — да́ло — да́ли, and the same shape for взял, понял and начал. The masculine, neuter and plural keep the stress on the root; only the feminine jumps to the ending. Notice that these are also the four verbs whose future is built on a different stem — дам, возьму, пойму, начну — so they are worth learning as one small irregular group rather than four surprises.

Two spelling traps finish the list. After ж, ш, щ and ч the third person plural of a second-conjugation verb is written -ат and never -ят: они получат, они закончат, они продолжат. And the imperfective узнавать is stressed on the ending — узнаю́, узнаёшь, узнаём — while its perfective partner узнать is stressed on the root: узна́ю, узна́ешь, узна́ем. узна́ем means "we shall find out"; узнаём means "we are finding out" or "we recognise". One letter apart, and the ё is never optional.

я пишу́ — ты пи́шешь mobile stress in the present of писать Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: я пишу́ — ты пи́шешь
он дал — она́ дала́ — они́ да́ли only the feminine past moves its stress, and only in these four of our pairs Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: он дал — она́ дала́ — они́ да́ли
они́ получа́т, они́ зако́нчат after ж ш щ ч the ending is -ат, never -ят Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: они́ получа́т, они́ зако́нчат
узна́ем — узнаём we shall find out — we are finding out. The ё is the only difference Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: узна́ем — узнаём

One pair, four slots: читать against прочитать

Form	НСВ imperfective: чита́ть	СВ perfective: прочита́ть
Present — what is happening now	Я чита́ю кни́гу.	— none. A perfective verb has no present tense at all.
Past — the same four endings, different meanings	Я чита́л кни́гу.	Я прочита́л кни́гу.
Future	Я бу́ду чита́ть кни́гу.	Я прочита́ю кни́гу.
Imperative	Чита́й!	Прочита́й!

The perfective column has one row fewer, and that missing row is the whole lesson. A perfective verb cannot describe what is happening now, because it has no present tense: its six present-shaped forms — прочита́ю, прочита́ешь — are future forms. Lesson 14 shows when to choose between the two futures; today the point is only that the present belongs to the imperfective.

The ten perfective prefixes and what each one adds

Form	what the prefix adds	in this lesson	elsewhere in the course
по-	a short bounded spell, or setting off	посмотре́ть	пойти́ (Lesson 7); поговори́ть
на-	completion by accumulation	написа́ть	накопи́ть — to save up
с-	completion; downwards in motion verbs	сде́лать, сказа́ть	съесть — to eat up
про-	through, to the end; time spent	прочита́ть	прожи́ть — to live through; пройти́ (Lesson 15)
пере-	again; across	—	переписа́ть — to rewrite; перее́хать (Lesson 15)
до-	up to a limit	—	дочита́ть — to read to the end; дойти́ (Lesson 15)
за-	a beginning; fetching; bringing to an end	зако́нчить	записа́ть — to write down; зайти́ (Lesson 15)
вы-	out; thoroughly, to completion	—	вы́учить — to learn by heart; вы́йти
у-	away, off	—	уйти́, уе́хать (Lesson 15)
при-	arrival	пригото́вить (the meaning has drifted)	прийти́ (Lesson 7); прие́хать

Six of the ten appear in this lesson’s own pairs. Read the middle column as a sample, not as a rule: the prefix tells you what kind of completion is meant, but it never tells you the meaning of the whole verb, and it very often changes that meaning outright. Every prefixed verb is new vocabulary with its own partner.

The past tense: three labels on the imperfective, one on the perfective

Form	what it says	example
Факт — the bare fact (imperfective)	Did it happen at all? The result is not the point.	Ты чита́л мою́ кни́гу?
Процесс — the process (imperfective)	It was under way at that moment.	Когда́ ты пришёл, я чита́л.
Повторение — repetition (imperfective)	Again and again; a habit. The plural object does much of the work.	Она́ писа́ла пи́сьма.
Результат — the result (perfective)	It is finished, and there is something to show for it.	Я прочита́л кни́гу.

The tense forms themselves are identical — читал and прочитал differ only in the prefix — so the choice is made before you open your mouth, by deciding which question you are answering. Ask "did it happen?", "was it going on?", "did it keep happening?" and you get the imperfective; ask "is it done?" and you get the perfective.

The seventeen pairs of this lesson

Form	НСВ imperfective	СВ perfective	how the pair is built
to do, to make	де́лать	сде́лать	the prefix с- makes the perfective
to write	писа́ть	написа́ть	the prefix на- makes the perfective; с → ш
to read	чита́ть (Lesson 2)	прочита́ть	the prefix про- makes the perfective
to say	говори́ть (Lesson 3)	сказа́ть	suppletion — the halves share no letters
to buy	покупа́ть (Lesson 6)	купи́ть	the suffix -а- makes the imperfective
to cook, to prepare	гото́вить (Lesson 6)	пригото́вить	the prefix при- makes the perfective
to watch, to look at	смотре́ть (Lesson 3)	посмотре́ть	the prefix по- makes the perfective
to ask	спра́шивать	спроси́ть	the suffix -ива- makes the imperfective; с → ш
to answer	отвеча́ть	отве́тить	the suffix -а- makes the imperfective; т → ч
to receive, to get	получа́ть	получи́ть	the suffix -а- makes the imperfective
to give	дава́ть (Lesson 6)	дать	the suffix -ва- makes the imperfective
to take	брать (Lesson 6)	взять	suppletion
to begin	начина́ть	нача́ть	the suffix -а- makes the imperfective
to continue	продолжа́ть	про́должить	-а- against -и-; neither half comes from the other
to finish	зака́нчивать	зако́нчить	the suffix -ива- makes the imperfective
to understand	понима́ть (Lesson 2)	поня́ть	the suffix -а- makes the imperfective
to find out, to recognise	узнава́ть	узна́ть	the suffix -ва- makes the imperfective

Store each row as one vocabulary entry with two columns, never as two separate entries — that is how the pair stays together in your head. Eleven of these are among the twenty pairs the grammar reference recommends learning first; the other nine arrive with the vocabulary they belong to. Eight of the seventeen have an imperfective half you already know from Lessons 2, 3 and 6 — you have been using читать, говорить, смотреть, покупать, готовить, давать, брать and понимать for eleven lessons without knowing that a partner existed.

Vocabulary

Learn each word with its stress mark and its pronunciation. Nouns are given with their gender, animacy and their full six-case declension; verbs are given with their aspect and, where one exists, their partner verb.

Russian	English	Gender / aspect	Pronunciation	Audio
де́лать imperfective	to do, to make	imperfective Aspect partner: сде́лать	/ˈdʲelətʲ/ DYEH-lyut	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: делать
сде́лать perfective	to do, to get done	perfective Aspect partner: де́лать	/ˈzʲdʲelətʲ/ ZDYEH-lyut	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: сделать
писа́ть imperfective	to write	imperfective Aspect partner: написа́ть	/pʲɪˈsatʲ/ pih-SYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: писать
написа́ть perfective	to write, to have written	perfective Aspect partner: писа́ть	/nəpʲɪˈsatʲ/ nuh-pih-SYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: написать
прочита́ть perfective	to read through, to finish reading	perfective Aspect partner: чита́ть	/prətɕɪˈtatʲ/ pruh-chih-TYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: прочитать
сказа́ть perfective	to say, to tell	perfective Aspect partner: говори́ть	/skɐˈzatʲ/ skuh-ZYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: сказать
купи́ть perfective	to buy	perfective Aspect partner: покупа́ть	/kʊˈpʲitʲ/ koo-PEET	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: купить
пригото́вить perfective	to prepare, to cook	perfective Aspect partner: гото́вить	/prʲɪɡɐˈtovʲɪtʲ/ prih-guh-TOH-vit	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: приготовить
посмотре́ть perfective	to watch, to have a look at	perfective Aspect partner: смотре́ть	/pəsmɐˈtrʲetʲ/ puh-smuh-TRYET	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: посмотреть
спра́шивать imperfective	to ask, to keep asking	imperfective Aspect partner: спроси́ть	/ˈspraʂɨvətʲ/ SPRAH-shih-vyut	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: спрашивать
спроси́ть perfective	to ask a question	perfective Aspect partner: спра́шивать	/sprɐˈsʲitʲ/ spruh-SEET	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: спросить
отвеча́ть imperfective	to answer, to reply	imperfective Aspect partner: отве́тить	/ɐtvʲɪˈtɕatʲ/ uh-tvih-CHAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: отвечать
отве́тить perfective	to answer, to give an answer	perfective Aspect partner: отвеча́ть	/ɐˈtvʲetʲɪtʲ/ uh-TVYEH-tit	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: ответить
получа́ть imperfective	to receive, to get	imperfective Aspect partner: получи́ть	/pəlʊˈtɕatʲ/ puh-loo-CHAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: получать
получи́ть perfective	to receive, to get	perfective Aspect partner: получа́ть	/pəlʊˈtɕitʲ/ puh-loo-CHIHT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: получить
дать perfective	to give	perfective Aspect partner: дава́ть	/datʲ/ DYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: дать
взять perfective	to take	perfective Aspect partner: брать	/vzʲatʲ/ VZYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: взять
начина́ть imperfective	to begin, to start	imperfective Aspect partner: нача́ть	/nətɕɪˈnatʲ/ nuh-chih-NYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: начинать
нача́ть perfective	to begin, to start	perfective Aspect partner: начина́ть	/nɐˈtɕatʲ/ nuh-CHAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: начать
продолжа́ть imperfective	to continue, to carry on	imperfective Aspect partner: про́должить	/prədɐlˈʐatʲ/ pruh-dul-ZHAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: продолжать
про́должить perfective	to continue, to carry on	perfective Aspect partner: продолжа́ть	/ˈprodəlʐɨtʲ/ PROH-dul-zhit	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: продолжить
зака́нчивать imperfective	to finish, to wind up	imperfective Aspect partner: зако́нчить	/zəˈkantɕɨvətʲ/ zuh-KAHN-chih-vyut	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: заканчивать
зако́нчить perfective	to finish, to bring to an end	perfective Aspect partner: зака́нчивать	/zɐˈkontɕɨtʲ/ zuh-KOHN-chit	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: закончить
поня́ть perfective	to understand, to grasp	perfective Aspect partner: понима́ть	/pɐˈnʲatʲ/ puh-NYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: понять
узнава́ть imperfective	to find out; to recognise	imperfective Aspect partner: узна́ть	/ʊznəˈvatʲ/ oo-znuh-VYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: узнавать
узна́ть perfective	to find out; to recognise	perfective Aspect partner: узнава́ть	/ʊˈznatʲ/ oo-ZNYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: узнать
чита́ть imperfective	to read	imperfective	/tɕɪˈtatʲ/ chih-TYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: читать
говори́ть imperfective	to speak, to talk, to say	imperfective	/ɡəvɐˈrʲitʲ/ guh-vuh-REET	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: говорить
смотре́ть imperfective	to look at, to watch	imperfective	/smɐˈtrʲetʲ/ smuh-TRYET	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: смотреть
покупа́ть imperfective	to buy	imperfective	/pəkʊˈpatʲ/ puh-koo-PYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: покупать
гото́вить imperfective	to cook; to prepare	imperfective	/ɡɐˈtovʲɪtʲ/ guh-TOH-vit	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: готовить
дава́ть imperfective	to give	imperfective	/dɐˈvatʲ/ duh-VYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: давать
брать imperfective	to take	imperfective	/bratʲ/ BRYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: брать
понима́ть imperfective	to understand	imperfective	/pənʲɪˈmatʲ/ puh-nih-MYAT	Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: понимать

Ready-to-use phrases

Я чита́ю кни́гу.

I am reading a book.

IPA /ja tɕɪˈtaju ˈknʲiɡʊ/

Say it YAH chih-TAH-yoo kuh-NEE-goo.

The imperfective present is the only way to say what is happening right now. A perfective verb has no present tense at all, so «Сейчас я прочитаю книгу» is a promise about the future, not a description of this minute.

neutral present aspect reading

Я прочита́л кни́гу.

I have read the book — I finished it.

IPA /ja prətɕɪˈtal ˈknʲiɡʊ/

Say it YAH pruh-chih-TAHL kuh-NEE-goo.

The perfective past and its result: the book is finished and you know what is in it. English needs a whole auxiliary tense for this; Russian needs one word.

neutral past aspect reading

Ты чита́л мою́ кни́гу?

Have you read my book (at any point)?

IPA /tɨ tɕɪˈtal mɐˈju ˈknʲiɡʊ/

Say it TIH chih-TAHL muh-YOO kuh-NEE-goo?

Asking whether something ever happened at all is the imperfective’s факт. «Ты прочитал мою книгу?» is a narrower question: did you get to the end of it?

informal questions past aspect reading

Что ты де́лал вчера́?

What were you doing yesterday?

IPA /ʂto tɨ ˈdʲeləl fˈtɕorə/

Say it SHTOH TIH DYEH-lul fuh-chih-RAH?

The imperfective past asks about the activity itself, however it turned out. «Что ты сделал вчера?» asks instead for the list of things you got done.

informal questions past aspect

Что ты сде́лал вчера́?

What did you get done yesterday?

IPA /ʂto tɨ ˈzʲdʲeləl fˈtɕorə/

Say it SHTOH TIH ZDYEH-lul fuh-chih-RAH?

One prefix, and the question changes from «how did you spend the day» to «what is now finished». In speech the с voices to [з] before the д.

informal questions past aspect

Я писа́л письмо́.

I was writing the letter.

IPA /ja pʲɪˈsal pʲɪsʲˈmo/

Say it YAH pih-SAHL pih-SMOH.

The процесс label: the writing was under way, and the sentence says nothing at all about whether it was ever finished.

neutral past aspect writing

Я написа́л письмо́.

I have written the letter.

IPA /ja nəpʲɪˈsal pʲɪsʲˈmo/

Say it YAH nuh-pih-SAHL pih-SMOH.

The результат label: the letter exists. на- carries its core idea of completion by accumulation — the same prefix gives накопи́ть «to save up».

neutral past aspect writing

Он не отве́тил на мой вопро́с.

He did not answer my question.

IPA /on nʲe ɐˈtvʲetʲɪl nɐ moj vɐˈpros/

Say it OHN NYEH uh-TVYEH-til nuh MOY vuh-PROHS.

отвечать and ответить govern на + the accusative for the thing answered — на вопрос, на письмо — and the dative for the person: ответить мне. Never «отвечать вопрос».

neutral past aspect negation government

Я не по́нял вопро́с.

I did not catch the question.

IPA /ja nʲe ˈponʲɪl vɐˈpros/

Say it YAH NYEH POH-nyul vuh-PROHS.

A negated perfective says the result was never reached. «Я не понял» on its own is the everyday «I did not catch that»; «я не понимал» describes a state that went on for a while.

neutral past aspect negation study

Я не понима́л вопро́с.

I did not understand the question (at the time).

IPA /ja nʲe pənʲɪˈmal vɐˈpros/

Say it YAH NYEH puh-nih-MAHL vuh-PROHS.

Read this straight after the previous sentence and the whole lesson is in eight words: one form reports a failure, the other reports a state that lasted. Negation with no result in mind normally takes the imperfective.

neutral past aspect negation study

Купи́ хлеб, пожа́луйста.

Buy some bread, please.

IPA /kʊˈpʲi xlʲep pɐˈʐalujstə/

Say it koo-PEE KHLYEP, puh-ZHAH-luy-stuh.

The imperative of a request is normally perfective, because you are asking for one completed act. The imperfective «Покупай хлеб» is a different speech act — a standing instruction to buy bread habitually, or a brusque «go on, buy it» — not this request.

polite imperative aspect food shopping

Я купи́л хлеб и сыр.

I bought the bread and the cheese.

IPA /ja kʊˈpʲil xlʲep i sɨr/

Say it YAH koo-PEEL KHLYEP EE SIHR.

купить is the perfective of покупать, and the pair is built by a suffix rather than a prefix — which is why the two halves look so unlike each other.

neutral past aspect food shopping

Она́ пригото́вила ры́бу.

She has cooked the fish.

IPA /ɐˈna prʲɪɡɐˈtovʲɪlə ˈrɨbə/

Say it uh-NAH prih-guh-TOH-vih-luh RIH-boo.

при- normally means arrival — прийти, приехать — but in приготовить it has drifted to «prepare, cook». That drift is exactly why every prefixed verb is new vocabulary.

neutral past aspect food

Мы начина́ем рабо́ту.

We are starting work.

IPA /mɨ nətɕɪˈnajɪm rɐˈbotʊ/

Say it MIH nuh-chih-NAH-yim ruh-BOH-too.

начинать takes the accusative for the thing begun, or an infinitive: «Мы начинаем работать». The present tense is available here precisely because начинать is imperfective.

neutral present aspect work

Я зако́нчил рабо́ту.

I have finished work.

IPA /ja zɐˈkontɕɨl rɐˈbotʊ/

Say it YAH zuh-KOHN-chil ruh-BOH-too.

закончить is perfective; its imperfective partner заканчивать is built with the -ива- suffix, which adds a syllable but leaves the stress where it was, on the root: зако́нчу — зака́нчиваю.

neutral past aspect work

Продолжа́йте, пожа́луйста.

Please carry on.

IPA /prədəlˈʐajtʲə pɐˈʐalujstə/

Say it pruh-dul-ZHAY-tyuh, puh-ZHAH-luy-stuh.

The imperfective imperative asks somebody to keep doing what they were doing, and that is almost always what you want here. The perfective «Продолжите» is grammatical but rare in this sense: Russian reaches for the imperfective whenever the point is to carry an activity on rather than to bring it to an end.

polite imperative aspect register work

Ты получи́л де́ньги?

Did you get the money?

IPA /tɨ pəlʊˈtɕil ˈdʲenʲɡʲɪ/

Say it TIH puh-loo-CHIHL DYEN-gih?

получить is end-stressed in every form — получу́, получи́шь, получи́т — and after ч the third person plural is они́ получа́т, never *получя́т.

informal questions past aspect money

Я получи́л письмо́ от ма́мы.

I got a letter from Mum.

IPA /ja pəlʊˈtɕil pʲɪsʲˈmo ot ˈmamɨ/

Say it YAH puh-loo-CHIHL pih-SMOH ut MAH-mih.

от + the genitive is «from» a person (Lesson 8). ма́ма keeps its stress on the first syllable in every case form, so the genitive is ма́мы. The imperfective would describe the habit: «Я получал письма от мамы».

neutral past aspect family

Он взял мою́ су́мку.

He took my bag.

IPA /on vzʲal mɐˈju ˈsumkʊ/

Say it OHN VZYAHL muh-YOO SOOM-koo.

взять and брать share not one letter — a suppletive pair, like говорить and сказать. The future of взять is built on a third stem again: возьму́, возьмёшь, возьму́т.

neutral past aspect objects

Дай мне во́ду, пожа́луйста.

Give me the water, please.

IPA /daj mnʲe ˈvodʊ pɐˈʐalujstə/

Say it DAY muh-NYEH VOH-doo, puh-ZHAH-luy-stuh.

дать is one of the small irregular group: дам, дашь, даст, дади́м, дади́те, даду́т. Its government is дать кому что — dative for the person, accusative for the thing.

polite imperative aspect government

Я узна́л твою́ сестру́.

I recognised your sister.

IPA /ja ʊˈznal tvɐˈju sʲɪˈstru/

Say it YAH oo-ZNAHL tvuh-YOO sih-STROO.

узнать means both «to find out» and «to recognise», and the context decides which. Its imperfective узнавать is stressed on the ending — узнаю́, узнаёшь — while узнать is stressed on the root: узна́ю, узна́ешь.

neutral past aspect family

Я спра́шивал, а он не отвеча́л.

I kept asking, and he did not answer.

IPA /ja ˈspraʂɨvəl a on nʲe ɐtvʲɪˈtɕal/

Say it YAH SPRAH-shih-vul, AH OHN NYEH uh-tvih-CHAHL.

Two imperfectives in the past describe two processes running side by side, and together they carry the repetition label: this went on, again and again. а here is the contrasting «but, whereas» of Lesson 3.

neutral past aspect communication

Она́ посмотре́ла фильм.

She watched the film — and finished it.

IPA /ɐˈna pəsmɐˈtrʲelə fʲilʲm/

Say it uh-NAH puh-smuh-TRYEH-luh FEELM.

посмотреть на + the accusative is «to look at»; посмотреть фильм is «to watch a film through». The mobile stress appears in the future: я посмотрю́, but ты посмо́тришь.

neutral past aspect media

Скажи́ мне, что ты де́лаешь.

Tell me what you are doing.

IPA /skɐˈʐɨ mnʲe ʂto tɨ ˈdʲeləɪʂ/

Say it skuh-ZHIH muh-NYEH, SHTOH TIH DYEH-luh-yish.

сказать is the perfective partner of говорить and shares no letters with it. It takes the first-conjugation endings, with two surprises: the з of the infinitive alternates with ж, and the stress is mobile — я скажу́, with the stress on the ending, but ты ска́жешь and они́ ска́жут, with the stress back on the stem.

informal imperative aspect communication

Dialogues

Two questions about one book

Anna and Tom are friends, so they use ты. Anna wants to know whether Tom has got to the end of her book.

Anna
Том, ты читал мою книгу?

Tom, have you read my book?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Том, ты читал мою книгу?
Tom
Читал. Я читал её вчера.

I have. I was reading it yesterday.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Читал. Я читал её вчера.
Anna
И как?

And how is it?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: И как?
Tom
Очень интересно. Но я не прочитал её.

Very interesting. But I have not finished it.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Очень интересно. Но я не прочитал её.
Anna
Я понимаю. Прочитай её, пожалуйста.

I understand. Please read it through.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я понимаю. Прочитай её, пожалуйста.
Tom
Хорошо. Сегодня я прочитаю её.

All right. Today I shall finish it.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Хорошо. Сегодня я прочитаю её.
Anna
А что ты делаешь сейчас?

And what are you doing now?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: А что ты делаешь сейчас?
Tom
Сейчас я пишу письмо.

Right now I am writing a letter.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Сейчас я пишу письмо.
Anna
Напиши его сегодня!

Write it today!
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Напиши его сегодня!

At the office, first week

Marina is a manager. Viktor has just joined her team, so the two of them are still on вы.

Marina
Виктор, вы получили моё письмо?

Viktor, did you get my letter?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Виктор, вы получили моё письмо?
Viktor
Да, я получил его сегодня.

Yes, I got it today.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Да, я получил его сегодня.
Marina
А вы ответили на него?

And have you replied to it?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: А вы ответили на него?
Viktor
Нет, я не ответил. Я писал письмо, но не закончил его.

No, I have not replied. I was writing the letter, but I did not finish it.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Нет, я не ответил. Я писал письмо, но не закончил его.
Marina
Я понимаю. Закончите его сегодня, пожалуйста.

I see. Please finish it today.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Я понимаю. Закончите его сегодня, пожалуйста.
Viktor
Хорошо, я закончу его сегодня.

All right, I shall finish it today.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Хорошо, я закончу его сегодня.
Marina
Спасибо. Вы поняли мой вопрос?

Thank you. Did you understand my question?
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Спасибо. Вы поняли мой вопрос?
Viktor
Да, я понял ваш вопрос.

Yes, I understood your question.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Да, я понял ваш вопрос.
Marina
Очень хорошо. Продолжайте работу.

Very good. Carry on with the work.
Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Очень хорошо. Продолжайте работу.

Exercises

Answer actively — try to recall the Russian before you look at any hint.

Aspect Choice Exercise 1

Choose the form that fits the meaning.

Choose the aspect: «Вчера я ___ книгу.» — Yesterday I was reading a book; I did not finish it.

Show answer and explanation

Choose from: чита́л прочита́л

чита́л

Hint: process, not result

The English says the reading was under way and never reached the end. That is the imperfective past carrying the процесс label. «Я прочитал книгу» would say the opposite — you got to the end of it.

Aspect Choice Exercise 2

Choose the form that fits the meaning.

Choose the aspect: «Она ___ письмо и получила ответ.» — She wrote the letter and got an answer.

Show answer and explanation

Choose from: писа́ла написа́ла

написа́ла

Two completed acts in a chain, each with a result you can point at: the letter was written, then the answer arrived. A chain like this is perfective all the way through. «Она писала письмо» would tell you only how she spent her time.

Aspect Choice Exercise 3

Choose the form that fits the meaning.

Choose the aspect: «Ты ___ мою книгу?» — Have you ever read my book?

Show answer and explanation

Choose from: чита́л прочита́л

чита́л

Asking whether something happened at all is the imperfective’s факт — the bare fact, with no interest in the outcome. «Ты прочитал мою книгу?» is a narrower question: did you get to the end of it?

Aspect Choice Exercise 4

Choose the form that fits the meaning.

Choose the form that can complete «Сейчас я ___ книгу.» — Right now I am reading a book.

Show answer and explanation

Choose from: чита́ю прочита́ю

чита́ю

The present tense exists only for the imperfective. «Сейчас я прочитаю книгу» is not wrong Russian, but it is a future sentence — «I shall finish it in a moment» — and it needs a context in which a promise makes sense.

Aspect Choice Exercise 5

Choose the form that fits the meaning.

Choose the aspect: «Она ___ рыбу. Рыба на столе.» — She has cooked the fish. The fish is on the table.

Show answer and explanation

Choose from: гото́вила пригото́вила

пригото́вила

The second sentence is the result: the fish is ready and it is on the table. A visible result is the perfective’s job. «Она готовила рыбу» describes the time she spent cooking and says nothing at all about the outcome.

Aspect Choice Exercise 6

Choose the form that fits the meaning.

Choose the aspect: «Я ___ ваш вопрос.» — I did not catch your question; it went straight over my head.

Show answer and explanation

Choose from: не понима́л не по́нял

не по́нял

Hint: a failure to reach the result

A negated perfective says the result was never reached — I did not manage to understand. «Я не понимал ваш вопрос» means something different again: for a while I did not understand it, and that state has now ended.

Aspect Choice Exercise 7

Choose the form that fits the meaning.

Choose the aspect: «Он ___ мне деньги вчера.» — He gave me the money yesterday, and I have it now.

Show answer and explanation

Choose from: дава́л дал

дал

One completed transfer with a result you can point at: the money changed hands. «Он давал мне деньги» would mean he used to give me money, again and again — the repetition label, which belongs to the imperfective.

Conjugation Exercise 8

Give the future tense form for «я».

написать — я (future)

Show answer and explanation

напишу́

Hint: the stress moves onto the ending in this one form only

написать is perfective, so its six present-shaped forms are future ones. Two things happen at once in this form: the с of the infinitive becomes ш before the endings, and the first person singular throws its stress onto the ending — я напишу́, but ты напи́шешь, он напи́шет.

Conjugation Exercise 9

Give the future tense form for «они».

дать — они (future)

Show answer and explanation

даду́т

дать belongs to the small irregular group and abandons the infinitive stem in the future: дам, дашь, даст, дадим, дадите, дадут. The first three are monosyllables and unstressed forms; the last three put the stress on the ending.

Conjugation Exercise 10

Give the future tense form for «они».

получить — они (future)

Show answer and explanation

получа́т

Two rules meet in this one form. получить is end-stressed throughout — получу́, получи́шь, получи́т — and after ж, ш, щ or ч the third person plural of a second-conjugation verb is written -ат, never -ят. The same rule gives они́ ска́жут and они́ зако́нчат.

Conjugation Exercise 11

Give the past tense form for a female subject.

понять — past, feminine

Show answer and explanation

поняла́

The four past forms of понять move their stress in exactly one place: по́нял, поняла́, по́няло, по́няли. The same feminine jump happens in дал — дала́, взял — взяла́ and начал — начала́. Those four verbs are worth learning as one group.

Translate To Russian Exercise 12

Translate into Russian.

He has written the letter.

Show answer and explanation

Он написа́л письмо́

Hint: писать → написать, past masculine

The letter exists now, so this is the perfective past: написа́л. «Он писал письмо» would tell you how he spent his time and would leave the ending open.

Translate To Russian Exercise 13

Translate into Russian.

She has cooked the fish.

Show answer and explanation

Она́ пригото́вила ры́бу

Hint: готовить → приготовить; рыба → accusative

One completed act with the result on the table, so the perfective: пригото́вила. The feminine subject forces the -ла ending, and the object ры́ба goes into the accusative, ры́бу.

Translate To Russian Exercise 14

Translate into Russian.

Give me the water, please. (to one person, informal)

Show answer and explanation

Дай мне во́ду, пожа́луйста

Hint: дать → дай; вода → accusative

A request for one completed act takes the perfective imperative: дай, from дать. The government is дать кому что — dative for the person, мне, and accusative for the thing, воду. The imperfective давай in this frame is colloquial and brusque, not the polite request.

Translate To Russian Exercise 15

Translate into Russian.

Ask the doctor. (to one person, informal)

Show answer and explanation

Спроси́ врача́

Hint: спросить → спроси; врач → accusative

A one-off request takes the perfective imperative спроси́, from спросить. The person asked goes in the accusative — врача́, not *врачу́ — or in the у + genitive chunk: спроси́ у врача́. Both are normal Russian.

Translate To Russian Exercise 16

Translate into Russian.

Today I shall finish the work.

Show answer and explanation

Сего́дня я зако́нчу рабо́ту

Hint: закончить is perfective, so its future is six forms, not two words

A promise of one completed act is the perfective simple future: зако́нчу. «Я буду заканчивать работу» would describe the time you intend to spend on it rather than the finishing, and that is a different promise.

Translate To English Exercise 17

Translate into English.

Он написа́л письмо́ и получи́л отве́т.

Show answer and explanation

He wrote the letter and got an answer

Two perfectives in a row mean two completed acts, one after the other. Russian needs no «and then» — the aspect already says that the first was finished before the second began. This is the shape every narrative sentence takes.

Translate To English Exercise 18

Translate into English.

Она́ гото́вила ры́бу, а он чита́л.

Show answer and explanation

She was cooking the fish and he was reading

Two imperfectives side by side describe two processes running at the same time. This is the sentence English needs «was …ing» twice for. The а adds the contrast — she cooked, whereas he read.

Translate To English Exercise 19

Translate into English.

Я не по́нял.

Show answer and explanation

I did not understand

The perfective negative says the result was never reached, which is why this is the everyday «I did not catch that». «Я не понимал» describes a state that lasted for a while instead.

Multiple Choice Exercise 20

Choose the correct sentence.

Which sentence means «I was reading the book» rather than «I finished it»?

Show answer and explanation

Choose from: Я чита́л кни́гу. Я прочита́л кни́гу. Я бу́ду чита́ть кни́гу. Чита́й кни́гу!

Я чита́л кни́гу.

The imperfective past covers the process, the bare fact and the habit; only the perfective past says the job was completed. «Я буду читать книгу» is future and «Читай книгу!» is a command, so neither can mean «I was reading».

Multiple Choice Exercise 21

Choose the correct verb.

Which of these verbs has no present tense at all?

Show answer and explanation

Choose from: сде́лать де́лать писа́ть чита́ть

сде́лать

сделать is perfective, and a perfective verb has no present. Its six present-shaped forms — сделаю, сделаешь, сделает — are future forms. The other three are imperfective and conjugate in the present normally.

Multiple Choice Exercise 22

Choose the correct meaning.

What idea does the prefix про- add in прочитать?

Show answer and explanation

Choose from: through, to the end again, or across away, off up to a limit

through, to the end

про- means «through», or time spent: прочитать «to read through», прожить «to live through», пройти «to pass through» (Lesson 15). «Again, or across» is пере-, «away, off» is у-, and «up to a limit» is до-.

Fill Gap Exercise 23

Fill the gap with the present tense of начинать for «мы».

Сейчас мы ___ работу.

Show answer and explanation

начина́ем

Hint: conjugation I, stress on the -а- of the suffix

начинать is conjugation I and its stress never moves: начинаю, начинаешь, начинает, начинаем, начинаете, начинают. The present tense is available at all only because начинать is the imperfective half — its partner начать has no present.

Fill Gap Exercise 24

Fill the gap with the past tense of дать for a male subject.

Вчера он ___ мне деньги.

Show answer and explanation

дал

Hint: the masculine past of дать is one syllable

дать is perfective, and its masculine past is the bare stem — дал, carrying no stress mark because it has only one vowel. The feminine moves the stress onto the ending: дала́. The neuter and plural go back to the root: да́ло, да́ли.

Fill Gap Exercise 25

Fill the gap with the past tense of узнать for a male speaker.

Я ___ твою сестру в магазине вчера.

Show answer and explanation

узна́л

узнать is perfective: узнал, узнала, узнало, узнали. Recognising somebody is a single instantaneous result, so the imperfective узнавать would be the wrong half here — «я узнавал твою сестру» would mean the odd «I used to recognise your sister».

Sentence Transform Exercise 26

Use прочитать and keep the tense.

Rewrite with the perfective partner: «Я читал книгу.»

Show answer and explanation

Я прочита́л кни́гу

Hint: читать → прочитать, past masculine

Only the verb changes, and the meaning moves with it: from «I read it / I was reading it» to «I read it through and finished». The four past endings — -л, -ла, -ло, -ли — are identical in both aspects, which is why the choice is purely one of meaning.

Sentence Transform Exercise 27

Use готовить and keep the tense.

Rewrite with the imperfective partner: «Она приготовила рыбу.»

Show answer and explanation

Она́ гото́вила ры́бу

Hint: приготовить → готовить, past feminine

готовила describes the time she spent cooking and says nothing about whether the fish was ever ready. Losing the result is exactly what switching to the imperfective does, and it is the reason Russian needs two verbs where English manages with one.

Sentence Transform Exercise 28

Rewrite it as the imperative for «ты».

Turn this into a command to one person: «Вы ответите на вопрос.»

Show answer and explanation

Отве́ть на вопро́с

The imperative of ответить is ответь. Because the stress stays on the stem and the stem ends in a consonant cluster, it takes -ь rather than -и — the same shape as приготовь. Note the government: ответить на вопрос, with на + the accusative, and ответить кому for the person.

Word Order Exercise 29

Put the words in order.

Build the sentence: «Yesterday he wrote the letter.»

Show answer and explanation

Вчера́ он написа́л письмо́

Hint: the time adverb normally comes first

The neutral order puts the time adverb first, but Russian word order is free enough that «Он написал письмо вчера» is equally correct and simply throws the emphasis onto вчера. The two distractors, читал and сегодня, belong to other sentences.

Match Pairs Exercise 30

Pair the two halves of each aspect pair.

Match each imperfective verb with its perfective partner.

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де́лать сде́лать, писа́ть написа́ть, говори́ть сказа́ть, дава́ть дать, брать взять, спра́шивать спроси́ть, отвеча́ть отве́тить, понима́ть поня́ть

Two of these pairs are suppletive — говорить / сказать and брать / взять share not one letter. Four are built by a suffix rather than a prefix: давать takes -ва-, понимать and отвечать take -а-, with the т of ответить turning into ч in отвечать, and спрашивать takes -ива-. That leaves делать / сделать and писать / написать, which are plain prefixation with с- and на-.

Stress Choice Exercise 31

Choose the correctly stressed form.

Where does the stress fall in the perfective infinitive написать?

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Choose from: на́писать написа́ть напи́сать

написа́ть

The infinitive is stressed on the final -а-: написа́ть, and the past keeps it there — написа́л, написа́ла, написа́ли. The present-stem forms move it: я напишу́, but ты напи́шешь. This is why every form has to be learnt with its own mark.

True False Exercise 32

Answer true or false.

A perfective verb can be used in the present tense.

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false

It has no present at all. Its six present-shaped forms are future forms: «я прочитаю» means «I shall read it through», never «I am reading it through». This single rule is what makes the two faces of a verb divide the tense system between them.

True False Exercise 33

Answer true or false.

«Я не понял» and «Я не понимал» mean the same thing.

Show answer and explanation

false

The perfective negative says the result was never reached — I did not catch it, and that is what you say when you want something repeated. The imperfective negative describes a state that went on for a while — for a period I did not understand.

Listen And Type Exercise 34

Play the audio and type what you hear.

Listen and type the sentence.

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Я написа́л письмо́

Listen for the perfective prefix на- and for the stress on the final syllable of написа́л. The second noun is stressed at the end too: письмо́. Both words are the reason this sentence cannot be the imperfective «Я писал письмо».

Speak now

Take each sentence and run it through both halves of its pair out loud — the imperfective first, then the perfective — and say what changes in the meaning as you switch. «Я чита́л» against «я прочита́л», «я писа́л» against «я написа́л». Do not translate; feel the difference between reporting an activity and reporting a finished thing. That spoken contrast, not the table, is what makes aspect stick.

Что ты де́лаешь сейча́с? What are you doing now? Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Что ты де́лаешь сейча́с?
Вчера́ я чита́л кни́гу. Сего́дня я прочита́л её. Yesterday I was reading the book. Today I finished it. Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Вчера́ я чита́л кни́гу. Сего́дня я прочита́л её.
Скажи́ мне, пожа́луйста. Tell me, please. Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Скажи́ мне, пожа́луйста.
Мы начина́ем рабо́ту. We are starting work. Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Мы начина́ем рабо́ту.
Ты получи́л мой отве́т? Did you get my reply? Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Ты получи́л мой отве́т?
Дай мне во́ду, пожа́луйста. Give me the water, please. Listen in Russian: Slow in Russian: Дай мне во́ду, пожа́луйста.

Lesson checkpoint

Before you move on, make sure you can do all of this without looking:

Take five pairs from the table of seventeen and say each one aloud in the past tense for «я»: я делал — я сделал, я писал — я написал, я читал — я прочитал
Give all six present-tense forms of делать, then say out loud why сделать cannot do the same thing
Give the four past forms of дать, взять, понять and начать, and name the one form in each that moves its stress
Name the ten perfective prefixes and the core idea each one adds, without looking at the table
Take three of your own sentences about yesterday and switch each one from «I was doing it» to «I did it and finished», saying out loud what the switch changed
Ask somebody whether they have ever read a book you know, using the imperfective, then ask whether they got to the end of it, using the perfective

Remember this

Aspect is not a tense and not an ending. Almost every Russian verb is half of a pair — делать / сделать, писать / написать — and the two halves are stored as one vocabulary entry with two columns, never as two separate entries.
The present tense belongs to the imperfective alone. A perfective verb has no present at all: its six present-shaped forms — сделаю, прочитаю, напишу — are future forms, and Lesson 14 shows when to choose them.
Three machines build a pair. A prefix makes the perfective (писать → написать). A suffix makes the imperfective (купить → покупать, дать → давать, закончить → заканчивать). Suppletion makes pairs that share no letters at all (говорить — сказать, брать — взять).
The imperfective past carries three meanings — the bare fact (я читал), the process under way (когда ты пришёл, я читал) and repetition (она писала письма). The perfective past carries one: the result, the completed whole (я прочитал).
Negation normally takes the imperfective (я не читал), but a negated perfective means the result was never reached — «я не понял» is the everyday way to say «I did not catch that».
A prefix usually changes the meaning as well as the aspect: написать is «to finish writing», but подписать is «to sign» and списать is «to copy out». Treat every prefixed verb as new vocabulary and learn its partner along with it.

Go deeper: Verbal aspect: every verb has two faces · Aspect pairs: how they are formed and which to learn first · The perfective prefixes and what they mean · The past tense: one form for every person · The two futures side by side (Lesson 14) · Irregular verbs: дать, взять, начать, понять

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