Russian Verb Conjugation for Beginners: The 3-Step Method to Conjugate Any Verb

Russian verb conjugation sounds like a textbook nightmare. Every pronoun has its own verb form, and the word changes every time. I hear this from my students all the time, and I get it, because the six-form table looks terrifying the first time you meet it. But here is the honest truth I tell every single one of them: once you see the pattern, Russian verb conjugation becomes one of the most logical things in the language. There is a system behind it, and I am going to walk you through it in three simple steps.

Why Russian verbs feel harder than English verbs

In English, a verb barely changes. You say "I read, you read, they read" and only the third person adds an "s" - "he reads." That is basically it.

We do things differently in Russian. Each pronoun gets its own unique verb form. Every single one. So instead of one form fitting most situations, you have six. The good news, and this is the part I want you to hold onto, is that most Russian verbs follow one of two patterns, called the first and second conjugation. Learn those two patterns and you can handle the majority of Russian verbs.

The two conjugation groups

Before the three steps, you need to know how Russian verbs divide into two groups.

First conjugation verbs typically end in -ать or -ять in their infinitive (the "to do" form).

Second conjugation verbs typically end in -ить in their infinitive.

The ending of the infinitive tells you which group the verb belongs to, and that tells you which endings to add when you conjugate. That is the whole system.

The 3-step method: how to conjugate any verb

Let us work through this with the verb делать (delat') - "to do." This is a first conjugation verb, because it ends in -ать.

Step 1: Identify the conjugation group

Look at the infinitive ending.

• -ать / -ять = first conjugation
• -ить = second conjugation

Делать ends in -ать, so it is first conjugation.

Step 2: Remove the infinitive ending to get the stem

Take the infinitive and drop the last two letters to get the verb stem.

Делать → drop -ать → stem is Дела-

That stem is the part that stays the same no matter which pronoun you use. Everything in Step 3 simply attaches to it.

Step 3: Add the correct ending for each pronoun

Now add the ending that matches the pronoun. For first conjugation verbs, the endings are:

Pronoun	Russian	Pronunciation	English
I	Я делаю	Ya delayu	I do
You (informal)	Ты делаешь	Ty delayesh'	You do
He / She / It	Он/Она делает	On/Ana delayet	He/She does
We	Мы делаем	My delayem	We do
You (formal/plural)	Вы делаете	Vy delayete	You do
They	Они делают	Ani delayut	They do

Read the "Pronunciation" column out loud a few times. You will notice the pattern in the endings: -ю, -ешь, -ет, -ем, -ете, -ют. That is the first conjugation ending set. It applies to most -ать and -ять verbs.

Second conjugation verbs: the other pattern

Now take a second conjugation verb, one ending in -ить. Let us use говорить (gavarit') - "to speak."

Same three steps:

1. Ends in -ить = second conjugation
2. Remove -ить → stem is Говор-
3. Add second conjugation endings

Pronoun	Russian	Pronunciation	English
I	Я говорю	Ya gavaryu	I speak
You (informal)	Ты говоришь	Ty gavarish'	You speak
He / She / It	Он/Она говорит	On/Ana gavarit	He/She speaks
We	Мы говорим	My gavarim	We speak
You (formal/plural)	Вы говорите	Vy gavarite	You speak
They	Они говорят	Ani gavaryat	They speak

The second conjugation endings: -ю, -ишь, -ит, -им, -ите, -ят. Slightly different from the first conjugation set, but just as consistent once you have seen them a few times.

Comparing the two patterns side by side

Here is the thing that makes this click: the first-person "I" form looks the same in both groups (я говорю, я делаю both end in -ю). The real difference shows up from "you" onward.

Pronoun	1st conjugation	2nd conjugation
Я (I)	-ю	-ю
Ты (you)	-ешь	-ишь
Он/Она (he/she)	-ет	-ит
Мы (we)	-ем	-им
Вы (you pl.)	-ете	-ите
Они (they)	-ют	-ят

Notice the giveaway: first conjugation uses е in most endings, second conjugation uses и. That is the quick shortcut I always give my students to remember which group you are in.

A note on exceptions

Russian grammar would not be Russian grammar without a few irregular verbs. Some common verbs do not follow either pattern neatly. хотеть (khatet', "to want") and бежать (bezhat', "to run") are classic examples. These are worth learning as individual cases once you have the two main patterns locked in.

For now, focus on the regular system. The vast majority of verbs you will need as a beginner follow the -ать and -ить patterns above.

Why this is easier than it looks

Here is the reassuring part, and I really mean this: you do not need to drill all six forms of every verb before you can use it. In real conversations, you will naturally use "I", "you", and "he/she" far more than "we" or "they." Start with those three and expand from there.

And native Russian speakers will understand you even if you get an ending slightly wrong. The stem of the word, the meaningful part, stays the same. So saying Я делать instead of Я делаю is technically incorrect, but a Russian speaker will know exactly what you mean. You get credit for trying, and you build from there. Please do not let one wrong ending stop you from speaking.

Quick-reference: the 3-step method

1. Look at the infinitive ending - -ать/-ять = 1st conjugation, -ить = 2nd conjugation
2. Drop the last two letters to get the stem
3. Add the ending for your pronoun from the table for that conjugation group

That is really it. Russian verb conjugation is more about recognising a pattern than memorising arbitrary forms. Once you see the two sets of endings and apply them to a handful of verbs, your brain starts to fill in the rest automatically.

Want to lock this in without juggling tabs? Download our free Grammar Cheat Sheet and keep both conjugation tables in one place while you practice.

If you want the full conjugation tables, the irregular verbs, and exercises to practice on real sentences, the Simple Russian e-book covers all of this step by step, starting from the very beginning, with no prior knowledge needed.