10
votes
Accepted
Why do some verbs lack certain forms in Russian?
Why can't Russian make certain forms for some verbs?
Because these forms were perceived as defective (for various reasons) by some Russian speakers, and hence shunned.
This process is self-...
- 56k
9
votes
Accepted
Why "вести" but "веду"
It's not irregular but all you can do is just to memoize such cases.
While the ст -> т happens in some verbs like "плести"/ "плету", "цвести"/"цвету", "мести"/"мету" for instance, a change to д is ...
- 38k
7
votes
Is there a rule behind first conjugation verbs ending in -ить?
The ending -ить does not tell you much about how a verb is conjugated. As you've seen, verbs ending in -ить can be conjugated differently. Let me throw in:
люби́ть - люблю́
жить - живу́
Note that ...
- 16.7k
7
votes
Accepted
What is the 12th Russian exception verb?
I'm not aware about a verb any native speaker would think of immediately.
Пиздеть is not one of them. These exceptions have -е-/-а- in their infinitive endings and unstressed -и- in personal forms. ...
- 56k
6
votes
Why is the verb сниться governed by the object?
In Russian, when we have the reflexive suffix ся, which means, in general, that the action is directed towards the speaker, it's like an inverstion of the subject and the object.
Example:
мыть - to ...
- 61
4
votes
Accepted
What exactly is going on for the handful of verbs which have an imperative -мте conjugation?
It feels to me like it's a mix of the first person plural imperative and second person plural imperative conjugations (as in, "guys, let's go").
This is exactly what's happened.
The second ...
- 56k
4
votes
Why "вести" but "веду"
This is because of the rule already in Proto-Indo-European: if a word had a root ending in -d- or -dh- and a suffix starting with -t-, then an -s- sound would be inserted in between.
For instance, ...
- 14.6k
4
votes
Accepted
Why is the verb сниться governed by the object?
Unfortunately, sometimes, subjects and objects may get swapped in translation, just like in the phrases "у меня есть X"/"I have X", or "мне нужен X"/"I need X". ...
- 156
4
votes
What is the 12th Russian exception verb?
Everyone who learned in Russian school tried to memorize this list of irregular verbs by means of a verse like this, where the actual order can vary to some extent (but usually any version starts with ...
- 38k
3
votes
Is there a rule-of-thumb for when a first-person singular verb will get a "-у" vs the more common "-ю" suffix?
That inflectional ending is simply /-u/.
When verb stem ends with /j/, then /j-/ + /-u/ results in /ju/ which is written with letter "ю" in Cyrillic alphabet.
E.g. verb име́ть has present-...
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3
votes
"Хотелось" or "хочу"
Мне хочется is for wishes you can't control:
Мне хочется спать. = I need a nap.
Хочется съесть чего-нибудь. = I want/need to eat something.
Что делать, когда хочется сладкого? = What to do when you'...
- 16.7k
3
votes
Accepted
Спряжения - обижать/обидеть
Видеть isn't strictly speaking an exception as it's not alone.
Besides брить another genuine exception from the 2nd conjugation verbs is стелить.
Some infinitive forms of perfective and imperfective ...
- 19.6k
2
votes
Accepted
Can it be said that the verbs in -ить are more localized in space and time than in -еть?
According to the "Правила русской орфографии и пунктуации. Полный академический справочник" (под редакцией Лопатина):
Глаголы на −еть – непереходные 1-го спряжения – имеют значение ‘стать
каким ...
- 38k
2
votes
"Хотелось" or "хочу"
"хотелось" - means "I wanted it, but not so much to take any serious actions to achieve it (or had no way to achieve it)". And yes, you're right: it near "хотелось бы", but in the past tense.
"хотел" ...
- 1,673
2
votes
The perfective verb опереться (to lean on) has the strangest conjugation in the future and imperative, what is the etymological reason for it?
That topic is still controversial among academicians and other scientists.
There exist three similar prefixes in Russian: о-, об-, обо-. It's difficult to give a rule for these, and the only ...
- 213
1
vote
Is there a rule-of-thumb for when a first-person singular verb will get a "-у" vs the more common "-ю" suffix?
I believe source is in word infinitive:
"Идти" -- "иду"
"Любить" -- "люблю"
"Путешествовать" -- "путешествую"
"Чувствовать" -- &...
1
vote
Accepted
Epenthetic л: why there is no л in the conjugation of the verb звать between the в and the ё in зовёшь, зовёт, зовём and зовёте?
Why does the epenthetic л not apply in front of the sound /ja/, but does appear in front of any other sound starting with /j/. What is the phonological, orthographical or historical reason for the ...
- 56k
1
vote
Epenthetic л: why there is no л in the conjugation of the verb звать between the в and the ё in зовёшь, зовёт, зовём and зовёте?
I will answer your question rather not as a professional, but as a narrow man (or dilettante).
Because there are no words in russian language like любю. In the same time, there is a word like любя. ...
- 227
1
vote
Complete rules for the epenthetic л in verb conjugations
What are the complete and exact rules that govern the epenthetic л in verb conjugations
It's inserted between a bilabial consonant (b, p, m, f, v) and j (except before а): люблю, куплю, кормлю, ...
- 56k
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