What is the role of aspect in Russian?

The two forms of aspect in Russian (the imperfective and the perfective) essentially function in the same way as the perfect and imperfect tenses do in other languages.

For example, if in English you wish to describe an unfinished action or a repeated action (e.g. "I was reading the book" or "I read the book every day", then this would correspond to the imperfective aspect in Russian: "Я читал книгу".

However, if you wish to express that you completed the action of reading the book, then the perfective aspect is used: "I finished reading the book" "Я прочитал книгу". 

The perfective aspect is used primarily for one-off actions that are completed, whereas the imperfective typically denotes an unfinished process or a habitual action. 

MB
Answered by Matthew B. Russian tutor

2317 Views

See similar Russian GCSE tutors

Related Russian GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do I form the regular past tense?


Demonstrate how to conjugate a present tense verb


Translate this passage into English: " Я живу в деревне. У нас маленький домик. Я люблю жить там, потому что очень тихо. Мы жили в городе, но было довольно шумно. Мой отец работает врачом в городской больнице."


Николай, твой лучший друг - он написал тебе письмо о работе для молодых людей. (20 marks)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences