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How to use "carrying" verbs of motion in Russian?

By: Aleks Novikov Tue Sep 23 2025
Russian
Verbs

In Russian, verbs like “to carry,” “to take,” or “to bring” are verbs of motion, much like verbs meaning “to go,” “to drive,” “to walk,” or “to run.” This means that, like other Russian verbs of motion, they are split based on directionality (movement in one vs. many directions) and based on whether or not the motion involved a vehicle.

Check out our introduction to Russian verbs of motion to see how these factors affect more basic verbs in Russian!

In this post, we’ll show you how the two factors above can impact which verb you should use, but we’ll also talk about some other factors that matter for “carrying” verbs, like whether you are transporting objects or people. Okay, let’s take a closer look at the “carrying” verbs of motion!

Unidirectional vs. multidirectional “carrying” verbs

Like other Russian verbs of motion, verbs meaning “to carry” can be split into categories based on directionality:

  • Unidirectional → a single movement, in one direction (or one-way)

  • Multidirectional → movement in more than one direction (or repeated motions)

Russian “carrying” verbs, therefore, come in pairs. One member is unidirectional, while the other is multidirectional. Let’s look at an example illustrating the difference between нести[niSTEE](carry in one direction), a unidirectional verb, and носить[naSEET](carry back and forth), a multidirectional.

Unidirectional
Multidirectional

Девочка несёт полено.

DYEvachka niSYOT paLYEna

The girl is carrying a piece of firewood.

describes a single action: one piece moves from one place to another
A photo of a small blonde child walking toward the camera, carrying a large piece of firewood.

Девочка носит дрова.

DYEvachka NOsit draVA

The girl carries firewood.

the activity is ongoing, with multiple pieces of wood
A photo of a little blonde kid working to carry pieces of firewood from one end of the patio to the other. She has carried several pieces already, and is about to set down another one on the pile.

What are the most common carrying verbs in Russian?

The most common carrying verbs in Russian are:

  • нести[niSTEE] and носить[naSEET] → “to carry (on foot)”

  • везти[viSTEE] and возить[vaZEET] → “to carry (using a vehicle)”

  • вести[viSTEE] and водить [vaDEET] → “to carry, take, bring (people)”

You’ll notice that your choice of carrying verb in Russian can depend on factors like:

  • Whether you are moving on foot or in a vehicle

  • What kind of thing you are transporting (e.g. people vs. objects)

In the sections below, we will go through each pair of carrying verbs in Russian and look at some examples. Let’s have a look at some of these verbs!

When to use нести (niSTEE) and носить (naSEET) in Russian?

In Russian, we use нести[niSTEE] and носить[naSEET] to describe someone carrying something on foot. The verb нести[niSTEE] is unidirectional, while носить[naSEET] is multidirectional.

  • unidirectional: one trip

    Теперь твоя очередь нести рюкзак.

    tiPYER tvaYA Ochiryet niSTEE ryukZAK

    Now it’s your turn to carry the backpack.

  • multidirectional: multiple trips

    Я всегда ношу с собой таблетки от аллергии на всякий случай.

    ya fsigDA naSHOO s saBOY tabLYEtki at alirGEEi na FSYAkiy SLOOchey

    I always carry allergy pills with me just in case.

Other meanings of нести and нести

The unidirectional verb нести[niSTEE] is often used with metaphorical or idiomatic meanings. For example:

  • Он несёт какую-то чушь.

    on niSYOT kaKOOyu-ta choosh

    He’s talking nonsense.

  • Взрослые несут ответственность за детей.

    VZROslyye niSOOT atVYEtstvinast za diTYEY

    Adults are taking responsibility for kids.

  • Наша курица стала нести яйца.

    NAsha KOOritsa STAla niSTEE YAytsa

    Our chicken started laying eggs.

The multidirectional verb носить[naSEET] is frequently used to mean “wear.”

Русские обычно носят обручальное кольцо на правой руке.

ROOskiye oBYchna NOsyat abrooCHAlnaye kalTSO na PRAvay rooKYE

Russians usually wear (lit. carry) a wedding ring on the right hand.

When to use везти (viSTEE) and возить (vaZEET) in Russian?

In Russian, you’ll generally use the verbs везти[viSTEE] and возить[vaZEET] to describe someone being carried using some kind of vehicle. The verb везти[viSTEE] is unidirectional, while the verb возить[vaZEET] is multidirectional.

  • unidirectional: one trip

    Делают в Китае и везут в Россию.

    DYElayut f kiTAye i viZOOT v raSEEyu

    They make it in China and bring it to Russia.

  • multidirectional: multiple trips

    У нас автобусы бесплатно студентов возят.

    oo nas aFTOboosy bisPLATna stooDYENtaf VOzyat

    We have buses that carry students for free.

When to use вести (viSTEE) and водить (vaDEET) in Russian?

The Russian verbs вести[viSTEE] and водить[vaDEET] are used to describe actions that transport people. The verb вести[viSTEE] is unidirectional while водить[vaDEET] is multidirectional.

  • unidirectional: one trip

    Такой трогательный момент! Отец ведёт невесту под венец.

    taKOY TROgatilnyi maMYENT aTYETS viDYOT niVYEstoo pad viNYETS

    Such a touching moment! The father leads the bride down the aisle.

  • multidirectional: multiple trips

    У меня друг водит своего ребёнка на хоккей.

    oo miNYA drook VOdit svaiVO riBYONka na khaKHEY

    I have a friend who takes his child to play hockey.

Other meanings of вести (viSTEE) and водить (vaDEET)

These two verbs can be translated into English using a variety of different words. For example:

  • The multidirectional verb водить is frequently used in the meaning of “drive.”

    • Ты умеешь водить мотоцикл?

      ty ooMYEyesh vaDEET mataTSEEKL

      Do you know how to drive a motorcycle?

    • Нет, я только машину вожу.

      nyet ya TOlka maSHEEnoo vaZHOO

      No, I only drive a car.

  • The unidirectional verb вестиis often used to mean “to carry a weight of responsibility” or “to lead” (as we saw above). In this sense, we can use вести metaphorically to mean “to conduct,” “to host,” or “to teach.”

    • вести расследование

      visTEE raSLYEdyvaniye

      to conduct an investigation

    • вести развлекательную программу

      visTEE razvliKAtilnooyu pragRAmoo

      to host an entertainment program

    • вести кружок по вышивке

      visTEE krooZHOK pa VYshifkye

      to lead an embroidery class

    • вести русский язык и литературу

      visTEE ROOskiy yaZYK i litiraTOOroo

      to teach Russian language and literature

  • The unidirectional везти can mean “have luck”

    Мне всегда везёт с учителями.

    mnye fsigDA viZYOT s oochitiLYAmi

    I always have luck with teachers.

  • The unidirectional вести can describe how you “carry out” something or how you “carry yourself” (in other words, or how you “behave”)

    • Они ведут здоровый образ жизни.

      aNEE viDOOT zdaROvyi Obraz ZHEEzni

      They lead a healthy lifestyle.

    • Дети сегодня плохо вели себя.

      DYEti siVOdnyaPLOkha viLEE siBYA

      The kids were behaving badly today.

  • The multidirectional verb водить is often used in the idiomatic phrase below:

    Они водят нас за нос уже который день.

    aNEE VOdyat nas ZA nas ooZHYE kaTOryi dyen

    They have been lying to us for several days now.

    lit. They have been leading us by the nose for several days now.

How to use carrying verbs in different tenses?

In Russian, carrying verbs can be conjugated into a wide range of different tenses, just like other Russian verbs. For example:

Unidirectional: вести
Multidirectional: водить

Он везёт меня домой.

on viZYOT miNYA daMOY

He is driving me home.

Она возит меня в школу каждый день.

aNA VOzit miNYA f SHKOloo KAzhdyi dyen

She drives me to school every day.

Я из окна смотрела, как он вёл своего сына в школу.

ya iz okNA smaTRYEla kak on vyol svaiVO SYna f SHKOloo

I watched from the window as he was walking his son to school.

Он водил своего сына в школу каждое утро.

on VOdil svaiVO SYna f SHKOloo KAzhdaye OOtra

He walked his son to school every morning.

Завтра я буду вести уроки по зуму.

ZAftra ya BOOdoo visTEE ooROki pa ZOOmoo

Tomorrow, I will be teaching on Zoom.

Завтра будем возить тебя по всем достопримечательностям.

ZAftra BOOdyem vaZEET tiBYA pa fsyem dastaprimiCHAtilnastyam

Tomorrow, we will take you to all the sights.

Important

Looking at the examples above, it would be easy to conclude that unidirectional verbs should be translated into English using the “-ing” form of a verb, while the multidirectional verb doesn’t use “-ing.”

But although this observation might be helpful in many instances, it does not always hold true. Some unidirectional verbs will not have “-ing,” while some multidirectional verbs will be translated using “-ing.” For example:

multidirectional

Он возит меня по городу.

on VOzit miNYA pa GOradoo

He’s driving me around the city.

Here it’s only one action (not a habit), but it’s still in many directions!

Conclusion

In this post, I introduced you to the verbs of motion that have the meaning of “carry.” Here are some of the factors that influence which carrying verb you should use:

  • directionality (unidirectional vs. multidirectional)

  • the method of movement (in a vehicle vs. on foot)

  • what you are transporting (people or non-people)

Want to practice? Download the Russian carrying verbs exercises using the link below! Happy learning!

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