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How to use prefixed verbs of motion in Russian?

By: Aleks Novikov Fri Feb 28 2025
Russian
Verbs

In Russian, we often add a prefix to a verb of motion to slightly change its meaning. It’s a bit like we might use the word “move” in a variety of phrasal verbs, like “move over,” “move on,” “move up,” “move around,” etc.

  • ходить → приходить

    khaDEET → preekhaDEET

    go → come over

  • ходить → заходить

    khaDEET → zakhaDEET

    go → stop by / stop in

In this post, we’ll go over the common prefixes added to verbs of motion, discuss how to add those prefixes, and talk about how those prefixes relate to the aspect of different verbs of motion. Let’s get into it!

Table of Contents

    What are the prefixes for Russian verbs of motion?

    The most common prefixes for Russian verbs of motion are illustrated in the table below.

    Sometimes, when you add these prefixes, there will be other changes to the pronunciation of the resulting word. We’ll talk more about these changes in the next section.
    Prefix
    Generalized meaning
    Examples

    в-/во-

    v-/va

    movement into a place

    Входите! / Войдите!

    fkhaDEEtye / vayDEEtye

    Enter! / Come in!

    за-

    za

    movement into a place
    (often stopping in temporarily)

    Она заходила ко мне в гости сегодня.

    aNA zakhaDEEla ka mnye v GOstee seeVOdnya

    She stopped by my place today.

    до-

    da

    to get to a place, arrive there

    Пешком можно дойти?

    peeshKOM MOZHna dayTEE

    Can I get there on foot?

    при-

    pree

    to come over, come down

    Приходите в 5 часов.

    preekhaDEEtye f pyat cheeSOF

    Come over at 5 o’clock.

    при-

    piri

    to move from A to B

    Давайте перейдём к следующей теме.

    daVAYtye peeriyDYOM k SLYEdooshchyey TYEmye

    Let’s move on to the next topic.

    про-

    pra

    to pass

    Уже прошло пять лет.

    ooZHE prashLO pyat lyet

    Five years have gone by (passed).

    под-

    pot

    to approach, get close

    Мы уже подходим к площади. А вы где?

    my ooZHE patKHOdeem k PLOshchadee a vy gdye

    We are getting close to the square. Where are you?

    об-/обо-

    ob/aba

    around, all over

    Мы обошли все магазины.

    my abashLEE fsye magaZEEny

    We walked around all the stores.

    вы-

    vy

    to exit a place

    Я сегодня не выходил из дома.

    ya seeVOdnya nee vykhaDEEL iz DOma

    I have not left the house today.

    от-

    at

    to move away from a place

    Отойди в сторону, мне не видно.

    atayDEE f STOranoo mnye nee VEEdna

    Move away to the side, I can’t see.

    у-

    oo

    to leave a place

    Он встал и ушёл.

    on fstal ee ooSHOL

    He got up and left.

    The table above is focused on the meanings of these prefixes when they are attached to the verb идти / ходить[eeTEE / khaDEET], both of which mean “to go on foot.”

    TIP
    To review why Russian verbs of motion come in pairs, check out our post introducing verbs of motion in Russian!

    However, these prefixes can be added to other verbs of motion, such as плыть / плавать[plyt / PLAvat](to swim), лететь / летать[leeTYET / leeTAT](to fly), etc. For example:

    бежать → вбежать

    veeZHAT → vbeeZHAT

    to run → to run inside

    If you’d like to see more examples of how these same prefixes above can be added to other verbs of motion, check out the downloadable table of Russian verbs of motion prefixes at the bottom of this page!

    Important: The prefix с- (s-)

    You can also add the prefix с- to the verbs ходить / идти, and the the resulting verb typically means “to come down.”

    Сходить с горы было менее трудно.

    skhaDEET s gaRY BYla MYEneeye TROOdna

    To go down the mountain was less difficult.

    However, this verb is not very common. It is much more common to use the verb спускаться / спуститься[spoosKATsa / spoosTEEtsa](to come down) to express this meaning instead.

    You’re probably more likely to see сходить/сойти used in the idiom сходить / сойти с ума[skhaDEET/sayTEE s OOma](to go crazy):

    Мир сошёл с ума.

    mir saSHOL s ooMA

    The world has gone crazy.

    lit. The world has gone off its mind.

    The verb сходить can also have another very frequent meaning “to complete a trip.” With this meaning, the verb сходить is perfective and does not have an imperfective counterpart.

    Мне сегодня надо сходить в парикмахерскую.

    mnye seeVodnye NAda skhaDEET f pareekMAkheerskooyu

    I need to go to the hairdresser’s today.

    How to add prefixes to Russian verbs of motion?

    In most cases, you can simply add a prefix to a Russian verb of motion, without making any other changes. For example:

    хожу → ухожу

    khaZHOO → ookhaZHOO

    I go → I leave

    In some instances, though, you will have to make a few more changes to the spelling and/or pronunciation of a verb as well. Often there is a predictable rule that you can follow. For example:

    • When you add a prefix to the verb идти[eeTEE](to go/walk), the base word gets reduced to -йти.

      • идти → уйти

        eeTEE → ooyTEE

        to go → to leave (on foot)

      • иду → зайду

        eeDOO → zayDOO

        I’m coming → I will stop by

      In cases where the prefix ends in a consonant, you’ll also need to add an о between the prefix and this verb.

      Иди! → Отойди!

      eeDEE → atayDEE

      Go → Move to the side!

    • When you add a prefix to the verb ехать[YEkhat](to ride/drive), you would need to add a hard sign ъ after prefixes that end in a consonant.

      • ехать → въехать

        YEkhat → VYEkhat

        to ride/drive → to ride/drive in

      • еду → подъеду

        YEdoo → padYEdoo

        I’m driving/riding → I will drive up/ride up

    However, in some cases, the form with the prefix is not totally predictable. You’ll just need to memorize it!

    ездить → уезжать

    YEzdeet → ooeeZHAT

    to ride/drive → to drive/ride away

    Do prefixed verbs of motion have directionality in Russian?

    In Russian, all prefixed verbs can be used as either unidirectional or multidirectional. So where unprefixed verbs of motion will either describe one trip in one direction (unidirectional) or several trips or movement in several directions (multidirectional), prefixed verbs don’t make this distinction.

    TIP
    To review the difference between unidirectional and multidirectional verbs of motion, check out our post introducing verbs of motion in Russian!

    So is there any difference between adding a prefix to a unidirectional motion verb vs. a multidirectional motion verb?

    The answer is, yes! The difference just impacts the aspect of the prefixed verb, rather than its directionality. Let’s talk a bit more about that.

    How do prefixed verbs of motion show aspect?

    When you form a prefixed verb of motion in Russian, the version of a verb of motion you attach the prefix to can influence the aspect of the resulting verb:

    • Adding a prefix to a unidirectional verb generally creates a perfective verb

    • Adding a prefix to a multidirectional verb generally creates an imperfective verb

    Most Russian verbs are either perfective or imperfective. What’s the difference? In simple terms, a verb’s aspect helps express how actions are positioned in time. For example:

    Let’s take a closer look at how adding the prefix за- to the unidirectional verb of motion идти[eeTEE] produces a perfective verb, while adding it to the multidirectional verb ходить[khaDEET] produces an imperfective verb.

    Tense
    Perfective
    за- + идти
    Imperfective
    за- + ходить

    Present

    There are no perfective verbs in the present tense.

    Я вижу как он заходит в здание.

    ya VEEzhoo kak on zaKHOdeet v ZDAneeye

    I see that he is entering the building.

    Он редко заходит ко мне.

    on RYEtka zaKHOdeet ka mnye

    He rarely stops by my place.

    Past

    Спасибо, что зашли. Я рада.

    spaSEEba shto zashLEE ya RAda

    I’m thankful you came by. I’m happy.

    → The event that happened in the past impacts the present.

    Он заходил вчера.

    on zakhaDEEL fcheeRA

    He stopped by yesterday.

    → The event happened in the past (factual).

    Future

    Я зайду к тебе завтра.

    ya zayDOO k teeBYE ZAftra

    I will stop by your place tomorrow.

    → It will happen once.

    Я буду заходить к тебе почаще.

    ya BOOdoo zakhaDEET k teeBYE paCHAshchye

    I will stop by your place more often.

    → It will happen with regularity.

    Conclusion

    This morning, I вышел из дома[VYshel iz DOma](went out of my house), перешёл дорогу[peereeSHOL daROgoo](went across the street), and зашёл в кафе[zaSHOL f kaFE](stopped by a café) to buy coffee. It’s only 9 am but I already used three prefixed verbs of motion!

    I hope you enjoyed this post. Here’s what you should take away:

    • Adding a prefix to a Russian verb of motion can help you alter its meaning, often making them more specific. (Though sometimes adding a prefix will slightly alter the pronunciation/spelling of the base word!)

    • The directionality of a verb of motion is not preserved when you add a prefix to it. This means the directionality is the same whether you use a prefix + unidirectional verb or prefix + directional verb.

      However, the stem that you add your prefix to can influence the aspect of the prefixed verb of motion. In general:

      • prefix + unidirectional verb of motion → perfective aspect

      • prefix + multidirectional verb of motion → imperfective aspect

    Ready to practice? Download the Russian prefixed verbs of motion exercises using the link below. Happy learning!

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