A statue of grizzly bears in Kamchatka

Practice exercises for Russian verbs of motion

By: Aleks Novikov
Associated Articles

These activities are part of our Russian Grammar series. The skills we are practicing here are covered in our article:

Need help typing in Russian?

If you don't have your keyboard set up to type in Russian, we recommend this free online keyboard. However, if you're studying Russian long-term, it's a good idea to set up a keyboard on your phone, computer, or tablet

Activity 1: Describe the pictures

The pictures below represent motion in one direction. Choose an appropriate verb that describes the motion to fill the gaps.

  • Он .

    A photo of a marathon runner in a red uniform.

    Translation: He is running.

  • Он .

    A photo of a boy swimming laps in a pool.

    Translation: He is swimming.

  • Они по пляжу.

    A photo of a couple walking down the beach at sunset.

    Translation: They are walking on the beach.

  • Самолёт в Москву.

    A photo of a an airplane taking off, silhouetted against the sun.

    Translation: The plane is flying to Moscow.

  • Она на велосипеде.

    A photo of an older lady in a dress riding a bike through a park by the water.

    Translation: She is riding a bicycle.

Activity 2: Rewrite the sentences

Now rewrite the sentences from Activity 1 using multidirectional counterparts.

  • .

  • .

  • .

  • .

  • .

Activity 3: On foot or by vehicle?

Choose an appropriate verb of motion: on foot vs. by vehicle.

  • I went to Canada last year.

  • We go to concerts at least once a month.

  • We are going to France this summer.

  • They go to IKEA every month.

Activity 4: Fill in the blanks

Choose between unidirectional vs. multidirectional verbs based on context.

  • У меня вода из крана ___ очень медленно.

    oo meeNYA vaDA is KRAna [beeZHEET / BYEgayet] Ocheen MYEdleena.

    The water from my faucet runs very slowly.

  • Я люблю _____ в басcейне.

    ya lyuBLYU [plyt / PLAvat] v baSYEYnye.

    I like to swim in the pool.

  • Она ______ в Нью-Йорк раз в месяц.

    ana [leeTEET / leeTAyet] v nyu york ras v MYEsyats.

    She flies to New York once a month.

To embark on your next language adventure, join Mango on social!

Ready to take the next step?

The Mango Languages learning platform is designed to get you speaking like a local quickly and easily.

Mango app open on multiple devices
Log InSign Up