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Practice exercises for Russian aspect pairs
By: Anna Classing
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Activity 1: Assemble the aspect pairs!
Find an aspect pair in the box for each verb in the list.
кричать
посмотреть
рассказывать
успеть
появляться
поверить
спросить
писать
понять
вспомнить
показывать
говорить
“to look”
Imperfective: смотреть
Perfective:
“to write”
Imperfective:
Perfective: написать
“to remember”
Imperfective: вспоминать
Perfective:
“to understand”
Imperfective: понимать
Perfective:
“to show”
Imperfective:
Perfective: показать
“to manage / be in time”
Imperfective: успевать
Perfective:
“to say”
Imperfective:
Perfective: сказать
“to tell”
Imperfective:
Perfective: рассказать
“to believe”
Imperfective: верить
Perfective:
“to ask”
Imperfective: спрашивать
Perfective:
“to appear”
Imperfective:
Perfective: появиться
“to yell”
Imperfective:
Perfective: крикнуть
Activity 2: Spot the aspect “partner”
Match each imperfective verb with its aspect pair “partner,” which was made by adding a prefix. Remember that verbs in an aspect pair should have the same meaning! Use a dictionary when in doubt.
звать(to call / to invite)
терять(to lose)
петь(to sing)
гореть(to burn)
платить(to pay)
строить(to build)
Activity 3: Make the imperfective form
Turn the perfective verbs below into imperfective ones by adding the suffix -ыва-/-ива-/-ва-.
покрыть(to cover) →
зашить(to stitch up) →
наказать(to punish) →
обмануть(to deceive) →
полить(to water) →
доказать(to prove) →
разбить(to break) →
настоять(to insist) →
