Aspectual distinctions are really important when using gerunds in Russian. They help us show how actions are happening in sentences. If you want to learn Russian well, knowing these differences is super important!
In Russian, verbs can be perfective or imperfective.
Gerunds, which are formed from verbs, follow this rule:
Gerunds are made differently depending on the type of verb:
Imperfective Gerunds usually end with -я or -я (present active):
Perfective Gerunds often end with -в (past active):
When you use gerunds, think about the action and pick the right form.
Example Sentences:
Он читая книгу, чувствовал себя счастливым.
(While reading the book, he felt happy.)
Мы гуляя по парку, заметили много птиц.
(While walking in the park, we noticed many birds.)
What This Means: Here, the imperfective gerund shows actions that are happening now and focuses on the process.
Example Sentences:
Прочитав статью, я узнал много нового.
(Having read the article, I learned many new things.)
Сделав домашнее задание, она отправилась гулять.
(Having finished the homework, she went out for a walk.)
What This Means: In these examples, the perfective gerund talks about actions that are finished, giving more context in the sentence.
Choose the gerund based on the action:
Think about the context of the sentence. This can change the meaning and how the actions connect with each other.
Make sentences using both imperfective and perfective gerunds with these verbs:
This will help you understand how these aspectual distinctions affect gerunds in different situations!
Aspectual distinctions are really important when using gerunds in Russian. They help us show how actions are happening in sentences. If you want to learn Russian well, knowing these differences is super important!
In Russian, verbs can be perfective or imperfective.
Gerunds, which are formed from verbs, follow this rule:
Gerunds are made differently depending on the type of verb:
Imperfective Gerunds usually end with -я or -я (present active):
Perfective Gerunds often end with -в (past active):
When you use gerunds, think about the action and pick the right form.
Example Sentences:
Он читая книгу, чувствовал себя счастливым.
(While reading the book, he felt happy.)
Мы гуляя по парку, заметили много птиц.
(While walking in the park, we noticed many birds.)
What This Means: Here, the imperfective gerund shows actions that are happening now and focuses on the process.
Example Sentences:
Прочитав статью, я узнал много нового.
(Having read the article, I learned many new things.)
Сделав домашнее задание, она отправилась гулять.
(Having finished the homework, she went out for a walk.)
What This Means: In these examples, the perfective gerund talks about actions that are finished, giving more context in the sentence.
Choose the gerund based on the action:
Think about the context of the sentence. This can change the meaning and how the actions connect with each other.
Make sentences using both imperfective and perfective gerunds with these verbs:
This will help you understand how these aspectual distinctions affect gerunds in different situations!