Understanding the Present Tense of "делать" (to do) in Russian

Learning how to use the verb "делать" is super important if you want to get better at speaking and writing in Russian. This verb comes up a lot in everyday conversations. So, mastering its forms will really help you communicate better.

Present Tense Forms of "делать"

In Russian, how we change verbs for the present tense can be a bit tricky. "Делать" is a very common verb, and it follows some basic rules, but it has a few special changes, too.

Here are the present tense forms of "делать":

• Я делаю (ya delayu) - I do
• Ты делаешь (ty delayshʹ) - You do (talking to one person, informally)
• Он/Она/Оно делает (on/ona/ono delayet) - He/She/It does
• Мы делаем (my delayem) - We do
• Вы делаете (vy delayete) - You do (talking to multiple people or formally)
• Они делают (oni delayut) - They do

Important Changes in Conjugation

1. Stem Changes: The main part of the verb changes when we put it in the present tense. For "делать," the stem is "дел-," and the ending "ать" gets switched around:

   • Я делаю: The ending "-ю" means "I."
   • Ты делаешь: The ending "-ешь" means "you."
   • Они делают: The ending "-ют" means "they."

2. Vowel Changes: In "Ты делаешь," we see that the "-а-" in "дел-" changes to "-е-." This change shows it's an irregular form.

Using "делать" in Sentences

Here are some examples of how to use "делать" in sentences:

• Я делаю уроки.
  (I do my homework.)

• Ты делаешь кофе?
  (Are you making coffee?)

• Он делает это сейчас.
  (He is doing it right now.)

• Мы делаем ремонт.
  (We are fixing things up.)

• Вы делаете ошибку.
  (You are making a mistake.)

• Они делают всё возможное.
  (They are doing everything possible.)

Practice Exercises

Try these exercises to practice:

1. Fill in the blanks:

   • Каждый день я _____ (делать) зарядку.
     (Every day I do my exercises.)

2. Translate to Russian:

   • They do not do their chores.
     (Answer: Они не делают свои обязанности.)

3. Conjugate the verb in the present tense:

   • (Я / делать) покупки каждую субботу.
     (I do shopping every Saturday.)
     (Answer: Я делаю покупки каждую субботу.)

Extra Notes

• Perfective vs. Imperfective: Remember that "делать" is an imperfective verb. This means it talks about the process of doing something, not just finishing it. The perfective version is "сделать," which shows that something is completed.

• Common Phrases: Learn some common phrases with "делать," like "делать деньги" (to make money) or "делать паузу" (to take a break) to grow your vocabulary.

By practicing the present tense forms of "делать," you will not only get better with verbs, but you will also improve your Russian speaking and writing skills. The more you use these forms, the easier they will become!