Author: defeatedlord

Gerunds are verbal adverbs. They possess characteristics of both of these parts of speech.

1. Adverbial characteristics:

   (a)   Gerunds never change. They have no gender, number, or case.

   (b)   Gerunds answer the same types of questions as adverbs, i.e. когда, как, почему, etc.

2.   Verbal characteristics:

   (a)   Gerunds, as indicated above, have two aspects.

IMPERFECTIVE	читая газету	(while) reading the paper
PERFECTIVE	прочитав газету	having read the paper

   (b)   They are formed from transitive and intransitive verbs, and express correspondingly a transitive or intransitive action.

TRANSITIVE	читая книгу	(while) reading the book
INTRANSITIVE	сидя в кресле	(while) sitting in an armchair

   (c)   They govern the same case as the verb from which they are formed.

VERB	командовать полком (instr.)	to command a regiment
GERUND	командуя полком (instr.)	(while) commanding a regiment

   (d)   In certain constructions, gerunds call for the same preposition as the verb from which they are formed.

VERB	играть в шахматы	to play chess
GERUND	играя в шахматы	(while) playing chess

Formation of Present Gerunds 

Present gerunds are formed from the third person plural, present tense, by dropping the endings –ут, –ют or –ат, –ят and adding –я or -a to the stem. The ending -ais added to stems ending in -ж, -ч, -ш, -щ.

жить	живут	живя
читать	читают	читая
держать	держат	держа
сидеть	сидят	сидя

Irregular Formation

1.   The group of verbs ending in -вать preceded by да-, зна- or стa- form their gerund from the infinitive.

давать	(дают)	давая
вставать	(встают)	вставая

2.   Present gerunds may end occasionally in -учи or -ючи. This is usually limited to colloquial speech, folksongs or set expressions.

Examples:

едучи	going, driving (the only form used)
“Через поле идучи, Русу косу плетучи.”	“Walking through the field, Braiding (her) blond braids.”
жить припеваючи	to live in easy street, to be in clover (lit.:  to live and sing along)

Note: Only будучи, the present gerund of “быть”, belongs entirely to literary Russian.

3.  From many verbs, the present gerund is either not formed at all, or practically never used. To these belong:

   (a)   The verbs with no vowel in the stem of the present tense, such as: ждать (to wait) – жду, ждёшь;   врать (to tell lies) – вру, врёшь.

   (b)   The verbs ending in –чь, such as: мочь – to be able; жечь – to burn (transitive).

   (c)   The verbs with the suffix –нуть, such as: гибнуть – to perish; мокнуть – to get wet.

   (d)   The verbs below, and a few others:

бежать	to run		лезть	to climb
бить	to beat		мазать	to daub, to spread
вить	to twine, to spin		петь	to sing
вязать	to tie; to knit		писать	to write
лить	to pour		плясать	to dance
казаться	to seem, to appear		пить	to drink
шить	to sew		чесать	to scratch

Formation of Past Gerunds 

Past gerunds are formed from the past tense in the following ways:

1. When the stem of both the infinitive and the past ends in a vowel, -л is dropped from the past and -в is added to the stem:

написать (to write)	написал	написав
спросйть (to ask)	спросил	спросив

The alternate forms написавши, спросивши, etc. are seldom used.

2. When the stem of the infinitive ends in a vowel, and the stem of the past ends in a consonant other than -л, the ending -ть is dropped from the infinitive and -в is added to the stem.

запереть (to lock)	запер	заперев
привыкнуть (to get used to)	привык	привыкнув

Irregular Formation

1. A few verbs form their past gerunds from the perfective future, third person plural. To these belong:

   (a)   The compounds of идти

прийти (to come)	придут	придя
зайти (to drop in)	зайдут	зайдя
перейти (to cross)	перейдут	перейдя
найти (to find)	найдут	найдя

These gerunds resemble the present gerunds by form, that is by the ending –я. The parallel forms in -ши (пришедши, нашедши, etc.) are used less frequently.

   (b)   A few verbs which have the following past gerund forms:

привести (to lead to, to bring to)	приведут	приведя
принести (to bring)	принесут	принеся
услышать (to hear)	услышат	услышав
увидеть (to see)	увидят	увидев
предвидеть (to foresee)	предвидят	предвидя

Note:   Прочесть forms the gerund прочтя (of the same meaning as прочитав – which is formed from прочитать).

2. Finally, the past gerund in -a or –я is encountered in a few set expres­sions.

положа руку на сердце	frankly, honestly (lit. “with the hand on the heart”)
спустя рукава	carelessly (lit. “with sleeves down”)
сидеть сложа руки	to do nothing (lit. to sit with arms folded)

These adverbialized forms are limited to the expressions given above. Otherwise, the ending is regular: положив деньги в карман (having put the money in the pocket), сложив платок (having folded a handkerchief), etc.

Gerunds Formed from Verbs Ending in -ся

Gerunds are formed from reflexive verbs according to the basic rules given above. Two additional rules follow:

All reflexive gerunds end in –сь.

Past reflexive gerunds are formed with the suffixes -вши and -ши (not -в). 

Present Gerund:	одеваться	одеваются	одеваясь
Past Gerunds:	одеться	оделся	одевшись
	запереться	заперся	запершись

 

The Russian verb has 3 tenses and 2 aspects. Aspects describe different qualities of an action—it is either acting (the process of doing something—Imperfective) or the result of an action (after someone has finished doing something Perfective). Using the Imperfective/Perfective depends only on the intention of the speaker to emphasize different aspects of action in his or her speech.

Using an imperfective verb you can form the Present tense, the Past tense and the Future tense.
A perfective action is possible only in the Past or Future, because the idea of completion is incompatible with the Russian conception of present tense.

Aspect/Tense	Past	Present	Future
Perfective	Он прочитал эту книгу. He has read this book. ( ‘finished reading’ – the completion is emphasized)	–	Он прочитает эту книгу. He will have read this book. (the intention to complete is emphasized)
Imperfective	Он читал книгу. He was reading / read a book. (the result is not emphasized )	Он читает книгу. He is reading a book. (now )Вечером он часто читает.In the evening he often reads.(a habitual action)	Он будет читать книгу. He will be reading / will read a book. (the intention to complete is not emphasized)

There are two types of future tense in Russian: Imperfective Future and Perfective Future.

Imperfective Future requires the appropriate form of the verb быть “to be” agreeing with the subject followed by the imperfective infinitive. The Imperfective Future forms of verbs are used for

• repeated or habitual actions in the future: Летом я буду работать каждый день – In the summer I will work every day;
• actions in the future which do not emphasize the result: Завтра я буду читать, смотреть телевизор и отдыхать – Tomorrow I will read, watch TV and relax.

Perfective Future is formed from the perfective infinitive (for example: прочитать – to have read). The endings are identical to those of the Present tense forms. The Perfective Future forms of verbs are used to express:

• intention to complete an action in the future: Я прочитаю эту книгу завтра – I will have read this book tomorrow

Imperfective Future (will read/ will be reading)  Perfective Future (will have read)  я ты он (она) мы вы они  буду читать будешь читать будет читать будем читать будете читать будут читать  прочитаю прочитаешь прочитает прочитаем прочитаете прочитают

Be careful: do not confuse the following forms:

• • Present tense (only imperfective): я читаю – I am reading/ I read;
  • Future Perfective: я прочитаю – I will have read;
  • Future Imperfective: я буду читать – I will read/ will be reading.

To figure out if a verb is in the Present tense or Imperfective Future tense, you have to learn both Imperfective and Perfective infinitives for all Russian verbs. Dictionaries always show both perfective and imperfective infinitives with the imperfective verb listed first: читать (imperf.) – прочитать (perf.).

 

Reason or Cause

• потому что – because

Я закрыл окно, потому что стало холодно.

I closed the window because it became too cold.

• благодаря тому что – thanks to, due to the fact that

Благодаря тому, что операция была сделана вовремя, всё обошлось благополучно.

Due to the fact that the operation was performed on time, all turned out well.

Purpose

• что бы– to, in order to, so that

Я дал ему денег, чтобы он купил себе пальто.   Мы открыли окно, чтобы не было так жарко.

I gave him some money to buy himself an overcoat. We opened the window, so that it would not be so hot.

Condition

• если– if

Если вы не понимаете, я объясню вам.

If you do not understand, I will explain to you.

Concession

• хотя (хоть) – although, though

Было приятно пойти погулять, хотя было холодно.

It was nice to go for a walk, although it was cold.

• впрочем– however, but then

Мы можем пойти пешком; впрочем, как хотите.

We can go on foot, but then as you wish.

Comparison

• чем– than (used with the comparative degree)

Эта книга интереснее, чем та.

This book is more interesting than the other one.

A number of conjunctions are used to express as; like; as if:

как	as, like
как будто	as if
как будто бы
будто
будто бы
как бы

1. Как expresses a close comparison:

Он говорит как русский.	Не speaks like a Russian.
Служите мне, как вы ему служили. (Пушкин)	Serve me as you served him.

Sometimes, the comparison is more remote:

Вода как зеркало.

The water is like a mirror.

2. (Как) будто, (как) будто бы clearly express a hypothetical comparison.

Вы говорите, как будто вы ничего не знаете. (present)

You are speaking, as if you don’t know anything.

3. Как бы also is used to express a hypothetical idea:

Он остановился, как бы не зная, что делать.

Не stopped as if he did not know (as if not knowing) what to do.

• настолько … насколько– as … as

Oн настолько же умён, насколько (и) образован.

Не is as clever as he is well educated.

• не так … как or не настолько … насколько – not as … as

Он не так умён, как образован.

Не is not as clever as he is well educated. (He is more edu­cated than clever.)

• чем …тем – the … the

Чем раньше вы придёте, тем лучше.

The earlier you come the better.

• ли – whether, if

   (a) This conjunction is used in sentences which express a desire to find out something. It is used with verbs such as: спросить (to ask); узнать (to learn); выяснить (to find out), and also with хотеть знать (to want to know). For example:

Он спросил, пришли ли письма.	Не asked whether the letters had come.
Надо выяснить, можно ли рассчитывать на него.	We have to find out whether one can count on him.
Я хочу знать, есть ли здесь гараж.	I want to know if there is a garage here.

   (b) Ли also indicates doubt, uncertainty. It is used with many negated verbs.

He знаю, стоит ли писать об этом.	I don’t know whether it is worthwhile writing about it.
Я не помню, говорил ли я вам.	I don’t remember if I told you.
Она не пишет, приезжают ли дети.	She does not write whether the children are coming.

   (c) Ли is used after: неизвестно (not known); непонятно (not clear, incomprehensible); неясно (not clear); интересно (interesting).