Language/Russian/Grammar/How-to-Use-be
Hi Russian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "be" in Russian. We will look at the conjugation of the verb, its usage in sentences, and some examples.
After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: А vs Но & Introduction to Pronouns.
Conjugation
The verb "be" in Russian is conjugated as follows:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| I | Я есть (ya yest') | Мы есть (my yest') |
| You | Ты есть (ty yest') | Вы есть (vy yest') |
| He/She/It | Он/Она/Оно есть (on/ona/ono yest') | Они есть (oni yest') |
Usage
The verb "be" is used in Russian to express existence, identity, or location. It is also used to form the present tense.
For example:
- Я есть учитель (ya yest' uchitel') - I am a teacher.
- Он есть в классе (on yest' v klasse) - He is in the classroom.
- Она есть моя сестра (ona yest' moya sestra) - She is my sister.
Examples
Here are some examples of sentences using the verb "be":
| Russian | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Я есть счастливый | ya yest' schastlivyj | I am happy |
| Она есть дома | ona yest' doma | She is at home |
| Они есть друзья | oni yest' druz'ya | They are friends |
| Ты есть готовый? | ty yest' gotovyj? | Are you ready? |
| Мы есть здесь | my yest' zdes' | We are here |
Let's look at a dialogue using the verb "be":
- Person 1: Где ты есть? (Gde ty yest'?) - Where are you?
- Person 2: Я есть дома. (Ya yest' doma.) - I am at home.
- Person 1: А где они есть? (A gde oni yest'?) - And where are they?
- Person 2: Они есть в школе. (Oni yest' v shkole.) - They are at school.
Cultural Information
In Russian, the verb "be" is used to express identity. For example, if someone asks you "Кто ты есть?" (Kto ty yest'?), which means "Who are you?", you can answer "Я есть учитель" (Ya yest' uchitel'), which means "I am a teacher".
Quiz
Test your knowledge of the verb "be" with this quiz:
1. How do you say "We are here" in Russian? A. Мы есть здесь (My yest' zdes') B. Мы есть там (My yest' tam) C. Мы есть дома (My yest' doma)
2. How do you say "Are you ready?" in Russian? A. Ты есть готовый? (Ty yest' gotovyj?) B. Ты есть счастливый? (Ty yest' schastlivyj?) C. Ты есть здесь? (Ty yest' zdes'?)
3. How do you say "She is my sister" in Russian? A. Она есть моя сестра (Ona yest' moya sestra) B. Она есть моя друг (Ona yest' moya drug) C. Она есть моя мама (Ona yest' moya mama)
Answers: 1. A, 2. A, 3. A
➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎
Other Lessons
- Very important rules
- Кое То Нибудь
- Questions
- Tricky Adverbs
- Pronouns
- Gender
- Use of the verb быть in the past
- How to Use Have
- Personal Pronouns
Sources
- Modern Russian Grammar in Use: A systematic ... - Amazon.com
- Russian grammar - Wikipedia
- Russian Grammar - Learn Russian for Free