Aspect Pairs with Suffixes or Different Stems
Some aspect partners differ inside the word: купляць (to buy, imperfective) and купіць (to buy, perfective). Я звычайна купляю хлеб тут. Учора я купіў торт.
How It Works
You already know pairs made with a prefix (prefix pairs): рабіць → зрабіць. Many other pairs are built differently:
- -ва- in the imperfective: даваць / даць (give), уставаць / устаць (get up), адкрываць / адкрыць (open), адпачываць / адпачыць (rest).
- -а- against -і- or -ы-: купляць / купіць (buy), вырашаць / вырашыць (decide), паўтараць / паўтарыць (repeat).
- -ва- or -іва- after a consonant: адказваць / адказаць (answer), атрымліваць / атрымаць (receive).
- A changed stem: пачынаць / пачаць (begin).
- Different words: браць / узяць (take), гаварыць / сказаць (speak, say).
The rule of thumb: the longer verb is usually imperfective. The meaning is the same as with any pair (aspect): the imperfective is for a process, habit or general fact, and the perfective for one completed result.
Future forms. The perfective uses present-style endings to talk about the future (the simple future), and some of these forms are irregular: куплю, купіш; пачну, пачнеш; скажу, скажаш; вазьму, возьмеш; дам, дасі. So Я куплю хлеб means I will buy bread, never I am buying it.
Гаварыць and сказаць. Гаварыць is to speak or talk: Ён гаворыць па-беларуску. Сказаць is to say something once: Што ён сказаў? (What did he say?)
Examples (6)
- Я звычайна купляю хлеб у гэтай краме.
I usually buy bread in this shop.
Word by Word: I usually buy bread in this shop.
A habit, so the imperfective купляць.
- Учора я купіў новы тэлефон.
Yesterday I bought a new phone.
Word by Word: Yesterday I bought new phone.
One completed purchase, so the perfective купіць.
- Заўтра мы пачнём новую тэму.
Tomorrow we will start a new topic.
Word by Word: Tomorrow we will-begin new topic.
- Вазьмі парасон, будзе дождж.
Take an umbrella, it's going to rain.
Word by Word: Take umbrella, will-be rain.
Вазьмі is the imperative of узяць.
- Што ён сказаў?
What did he say?
Word by Word: What he said?
- Я адкажу на ліст заўтра.
I will answer the letter tomorrow.
Word by Word: I will-answer to letter tomorrow.
Common Mistakes
Using the perfective for a habit.
Я кожны дзень куплю хлеб.Я кожны дзень купляю хлеб.Кожны дзень describes a habit, which needs the imperfective купляю. Куплю is the future of the perfective.
Putting a perfective infinitive after буду.
Заўтра я буду купіць хлеб.Заўтра я куплю хлеб.Буду only combines with imperfective infinitives. A perfective forms its future on its own: куплю.
Guessing a regular future for узяць.
Я ўзяю гэтую кнігу.Я вазьму гэтую кнігу.Узяць has an irregular future: вазьму, возьмеш, возьме.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Suffix pairs follow prefix pairs.
Related Patterns
- Verb Aspect
What the two aspects mean.
Level 2 - Perfective Future
How the perfectives in these pairs form their future.
Level 3 - буду + InfinitiveCompound Future of Imperfective Verbs
The imperfective future, which only works with the imperfective partner.
Level 3 - Secondary Imperfectives
Later: prefixed perfectives build new imperfectives with the same suffixes.
Level 5
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Aspect Pairs with Suffixes or Different Stems in Bubblegum
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