пойти / поехать

Setting Off

Level 3Sounds Like pojti / poehatʹ

Пойти (on foot) and поехать (by vehicle) are perfective verbs used to describe the start of a movement. They focus on the act of setting off toward a destination.

How It Works

In Russian, the prefix по- added to a unidirectional verb of motion creates an inceptive meaning—it marks the beginning of the action.

1. The Future Tense:
These verbs are the standard way to express a single, planned trip in the future.

  • Я пойду в кино. (I will go to the cinema — I will set off for it).

2. The Past Tense:
When used in the past, these verbs imply that the person has left for a destination but has not yet returned. If the trip is finished and the person is back, you must use the multidirectional imperfective (e.g., ходил).

  • Он пошёл в магазин. (He headed out to the store — he is likely still there or on his way).
  • Immediate Future: In colloquial speech, the past tense is often used to mean 'I'm off' or 'I'm leaving right now' (e.g., Я пошёл!).

3. Weather and Inception:
The verb пойти is the standard way to describe weather starting.

4. Conjugation Notes:

  • Пойти: Future: пойду, пойдёшь, пойдут. Past: пошёл, пошла, пошли (Irregular).
  • Поехать: Future: поеду, поедешь, поедут. Past: поехал, поехала, поехали.

5. Idiomatic Exhortations:
While the morphological imperative of поехать is поезжай(те), the past tense form Поехали! is famously used idiomatically as a command or exhortation meaning 'Let's go!' or 'We're off!', focusing on the start of the drive.

Examples (4)

  1. Он пошёл в аптеку за лекарством.

    He set off for the pharmacy for medicine.

    Word by Word: He went to pharmacy for medicine.

    The use of 'пошёл' indicates he has started walking there and is currently away.

  2. Завтра мы поедем в город на машине.

    Tomorrow we will go to the city by car.

    Word by Word: Tomorrow we will-go to city on car.

    This uses the perfective future of 'поехать' to describe a single planned trip by vehicle.

  3. Пойдёмте скорее, фильм уже начинается!

    Let's go quickly, the movie is already starting!

    Word by Word: Let's-go quickly, film already starts!

    The imperative 'пойдёмте' encourages the group to start moving immediately.

  4. Она поехала в отпуск в Испанию.

    She went (set off) on vacation to Spain.

    Word by Word: She went on vacation to Spain.

    This implies she has departed for Spain and is currently there or in transit.

Common Mistakes

  • Not knowing that 'ходил' sums up a finished trip.

    Different MeaningВчера я пошёл в музей, а потом пришёл домой.
    Вчера я ходил в музей.

    The sentence is correct: it tells the day step by step. 'Вчера я ходил в музей' simply says you made the trip and are back.

  • Using 'пойти' for habitual actions.

    Каждый день я пойду в школу.
    Каждый день я хожу в школу.

    In the present, a habit needs the imperfective 'хожу'. 'Пойду' is future ('I will go'), so it does not describe a daily habit.

How It Connects

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пойти / поехатьLevel 3Setting Off

Learn This First

To understand 'пойти' and 'поехать', learners must first be familiar with the basic unidirectional verbs of motion for walking (идти) and driving (ехать). Additionally, they need to know how to express the destination using the accusative case with the prepositions 'в' or 'на'.

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Words in This Pattern

пойтипоехать