ты + -ешь/-ишь

Present Second-person Singular Verb

Level 1Sounds Like ty + -ešʹ/-išʹ

In Russian, when you talk to one person informally (like a friend), you use the pronoun ты and change the verb ending to -ешь (or -ёшь) for Type 1 verbs, or -ишь for Type 2 verbs.

How It Works

To address someone informally, you use the pronoun ты. The verb ending depends on the conjugation group and is added to the present/future tense stem. This means the exact same conjugation pattern is used for the present tense of imperfective verbs and the simple future tense of perfective verbs (for example, сделать becomes ты сделаешь). Note that this stem often differs from the infinitive stem (for example, жить becomes жив-).

  • First Conjugation (Type 1): Includes most verbs ending in -ать, -еть, -уть, and consonant stems. The ending is -ешь. If the ending is stressed, it becomes -ёшь (using the letter ё). Many Type 1 verbs have consonant mutations in their stem (e.g., писать becomes пишешь). Verbs ending in -чь (like мочь, печь) have specific stem changes (можешь, печёшь).
    Important Sub-group: Verbs ending in -овать or -евать change their stem significantly. The -ова- or -ева- becomes -у- or -ю- before adding the ending (e.g., танцевать becomes танцуешь, not 'танцеваеш').
    Note: Many common monosyllabic verbs ending in -ить (like пить, лить, шить, бить) actually follow Type 1. They drop the vowel and add a soft sign before a stressed -ёшь ending (e.g., пить becomes ты пьёшь). There are exceptions, such as гнить (to rot), which keeps the vowel (ты гниёшь), and жить (to live), which adds a в (ты живёшь). The verbs брить (to shave) and стелить (to lay) also end in -ить but take Type 1 endings (бреешь, стелешь). The verb хотеть is 'mixed' but uses the Type 1 ending хочешь.
  • Second Conjugation (Type 2): Most verbs ending in -ить. The ending is -ишь. Unlike the 'я' form, Type 2 verbs do not undergo consonant mutation in the 'ты' form (e.g., любить becomes любишь, not 'люблишь').
    Exceptions: There are 11 common exception verbs ending in -еть or -ать that take Type 2 endings despite their infinitive: 7 verbs in -еть (смотреть, видеть, ненавидеть, терпеть, обидеть, вертеть, зависеть) and 4 verbs in -ать (гнать, держать, дышать, слышать). Note that while most of these have unstressed endings, терпеть has a stressed ending. Generally, verbs with stressed endings are conjugated strictly by how they sound, regardless of their infinitive. For example, спать (ты спишь), лежать (лежишь), стоять (стоишь), and молчать (молчишь) take Type 2 endings. The mixed verb бежать also takes the Type 2 ending (бежишь).

Irregular Verbs: The highly irregular verbs дать and есть become дашь and ешь. This unique conjugation applies to all their prefixed forms as well (e.g., продать becomes продашь, съесть becomes съешь).

Reflexive Verbs: When forming the 'ты' conjugation for reflexive verbs, the reflexive suffix -ся is added after the soft sign (e.g., ты учишься, ты смеёшься). Do not use -сь here.

Important Note on Spelling: Even though the letter ш is always hard in Russian, you must write the soft sign (-ь) at the end of these forms. It is a strictly grammatical requirement.

Usage: Use this form with people you know well, children, or pets. It is also traditionally used when addressing God, reflecting a reverent, absolute relationship rather than casual intimacy. For strangers or formal situations, use the вы form instead.

Examples (6)

  1. Ты хорошо говоришь по-русски.

    You speak Russian well.

    Word by Word: You well speak in-Russian.

    The verb 'говорить' is a Type 2 verb, so it takes the -ишь ending.

  2. Что ты сейчас читаешь?

    What are you reading right now?

    Word by Word: What you now read?

    The verb 'читать' is a Type 1 verb, so it takes the -ешь ending.

  3. Где ты живёшь?

    Where do you live?

    Word by Word: Where you live?

    The verb 'жить' has a stressed ending, so it uses -ёшь (using the letter ё).

  4. Ты меня слышишь?

    Do you hear me?

    Word by Word: You me hear?

    The verb 'слышать' is a common exception; even though it ends in -ать, it takes the Type 2 ending -ишь.

  5. Что ты пьёшь?

    What are you drinking?

    Word by Word: What you drink?

    Common monosyllabic verbs like 'пить' (to drink) are exceptions; they take Type 1 endings like -ёшь instead of Type 2.

  6. Ты хочешь чай?

    Do you want tea?

    Word by Word: You want tea?

    The verb 'хотеть' (to want) is a mixed conjugation verb. For the ты form, it uses the Type 1 ending -ешь.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the soft sign (-ь) at the end.

    Ты читаеш.
    Ты читаешь.

    In Russian, the second-person singular ending must always include the soft sign, even though it doesn't change the pronunciation of the 'ш'.

  • Using 'ты' in formal situations.

    Простите, что ты делаешь?
    Простите, что вы делаете?

    Using 'ты' with a stranger or a superior can be seen as rude. Use 'вы' unless you are on friendly terms.

How It Connects

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ты + -ешь/-ишьLevel 1Present Second-person Singular Verb

Learn This First

To conjugate verbs for the second-person singular, you must first know the informal pronoun 'ты' and understand how to identify a verb's stem from its infinitive form.

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