Unit 11: How to rent a flat in Moscow 155
Formation of the perfective future
The future tense is formed from a perfective infinitive in the same way
that the present tense is formed from the imperfective infinitive, by
using the familiar 1st or 2nd conjugation endings, e.g.:
прочита�ть ‘to read’ (perfective) 1st conjugation
я прочита�ю ‘I shall read, мы прочита�ем
shall have read’ etc.
ты прочита�ешь вы прочита�ете
он/она�/оно� прочита�ет oни� прочита�ют
позвони�ть ‘to ring’ (perfective) 2nd conjugation
я позвоню� ‘I shall ring, мы позвони�м
shall have rung’ etc.
ты позвони�шь вы позвони�те
он/она�/оно� позвони�т они� позвоня�т
Imperfective and perfective pairs
The two verbs are usually very similar. The two commonest ways in
which perfective verbs differ from their imperfective partners are (a) by
the addition of a prefix or (b) by internal modification.
(a) Some common perfectives differ as a result of prefixes.
The perfective future of these verbs will be conjugated in the same
way as the present tense but with the addition of the prefix.
Imperfective Perfective
пить вы�пить
писа�ть написа�ть
рисова�ть нарисова�ть
ду�мать поду�мать
за�втракaть поза�втракать
звони�ть позвони�ть
знако�миться познако�миться