Colloquial Russian

274 Unit 19: Образова�ние

Present passive participle

The present passive participle is formed by adding the ending -ый

to the first person plural (мы form) of the present tense of the verb:

чита�ть – (мы) чита�ем – чита�емый. If the first person plural ends

in -ём, this changes to -ом in the present passive participle: нести� –

(мы) несём – несо�мый.

Several verbs, particularly irregular 1st conjugation verbs, e.g. пить,

петь, брать, писать, do not have a present passive participle.

The participle declines in the same way as adjectives ending in -ый

and agrees in number, gender and case with the noun it describes. This

participle is less commonly used than the past passive participle. Some

words which are present passive participles in origin are now used sim-

ply as adjectives: люби�мый ‘favourite’ (lit. ‘being loved’); уважа�емый

‘respected’.

The present passive participle is not normally used to form the pas-

sive voice of the verb. Instead, use either a reflexive verb in the pres-

ent tense or the third person plural of the verb without они�: Кни�га

чита�ется/чита�ют кни�гу ‘A book is being read’; Дом стро�ится/

стро�ят дом ‘A house is being built’.

Упражне�ние 1

Form present passive participle from the following verbs.

получа�ть, создава�ть, люби�ть, уважа�ть, называ�ть, предлага�ть,

проводи�ть, изуча�ть, финанси�ровать, испо�льзовать, покупа�ть,

продава�ть

Упражне�ние 2

Replace the infinitive in brackets by the appropriate forms of the pres-

ent passive participle.

For example:

Клуб (посеща�ть) студе�нтами о�чень популя�рен. Клуб,

посеща�емый студе�нтами, о�чень популя�рен

1 В 1985 году� на�чался но�вый пери�од росси�йской исто�рии,

(называ�ть) перестро�йкой.