Verbs of Motion with Prefixes

Learn about Verbs of Motion with Prefixes in Russian.

All Russian verbs of motion can be used with a variety of prefixes which specify the direction of the motion. The conjugation of a verb of motion with prefix is the same as of the verb without it:

ХОДИТЬ ПРИХОДИТЬ ПОДХОДИТЬ
Я хожу Я прихожу Я подхожу
Ты ходишь Ты приходишь Ты подходишь
Он/она ходит Он/она приходит Он/она подходит
Мы ходим Мы приходим Мы подходим
Вы ходите Вы приходите Вы подходите
Они ходят Они приходят Они подходят

Here you can see the conjugation of verb ходить without prefix and with prefixes при- and под-. As you can see there are no any differences in the conjugation. The same is true for all the other prefixes.

The exceptions are the verbs ездить and плавать. Compare the conjugation of these verbs with and without prefixes:

ЕЗДИТЬ ПРИЕЗЖАТЬ ПОДЪЕЗЖАТЬ*
Я езжу Я приезжаю Я подъезжаю
Ты ездишь Ты приезжаешь Ты подъезжаешь
Он/она ездит Он/она приезжает Он/она подъезжает
Мы ездим Мы приезжаем Мы подъезжаем
Вы ездите Вы приезжаете Вы подъезжаете
Они ездят Они приезжают Они подъезжают

*If prefix ends with a consonant and the first letter of the verb is a vowel we need to use ъ between them: объезжать, подъезжать etc.

ПЛАВАТЬ ПРИПЛЫВАТЬ ПОДПЛЫВАТЬ*
Я плаваю Я приплываю Я подплываю
Ты плаваешь Ты приплываешь Ты подплываешь
Он/она плавает Он/она приплывает Он/она подплывает
Мы плаваем Мы приплываем Мы подплываем
Вы плаваете Вы приплываете Вы подплываете
Они плавают Они приплывают Они подплывают

You should also be attentive to the stress, as it may differ in the forms of a verb with and without prefix: бе́гать – подбега́ть – прибега́ть.

Unlike verbs of motion without prefix, the ones with prefixes have both Perfective and Imperfective aspects. Imperfective aspect is formed with the multidirectional verb, which without prefix denoted regular action, action back and forth (e.g. ходить, ездить, летать, бегать etc.) Perfective aspect we get from the unidirectional verbs (e.g. идти, ехать, лететь, бежать etc).

THE PREFIXES AND THEIR MEANING

ПО-

The only prefix, which doesn’t specify the direction of the motion, is prefix ПО-. It has three meanings:

  1. Beginning of the motion: Урок закончился и мы пошли домой (The lesson ended and we went home)
  2. Intention to commit the action in future: Летом я поеду в Москву (I will go to Moscow in summer)
  3. Short-term motion with no particular direction which was in process for some time and has been finished already: Сегодня я немного побегал по парку (I have run in the park for a while today) Prepositions В, К, НА, С, ИЗ, ОТ are used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

ATTENTION! The verbs with this prefix have no imperfective aspect.

ПРИ-

This prefix means arriving, coming to your destination or delivering something at certain place:

Он приехал в Москву вчера (He arrived in Moscow yesterday).

Разносчик пиццы принёс мне заказ очень быстро (The pizza guy delivered my order very quickly).

If used in the Past tense, imperfective form of the verb means that the subject had come to some place and then left:

К нам приезжал мой дядя из Москвы (My uncle from Moscow had been visiting us (he has already returned to Moscow)).

Prepositions В, К, НА, С, ИЗ, ОТ are used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

У-

This prefix has the meaning opposite to the previous one.

It denotes leaving some place (far from the place, for a long time/forever).

Летом иностранные студенты уезжают на родину (In summer foreign students leave for their countries).

Этот студент не сдал экзамен и уехал из России (This student failed the exam and left Russia).

If used in the Past tense, imperfective form of the verb means that the subject had left the place but then came back:

Я уезжал из Москвы на два месяца (I left Moscow for two months (but I’ve come back)).

Prepositions В, К, НА, С, ИЗ, ОТ are used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

В-/ВО-

This prefix denotes:

  1. Motion inside some place or object, entering some place: Мы вошли в комнату и увидели Анну (We entered the room and saw Ann).
  2. Motion upwards: Машина медленно въезжала на гору (The car was slowly driving up the mountain).

Prepositions В, НА are used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

ВЫ-

This prefix has the meaning opposite to the previous one. It denotes:

  1. Motion from inside to outside: Утром я выхожу из дома в 8 часов (I leave home at 8 o'clock in the morning)
  2. Short absence of the subject: Можно мне выйти? (May I step out?)
  3. Departure (with the time of leaving): Самолет вылетает в 12.00 (The plane leaves at 12.00)

Prepositions ИЗ, С, ОТ, НА, К are used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

ПРО-

The prefix denotes:

  1. Motion past an object: Он прошёл мимо меня и не поздоровался (He walked past me and didn't say hello)
  2. Motion through, between something: Давайте пройдём через парк, эта дорога короче (Let’s go through the park. This way is shorter)
  3. Movement associated with time (Perfective form only) or distance (both Perfective and Imperfective forms): Мы проходили по музею 2 часа (We’ve walked about museum for 2 hours). Каждый день я пробегаю 3 километра (Every day I run 3 kilometers).

Prepositions МИМО, ПЕРЕД, ЧЕРЕЗ, СКВОЗЬ are used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

ПЕРЕ-

The prefix denotes:

  1. Motion from one side of the object to the other: Мы перешли через реку по мосту (We crossed the river over the bridge.)
  2. Motion from one point to another: Студенты перенесли стулья из одной аудитории в другую (Students moved chairs from one classroom to another)
  3. Change place of residence, work, study: Мы переехали из Москвы в Петербург (We moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg)

Prepositions ЧЕРЕЗ, ИЗ/В, С/НА are used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

ЗА-

The prefix denotes:

  1. Brief deviation from the intended path for some purpose: По дороге домой я зашёл в магазин (On the way home I went to the store).
  2. Becoming invisible because of some object, to be further than this object: Солнце зашло за тучу (The sun got behind a cloud).
  3. Finding yourself or some object in an unexpected place or far away: Мы зашли так далеко в лес, что заблудились (We went so far into the woods that got lost).

Prepositions В, НА, К, ЗА are used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

ПОД-/ПОДО-

This prefix is used to show that you approach some place or object but don’t get inside it: Машина подъехала к дому и остановилась (The car drove up to the house and stopped). Мы подошли к картине и долго рассматривали её (We went to the picture and were gazing at it for a long time).

Preposition К is used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

ПОД-/ПОДО-

This prefix is used to show that you approach some place or object but don’t get inside it: Машина подъехала к дому и остановилась (The car drove up to the house and stopped). Мы подошли к картине и долго рассматривали её (We went to the picture and were gazing at it for a long time).

Preposition К is used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

ОТ-/ОТО-

  1. The meaning of the prefix is opposite to ПОД-/ПОДО-: Going away from something for a short distance: Он помахал мне рукой и отошёл от окна (He waved his hand to me and went away from the window)
  2. With the verbs нести/носить, везти/возить, вести/водить the prefix has the meaning “deliver/take something or somebody to some place”: Я прочитал эту книгу, мне нужно отнести её в библиотеку (I’ve read this book and need to take it to the library).

Preposition ОТ/ОТО is used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

ДО-

Verbs used with this prefix denote reaching some object or getting to some place: Мы дошли до дома за полчаса (It took us half an hour to get home).

Мы дошли до дома за полчаса (It took us half an hour to get home).

Скажите пожалуйста, как доехать до театра? (Could you tell me how can I get to the theater?).

Я дошёл до парка и решил подождать своих друзей на входе (I reached the park and decided to wait for my friends at the entrance).

Preposition ДО is used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

С-/СО-

The prefix has several meanings:

  1. Motion down or aside: Дети сбежали с горы (The children ran down from the mountain). Он съехал с дороги, чтобы пропустить машину скорой помощи (He drove off the road to give way for the ambulance).
  2. Motion from different sides to one point, to gather: На рождество все члены семьи съезжаются в дом бабушки (At Christmas all family members come to the grandmother's house).
  3. With multidirectional verbs the prefix can denote movement back and forth with some target or result. In this case, the verb is used in perfective form: Сходи, пожалуйста, в магазин за хлебом (Could you go to the shop to buy some bread?)

Prepositions В, НА, К, С are used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

РАЗ-/РАС-/РАЗО- (+ ся)

This prefix serves as the opposition to the 2nd meaning of the prefix СО- and denotes motion from one point to different directions:

Вечеринка закончилась и все разошлись по домам (The party ended and everyone went home).

Каждый день почтальон разносит письма (Every day the postman delivers letters (from one point – the post office to different directions – houses of the addressees)).

Prepositions В, ПО are used with verbs of motion with this prefix.

ОБ-/ОБО-

This prefix can mean that

  1. You had some hindrance on your way, you got around it and continued your way: Он обошёл лужу чтобы не промочить ноги (He walked around the puddle not to wet his feet).
  2. You move around something: Он обошёл лужу чтобы не промочить ноги (He walked around the puddle not to wet his feet).
  3. While moving you visit a number of places: Он обошёл лужу чтобы не промочить ноги (He walked around the puddle not to wet his feet).

Preposition ВОКРУГ is used with verbs of motion with this prefix in its 2nd meaning. The first and third meanings don’t require prepositions.

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