Thread: Verb Prefixes

Can anyone supply a list of prefixes aand their meanings or point me towards a suitable reference for such information?
I have the directional prefixes that go with verbs of notion but haven't yet been able to find a comprehensive list of prefixes that go with other verbs.
Are there any rules about how prefixes alter aspect and/or meaning of verbs.
(In my second year of learning Russian I feel I have hit a bit of a wall with the complexities of aspect of verbs and remembering which is which!)

I've been studying for nearly seven years and I haven't mastered it either, so I wouldn't worry.

There are rules:

Unprefixed imperfective verb + prefix = perfective verb
читать (imp.) + про = прочитать (perf.)
говорить (imp.) + раз = разговорить (perf.)
думать (imp.) + пере = передумать (perf.)

You can add prefixes that form the "normal" perfect of a verb, e.g.:
делать + с = сделать
to do (imp.) / to do (perf.)
просить + по = попросить

But you can add a whole list of prefixes to verbs to form new verbs with new meanings:
читать - перечитать - to read / to reread
говорить - разговорить - to talk / to narrate, converse
говорить - обговорить - to talk / to debate

But as we've seen in my first point, when you add a prefix to an imperfective verb the resulting prefixed verb is perfective.

From these new prefixed perfective verbs you can then form secondary imperfectives. This is done by extending the verb ending with an infix. You will probably regonise these secondary imperfective forms, now you know how they are formed. Remember you can only make the present tense using imperfective verbs:

говорить (imp.) - to talk / speak
+ раз
разговорить (perf.) - to narrate / converse
разговаривать (imp.) - to narrate / converse (imperfective)

думать (imp.) - think
+ пере
передумать (perf.) - to rethink
передумывать (imp.) - to rethink

смотреть (imp.) - to watch
+ рас
рассмотреть (perf.) - to examine
рассматривать (imp.) - to examine

Generally speaking, you add -ив- or -ыв- before the verb suffix, but this also causes some vowel mutations, like the letter O mutates to A before the secondary imperfective infix.

I've got a book, A Comprehensive Russian Grammar by Terence Wade that lists the prefixes with most of their meanings, but it's too long for me to type out.

Usually adding a prefix to an imp. verb changes aspect, yes, but also changes the meaning.

читать - read
дочитать - read through to the end

Sometimes the prefix is "empty." For example писать - написать. The на has no function other than making the verb pfv. In dictionaries you will find the imp. paired with a corresponding prefixed pf verb that does not change meaning.

(TATY - glad to see someone else with T.Wade!)

Thanks for speedy and helpful responses folks. I'm beginning to cotton on I think!

Originally Posted by TATY

передумать (perf.) - to rethink
передумывать (imp.) - to rethink

Indeed?

Originally Posted by TATY

говорить - разговорить - to talk / to narrate, converse

говорить (imp.) - to talk / speak
+ раз
разговорить (perf.) - to narrate / converse
разговаривать (imp.) - to narrate / converse (imperfective)

No, разговорить doesn't mean to narrate / to converse.

to narrate = рассказать (perf.) / рассказывать (imperf.)
to converse = разговаривать (imperf.) / ~поговорить maybe (but not разговорить!)

Разговорить (perf.) means only "get talking" (вызвать на разговор). I.e. if a person is taciturn or just doesn't want to talk, but you talk to him, and talk to him, and you're talking about thing he finds interesting, he gradually/suddenly becomes enthusiastic about the conversation and begins to talk much about the point - it means you разговорил him.

Originally Posted by Cocos

Originally Posted by TATY

передумать (perf.) - to rethink
передумывать (imp.) - to rethink

Indeed?

Yes... in English "to rethink" can also mean "to change one's mind".

Originally Posted by TATY

Originally Posted by Cocos

Originally Posted by TATY

передумать (perf.) - to rethink
передумывать (imp.) - to rethink

Indeed?

Yes... in English "to rethink" can also mean "to change one's mind".

Thank you.

I don't understand why you posted "Indeed?" in the first place, are you questioning what I said....

Originally Posted by TATY

I don't understand why you posted "Indeed?" in the first place, are you questioning what I said....

Yea, "really?" would be better choice .

Originally Posted by chaika

...(TATY - glad to see someone else with T.Wade!)

На ebaу есть несколько штук.

Originally Posted by Dave T

Can anyone supply a list of prefixes aand their meanings or point me towards a suitable reference for such information?...

There are 20 verb prefixes, 15 preposition like, and 5 not. Sometimes add vowel before consonant clusters, and other usually obvious changes, like insert vowel, or з => с.

в до за из на над о (об) от по под пред при про с у

вз (воз) вы низ пере раз

I'll add the meanings.

Here is an interesting reference.

Originally Posted by Seraph

There are 20 verb prefixes, 15 preposition like, and 5 not. Sometimes add vowel before consonant clusters, and other usually obvious changes, like insert vowel, or з => с.

в до за из на над о (об) от по под пред при про с у

вз (воз) вы низ пере раз

I'll add the meanings.

There are much more.

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Here is an interesting reference.

Nice one - thank you!


Scott

Originally Posted by it-ogo

Here is an interesting reference.

Отлично! Now I don't have to explain! Except to say that a verb prefixed with до is often followed later by something using preposition до. Like this cartoon "Достать до неба."

Also, под sometimes has a meaning like "underhandedly" (not always). О/об/обо sometimes has meaning like 'to make', beside the 'around' or 'about' meaning.

Only ones not on there are над and низ.

Also, more than one prefix can be present. переиздавать перепродавать пересдавать пересоздавать преподавать распродавать и т. д.