Thread: Needing a little help on verbs...And should Я be capitalized like the English "I"?

This is something I've been wondering about a little...So I know that verbs are used in their original forms based on what you're talking about (example: я хочу читать.)

But what about things that will be done in the future? Example: я скоро спать. I should not say "Я скоро спаю", or should I? Because спаю means I am currently sleeping.

Also another question: Is capitalization any different in Russian? Like would you capitalize Я if you were to say "Это Я" (This is I). And for somebody's name, would you capitalize it? (Это Миша)

First of all, "I am sleeping" is "Я сплю". "Спаю" is incorrect.
You should say "Я скоро буду спать". "Буду" is something like "will". "I will do something" is equal to "Я буду делать что-то".
You should capitalize "я" only if it is placed at the beginning of the sentence. Names are always capitalized.

Correct my mistakes please.

Originally Posted by yswaq

But what about things that will be done in the future? Example: я скоро спать. I should not say "Я скоро спаю", or should I? Because спаю means I am currently sleeping.

If you want to say I am currently sleeping using the verb спать, you should say Я сплю or Я сейчас сплю. (The verb спать has no form like спаю!)
If you want to say that you will go to bed (soon) (in 5 minutes, for example), you should say Я (скоро) пойду спать (через 5 минту, например).

Different verbs have different ways of forming forms of the Future. For instance:

Infinitive (imperfective aspect) - Present/Continuous - Future
идти - я иду (сейчас) - я пойду (завтра)
думать - я думаю (сейчас) - я подумаю (завтра)
писать - я пишу (сейчас) - я попишу (завтра)
читать - я читаю (сейчас) - я почитаю (завтра)
пить - я пью (сейчас) - я попью (завтра)
делать - я делаю (сейчас) - я поделаю (завтра)
ехать - я еду (сейчас) - я поеду (завтра)
спать - я сплю (сейчас) - я посплю (завтра) (= буду спать because imperfective aspect) etc

As you've noticed, in order to make the future verb it's essential to remember a Present tense verb and then add the prefix по to it (сплю -> по + сплю = я посплю). But there may be some exceptions to the rule. And this rule deals only with imperfective aspect. The rule(s) for perfective aspect is different (are different)!

Infinitive (perfective aspect) - Present/Continuous - Future
придти - я иду (сейчас) - я приду (завтра)
подумать - я думаю (сейчас) - я подумаю (завтра)
написать - я пишу (сейчас) - я напишу (завтра)
прочитать - я читаю (сейчас) - я прочитаю (завтра)
выпить - я пью (сейчас) - я выпью (завтра)
сделать - я делаю (сейчас) - я сделаю (завтра)
приехать - я еду (сейчас) - я приеду (завтра)
поспать - я сплю (сейчас) - я посплю (завтра) etc

As you've noticed, in order to make the future verb it's essential to remember an infinitive verb form, look at its prefix, recollect a Present tense verb and then add the prefix of the infinitive to the Present tense verb (подумать -> по- -> думаю -> по + думаю = подумаю). But there are exceptions, e.g:

Infinitive (perfective aspect) - Present/Continuous - Future
сказать - я говорю (сейчас) - я скажу (завтра)
упасть - я падаю (сейчас)- я упаду (завтра) etc
There might be another rule for these verbs...

Originally Posted by yswaq

Like would you capitalize Я if you were to say "Это Я" (This is I).

In Russian, all of pronouns is written with a small letter:

Это я/мы/ты/вы/он/она/оно/они.

There is the only exception which is to capitalize the pronoun вы ( -> Вы) when you want to show your respect for someone who you address to (but there are a number of other reasons as well) and:

Originally Posted by Dmitry Khomitchuk

if it is placed at the beginning of the sentence. Names are always capitalized.

Wow thanks a lot!! Very nice answers and Dmitry, your English was perfect. ("Correct My Mistakes" I assume means to help with your English in case you were wrong)

Originally Posted by Dmitry Khomitchuk

You should capitalize "я" only if it is placed at the beginning of the sentence. Names are always capitalized.

This is true. Russian grammar, and English grammar differ with captilization rules quite a bit. In English - months, days of the week, entire names of businesses such as "Bank of America", names, and what not are capitalized. However, in Russian - months and days of the week are not capitalized, and only the first name of a business, or similar companies, will be capitalized. For example, in Russian it would be "Bank of america."

Any pronoun such as я, ты, он, etc. will only be capitalized at the beginning of a sentence.

Originally Posted by krwright13

... For example, in Russian it would be "Bank of america." ...

На русском это будет "Банк Америки".

Originally Posted by yswaq

But what about things that will be done in the future?

I really don't want to discourage you too early in the game (so please don't be! ), but Russian verbs change (Grammatical conjugation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) depending on the sentence structure. (There are lots of other languages which do the same thing.) Unfortunately, the only good way to use the verbs correctly is to memorize all of those forms! The good part though, is that some verbs look similar to each other and so they change similarly. As to "спать" : спать - Wiktionary

Originally Posted by Lampada

На русском это будет "Банк Америки".

Правда? Я думал, что это был «Банк америки».


Лучше пример - МГУ - Московском государственный университет.

Originally Posted by krwright13

Лучше пример - МГУ - Московском государственный университет.

Hmm, I would write each word capitalized. But, anyway, "America" names a country (actually it names a part of world, but here I assume it's a country) while "university" is just a word...

Originally Posted by krwright13

Правда? Я думал, что это был «Банк америки».


Лучше пример - МГУ - Московском государственный университет.

С каких пор имена собственные в русском языке стали писаться с маленькой буквы? Правильно Америки

Like I said, it was just to my understanding. The text book which my classes uses expresses proper names in such a manner.