Thread: Russian present-tense conjugations? Help!

Okay, so let's say you have the verb понимать (to understand), you would use the simple 'ть' conjugation correct?

For example: Я понимаю, Ты понимаешь, Etc...

But, for the verb слышать (to hear) it uses the other type of conjugation.

For example: Я слы́шу, Ты слы́шишь, Etc...

So if they both end in 'ать' why do you conjugate them both differently!?

Somebody please help to explain this to me because I am getting frustrated. Lol, thank you!

Regards
Ivan

It just so happens that two two conjugations appear to overlap in the infinitival forms here. It is rarely informative to ask "why?" about such things. Like "what is a cran?" I mean, I know what blue+berry, straw+berry, etc. are but what is a cran? =:^) Basically, you just have to memorize them. There aren't very many of these. The answer to "why?" is usually "History."

Now ask me about хочу хочешь хочет 1st conjugation, but хотим хотите хотят 2nd conj. No, don't!

So, this is not because of a rule of some sort? It just happens simply because the creators of the Russian language made it like that? Hmmm.... Okay.

Well, thanks I guess.

There is probably some historical reason.

Maybe it helps you: the letter ш usually doesn't use with ю. There is a rule: ЧУ и ЩУ пиши с буквой У

Originally Posted by Kushnikov

So, this is not because of a rule of some sort? It just happens simply because the creators of the Russian language made it like that? Hmmm.... Okay.

Well, thanks I guess.

Languages don't get created, they develop, and never stop doing so. And like with any natural process some flaws and inconsistencies arise. There is no language (apart from artificial ones) which exists because someone created a rules system for it. Languages grow and you can formulate rules for how they work afterwards by looking at them and analyzing them. But just like you can't formulate a rules set for the growth of trees which will then enable you to precalculate exactly how a seed which you plant will develop, so you cannot expect rules to explain every single facet of a language.

Rules are the map, not the territory, and one shouldn't confuse the two.

Nice analogy bitpicker.