russian word
to begin, start in Russian: начинать
verbimperfectivelevel A1#344 by frequency
every form stress-marked · levels from the official TORFL lexical minimum
Мы начинаем урок. We are starting the lesson.
Я обычно начинаю день с чашки кофе. I usually begin my day with a cup of coffee.
Aspect pair
This verb is imperfective: ongoing or repeated action. Its perfective partner, for a completed one-time result, is
Conjugation of начинать
Stress marks show the stressed vowel; it moves between forms more often than learners expect.
| present | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| я / мы | начинаю | начинаем |
| ты / вы | начинаешь | начинаете |
| он / они | начинает | начинают |
| past | |
|---|---|
| masc | начинал |
| fem | начинала |
| neut | начинало |
| plural | начинали |
| imperative | |
|---|---|
| ты | начинай |
| вы | начинайте |
Participles and gerunds
present activeначинающий
past activeначинавший
present passiveначинаемый
gerund (imperfective)начиная
gerund (perfective)начинав
gerund (perfective)начинавши
Words near this one by frequency
- быватьto be (somewhere) repeatedly, to visit, to frequent#341
- ходитьto walk, go (on foot: habitually, around, or there and back)#342
- рубльruble (Russian currency)#343
- появитьсяto appear, show up, or come into view#345
- смыслmeaning, sense (of a word, text, or life)#346
- состояниеstate, condition (the situation something or someone is in)#347