Быть, есть, существовать, находиться, являться — all these are forms of the verb to be in Russian. The usage and meaning of the verb to be in Russian greatly differs from the usage in many of the European languages. Therefore, for those who study Russian as a foreign language, this topic causes difficulties. Today we will analyze how and when to use the verb to be in Russian.
The main difficulty associated with the verb to be is its use in the present tense, or rather its absence. In complex sentences the verb is necessary to connect the subject and other members of the sentence. But in simple sentences in the present tense it can be omitted and the meaning becomes clear from the context
1. When saying «быть», while you are describing people and objects
The verb «быть» in this case takes it’s third form «есть» (do not mistake it with «есть» from the verb to eat).
Мой брат — архитектор. — My brother is an architect.
Мы испуганы. — We are frightened.
The form «есть» of the verb «быть» had its use in the past, and now it can be usually seen in some scientific literature or in formal documents.
Отрезок есть часть прямой, которая ограничена двумя точками. — A segment is a part of a line which is bounded by two points.
.Although in a normal conversation the verb «быть» would be omited and you would rather say: «Отрезок — это часть прямой, которая ограничена двумя точками».
.Keep in mind! Sometimes the verb to be is omitted altogether, sometimes it is replaced with a dash, for example, before the word “this”, between two nouns, when one describes the other.
2. When saying «быть» or «находиться» while describing the location of a person or an object
In this occasion we again use the third form «есть», but usually it is not used. In English in this case is usually used the construction there is/are.
Стул посреди комнаты. — There is a chair in the middle of the room.
Although sometimes the verb «есть» will be used, and it can also be replaced by «существовать».
Однако есть (существует) ряд вопросов, которые необходимо решить уже сегодня. — However, there are a number of issues that need to be resolved today.
.In interrogative sentences the verb to be in the form «есть» is also used.
Посреди комнаты есть стул? — Is there a chair in the middle of the room?
.In the meaning «находиться» the verb can be both used and ignored.
Родители дома. — Parents are at home.
Почта находится в конце улицы. / Почта — в конце улице. — The post office is at the end of the street.
3. In the meaning «являться»
Compare the two sentences:
Школьные годы — важный этап в жизни каждого человека. — The school years are an important stage in everyone’s life.
Школьные годы являются важным этапом в жизни каждого человека. — The school years are an important stage in everyone’s life.
In the English version, both sentences are identical, in the Russian in the first case, the verb to be in the meaning of «являться» is omitted. The first sentence in Russian sounds neutral, the second is more formal.
The verb «являться» is an imperfect verb, I conjugation.
.Piece of advice! If you are in doubt whether in the present tense some other verb is needed instead of the verb «быть», put the sentence in the past or future tense. If the verb «быть» appears, then it is also implied in the present tense (or it is omitted, or used in one of the meanings listed above).
Important! Once again, we draw your attention to the fact that the verb to be in Russian can only be absent in the present tense, in the past and future it is always used.
In the past tense, the verb «быть» turns into был / была / было / были depending on the gender and number of the noun, and the verb находиться → находился / находилась / находилось / находились, являться → являлся / являлась / являлось / являлись.
Мой брат был архитектором. — My brother was an architect.
Мы были испуганы. — We were scared.
Родители находились (были) дома. — My parents were at home.
Школьные годы являлись (были) важным этапом жизни каждого человека. — The school years were an important stage in everyone’s life.
.Pay attention! Most of the time you can use the past form of the verb «быть» instead of almost all of its other variations.
In the future tense the verb to be in the meaning«быть» conjugates by gender and number just as any other verb of the first conjugation in the present tense: буду, будешь, будет, etc.
Мой брат будет архитектором. — My brother will be an architect.
Мы будем испуганы. — We will be scared.
Мои родители будут дома. — My parents will be home.
Школьные годы будут важным этапом жизни любого человека. — The school years will be an important stage in anyone’s life.
.Besides, the verb “to be” in the future tense is necessary to construct the future tense of other imperfective verbs: летать — буду летать, бежать — буду бежать.
By clicking "Send" you agree to us processing your information
|
|
Present tense |
Past tense |
Future tense |
|
Я |
Есть |
Был / была |
Буду |
|
Ты |
Есть |
Был |
Будешь |
|
Он Она Оно |
Есть |
Был Была Было |
Будет |
|
Мы |
Есть |
Были |
Будем |
|
Вы |
Есть |
Были |
Будете |
|
Они |
Есть |
Были |
Будут |
In addition to the peculiarities of using the verb to be in the meaning of «быть» in the Russian language, you need to know about other nuances.
The verb «быть» is used in the infinitive after other verbs in its direct meaning and is equivalent to the verb to be in this case.
Я хочу быть архитектором. — I want to be an architect.
Наверное, надо быть совсем чокнутым, чтобы бросить свое имя в кубок огня. — I guess you’d have to be completely nuts to throw your name in the goblet of fire.
.Remember that the infinitive can’t conjugate by tense, so in any tense «быть» will retain its form.
Я хотел быть архитектором. — I wanted to be an architect.
The infinitive is often used in idioms and sayings:
The verb «быть» is used in the imperative mood. In the singular it takes the form of «будь», in the plural — «будьте».
Будь здоров! — Bless you!
Будь другом, не говори никому об этом. — Do me a favor, don’t tell anyone about it.
Будьте аккуратны во время списывания текста. — Be careful while copying the text.
The verb «быть» in the imperative mood is also used in idioms and sayings:
We hope that now it will be easier for you to use the verb to be in Russian in all its variants. And if you have any other questions, we will always be glad to see you among our students, in the school of Russian as a foreign language “Leader”.
We hope you found this article useful. We are ready to help you learn Russian online with a native speaker. Classes are individually adapted to your wishes. Submit an application for a free trial lesson and we will find the most suitable Russian language course for you.
By clicking "Send", you consent to us processing of your information.
By clicking "Send" you agree to us processing your information
By clicking "Send" you agree to us processing your information
