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When should «-ю» be used at the end of first-person words instead of «-у»?

In Russian, the ending of a first-person singular verb in the present or future tense (-ю vs -у) depends on the verb's conjugation group and phonetic rules.

Here's how you can figure it out:

1. Two Conjugation Groups in Russian

First Conjugation:

Most verbs ending in -ть belong to the first conjugation (e.g., писать, читать, понимать).

The first-person singular present/future tense ending is typically -у for this group.

Examples:

- писать ("to write") → я пишу
- читать ("to read") → я читаю
- понимать ("to understand") → я понимаю

However, note that many exceptions exist!
For example, some verbs with stems ending in vowels may use -ю for phonetic reasons (more on this next!).

Second Conjugation:

Verbs ending in -ить belong to the second conjugation (e.g., говорить, любить, учить).

For these verbs, the first-person singular present tense often ends in -ю.

Examples:

- говорить ("to speak") → я говорю
- любить ("to love") → я люблю
- учить ("to teach") → я учу

2. Phonetic Considerations

Even in the first conjugation, whether -у or -ю is used depends largely on how the verb sounds when pronounced.
Here’s the general rule:

If a hard consonant comes before the ending, use -у.
If a soft vowel or soft consonant comes before the ending, use -ю to maintain smoother pronunciation.

Examples:

- работать ("to work") → я работаю (soft vowel "a" → -ю)
- писать ("to write") → я пишу (hard consonant "c" → -у)

3. Borrowed and Irregular Verbs

Some verbs, especially borrowed ones, might not fit the typical conjugation rules.

For instance:

- играть ("to play") → я играю ("soft vowel a" → -ю)
- жить ("to live") → я живу (hard consonant "в" → -у)

In Summary:

Look at the conjugation group of the verb.

Consider the sound that comes before the ending to determine whether -у or -ю is smoother when spoken.

Hard consonant → -у
Soft consonant/vowel → -ю

Listening to native speakers and practicing verb conjugation will help solidify these patterns in your mind!

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3.45K viewsFeb 4 at 08:29

When should «-ю» be used at the end of first-person words instead of «-у»?

In Russian, the ending of a first-person singular verb in the present or future tense (-ю vs -у) depends on the verb's conjugation group and phonetic rules.

Here's how you can figure it out:

1. Two Conjugation Groups in Russian

First Conjugation:

Most verbs ending in -ть belong to the first conjugation (e.g., писать, читать, понимать).

The first-person singular present/future tense ending is typically -у for this group.

Examples:

- писать ("to write") → я пишу
- читать ("to read") → я читаю
- понимать ("to understand") → я понимаю

However, note that many exceptions exist!
For example, some verbs with stems ending in vowels may use -ю for phonetic reasons (more on this next!).

Second Conjugation:

Verbs ending in -ить belong to the second conjugation (e.g., говорить, любить, учить).

For these verbs, the first-person singular present tense often ends in -ю.

Examples:

- говорить ("to speak") → я говорю
- любить ("to love") → я люблю
- учить ("to teach") → я учу

2. Phonetic Considerations

Even in the first conjugation, whether -у or -ю is used depends largely on how the verb sounds when pronounced.
Here’s the general rule:

If a hard consonant comes before the ending, use -у.
If a soft vowel or soft consonant comes before the ending, use -ю to maintain smoother pronunciation.

Hard consonant → -у
Soft consonant/vowel → -ю

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