Prefixes in Russian Verbs of Motion
Russian language uses prefixes in verbs of motion to better explain the direction /
nuances of the movement.
What is a prefix?
A prefix (in Russian, приставка) is an affix which is placed before the stem of a
word: adding it to the beginning of the word creates another word with either
slightly or completely different meaning.
Most commonly used prefixes in Russian verbs of motion are:
по-, в-, вы-, вз-, при-, у-, под-, от-, до-, пере-, с-, раз-, про-, за-, о-/об-/обо-.
With the help of prefixes, unidirectional Russian verbs of motion regularly form
verbs in perfective aspect denoting “start of action” (побежать = to run,
поехать = to go, пойти = to set off, to start walking) or “spatial relations”
(выбежать = to run out, добежать = to run to / to reach, перебежать = to
run across, отбежать = to run off).
The latter regularly form specific pairs of verbs in perfective / imperfective aspect
(перебежать — перебегать, добежать — добегать, отбежать —
отбегать).
Verbs of multidirectional movement also form prefixed verbs in perfective aspect,
but with some additional shades of meaning, for example, meaning
of time (походить: Я походил по центру города и вернулся в отель – I walked
around the city center and returned to the hotel (action is limited in time) or the
result of the action (добежать: Я добежал на вокзал за 5 минут до
отправления поезда – I ran to / reached the train station 5 minutes before my
train departure).
Let’s not forget, though, that prefixation is one of the main means of forming new
words in Russian. That said, the same prefixes can be used in many other verbs,
and not only in verbs of motion.
Now, let’s look at each prefix more closely and illustrate them with examples!
Prefix по-
– start of action
Пойдем в кино? – Let’s go to the cinema?
Поехали, уже поздно. – Let’s go, it’s late.
Мой сын в этом году пошел в школу. – My son went to (started) school this year.
Побежали! – Run!
Подул ветер. – Wind started to blow.
Я почувствовал недомогание. – I felt unwell.
– action taking place from time to time
Он к нам частенько похаживает. – He often visits us (drops by).
– insignificant or incomplete action taken in a short period of time
Дети побегали по лесу. – Children ran around in the wood.
Мы походили по городу. – We walked (rambled) around the city.
Prefix про-
– action covering a certain distance
Сегодня мы прошли 10 километров. – Today we walked /covered 10 kilometers.
На соревновании нужно проплыть 200 м. – At the competition, one needs to
swim 200 m.
– result of action within a certain period
Самолет пролетел маршрут за два часа. – The plane flew the route in two
hours (it took 2 hours).
– action directed through something
Вам надо пройти через парк. – You need to go through the park.
Он прошел сквозь толпу. – He passed through the crowd.
– movement past something or moving forward
Проходите по коридору! – Walk down the corridor!
Сейчас мы проезжаем мимо вокзала. – Now we are driving past the train
station.
– single action, action happening at one go
Провести зянятие по русскому языку. – Give a Russian lesson.
Пройти тест на знание русского языка. – Take a test of knowledge of the
Russian language.
Prefix под-
– approaching, joining something (подъехать – to drive up, подшить – to
hem)
Подходите ближе к памятнику, чтобы лучше его расмотреть. – Come
closer to the monument to see it better!
Я подъезжаю. – I am almost there (while driving).
Prefix до-
– bringing something to a limit or a finish line
Дойдите до Красной площади и поверните налево. – Come to the Red Square
and then turn left.
Сегодня я планирую дописать сочинение. – Today I plan to finish my essay.
Prefixes от- and у-
– moving away from somewhere / something / someone
Mind the difference:
prefix от- means a removal for a short distance or for a short time (отъехать – to
move off, откатить – to roll back), while
prefix у- means a complete and definite removal from a place (уехать – to
leave, уползать – to crawl away, убрать – to remove);
Я отойду на 5 минут. – I’ll be back in 5 minutes.
В метро вы можете услышать: отойдите от края платформы. – In the
subway, you may hear: keep off from the edge of the platform.
Я решил уйти с работы. – I decided to quit work.
Он уже ушёл домой, будет только завтра. – He has already left (gone home),
will be back tomorrow.
Prefix вы-
– action happening from inside to outside (выехать – to set off, выгнать – to
kick out, выйти – to get out)
Экскурсия закончена, туристы выходят из Кремля на улицу. – The tour is
over, the tourists are now leaving the Kremlin.
Утром я выхожу на работу в 7 часов. – In the morning, I leave home to go to
work at 7 am.
Prefix пере-
– movement from one place to another, crossing a line (переехать – to move, in
sense to start living in another place, перейти – to cross over, перебросить – to
throw over).
Не переходите через дорогу на красный свет. – Do not cross the road on red
light.
And also, in NON-motion verbs
– excessive intensity of action (перегреть – to overheat, переварить – to
overcook)
– repeated action, usually with an additional meaning “in a new way, otherwise”
(переделать – to remake, перевоспитать – to re-educate, перешить – to alter the
clothes)
Prefix вз- / вс-
Prefix вз- or it’s equivalent вс- (before deaf consonants) means to “go up”.
Всходить на гору. To climb the mountain.
Взошло солнце. The sun has risen.
Prefix в- (во-)
– direction of movement into something, inside (въехать – to drive
into, вставить – to put in)
Prefix при-
– bringing the action to the final goal, to achieve, to reach a destination
Они пришли. – They came.
She came to the city for three days. – Она приезжала в город на три дня.
– bring two points together
Она пришила кружево к платью. – She sewed lace to the dress.
Prefix за-
– passing by a place where it’s not planned to stay long
По дороге с работы зайди в магазин. – Оn your way back from work, please
drop by a grocery store.
Я зашла к подруге на полчаса. I came to see (dropped by) my friend for half an
hour.
– moving deep into some space (зайти далеко в лес – to go far into the forest)
– movement behind, around an object (зайти за дом – go behind the house)
In NON-motion verbs, sometimes means “the beginning of the action” (захотеть
= to start wanting / to become keen on something abruptly, застучать = to start
knocking)
Prefix на-
– movement onto a surface (наехать – to drive onto, нашить = to sew over);
Prefix о- (об-, обо-)
– movement around something (объехать = to circle around, to drive
around, обжарить = to fry from both sides, обойти = to walk around)
– coming to the same places over and over (обойти все магазины = to visit all
the shops, объехать весь город = to go around the whole city).
Prefix с- / со-
– motion happening from top to bottom, movement down (съехать = to move
down, to move out, сбросить = to throw down)
Я схожу с лестницы. – I’m going downstairs.
Снег сошёл с крыши. – Snow came down from the roof.
Prefix с- together with postfix -ся indicate the connection of several people, the
arrival from different places to one: сбежаться formed from бежать, слететься –
from лететь
Prefix раз- (рас-) together with postfix -ся indicate the opposite: disconnection,
dispersion to several places: разбежаться from бежать, разлететься from лететь.
See this graphic to help you understand better: