Stop And Go: Russian Verbs For Taking About Processes Posted by Maria on Oct 25, 2016 in language
It may sometimes be useful to talk about the phases of a process — beginning, interrupting, picking up, and finishing actions. Below are some verbs that will help you express these temporal notions.
Начать
Начинать (imperfective)/начать (perfective) means to begin. It can be followed by an infinite or by a noun in the accusative case.
- Мы начали изучать алгебру в пятом классе (We started learning algebra in the 5th grade/form).
- Музыканты долго не начинали концерт (The musicians took a while to begin the concert).
The related noun is начало.
Продолжить
Продолжать/продолжить means to continue. As above, it can be followed by an infinitive or an accusative noun. I would say the noun structure sounds more elegant and is more likely to be encountered in writing.
- Продолжим дискуссию (Let’s continue our discussion).
- Друзья продолжали встречаться по выходным (The friends continued meeting on the weekends).
The noun is продолжение, as in “продолжение следует” (“to be continued”).
Прекратить
Прекращать/прекратить means to stop doing something. This can come before an accusative noun or an infinitive. Again, the noun form will probably prevail in writing.
- Рабочие прекратили забастовку (The workers have ended the strike).
- После ухода руководителя клуб прекратил существовать (After the manager left, the club stopped its existence).
The related noun is прекращение, as in “прекращение огня” (“ceasefire”).
Прервать
Прерывать/прервать means to interrupt your or someone else’s activities, possibly abruptly or temporarily. This can only be followed by a noun.
- После получения экстренного сообщения делегаты прервали обсуждение (After receiving an urgent message, the delegates interrupted the discussion).
This verb can also be used reflexively — прерываться/прерваться.
- В комнату вошли Наталья и Вера, и разговор прервался (Natalia and Vera entered the room, and the conversation stopped). [Василий Гроссман. Жизнь и судьба, часть 3 (1960)]
A useful related word to know is перерыв — a break.
Возобновить
Возобновлять/возобновить refers to resuming an activity. It is followed by an accusative noun.
- Газета возобновила работу в прошлом году (The newspaper resumed its operations last year).
This verb can also be reflexive — возобновляться.
- Между Кенией и Израилем возобновится регулярное авиасообщение (Regular flights will resume between Kenya and Israel). [Мир в заголовках // «Русский репортер», 2013]
Завершить
Завершать/завершить means “to complete,” “to finish.” It is followed by a noun and sounds a bit formal.
- Проект завершат к концу года (The project will be completed by the end of the year).
The passive equivalent is завершиться.
- В Москве завершился чемпионат Европы по фехтованию (The European Fencing Championships finished in Moscow). [Галина Подкопаева. Московская ремиссия. Чемпионат Европы закончился, чемпионата мира может и не быть (2002) // «Известия», 2002.07.10]
Закончить
Заканчивать/закончить mean to end, to finish. It can be followed by either a noun or a verb.
- Мы закончили строительство дома (We have finished building the house).
- Сегодня бабушка решила наконец закончить вязать носки для папы (Today grandma finally decided to finish knitting socks for my father). [Марк Сергеев. Волшебная галоша, или Необыкновенные приключения Вадима Смирнова, его лучшего друга Паши Кашкина и 33 невидимок из 117-й школы (1971)]
Can you think of any other words that are useful for talking about phases of a process?
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Comments:
Stan Levinson:
This was a fantastic lesson. SOOOOO helpful. Thanks.
Maria:
@Stan Levinson Thank you, Stan.
Delia Valente:
Another one is перестать
Maria:
@Delia Valente Delia, this is a great addition — перестать (for those who don’t know this word — “to stop/give up” + noun/infinitive) is one of the best options for informal speech.
Giovanni Dardino:
Hi, would be possible to have the titles spoken to learn the pronunciation ?
Thank You,
Maria:
@Giovanni Dardino Hello Giovanni,
Thank you for your comment. I will try to include more audio files in this blog. For now, check out Forvo — you can look up and listen to the pronunciation of this and other words. Just copy and paste them into the search bar.
Kjell Nilssön:
Очень хорошо! Спасибо.