MainGrammar ConjTables Inventory Notes

Patterns of stress in suffixed and non-suffixed verbs

Stress in suffixed verbs

All suffixed stems, with just one exception, have constant stress on the stem in the past tense. The one exception is the stem РОД-И: the verb родќть ‘give birth’ is end-stressed in the past, and the verb родќться ‘be born’ has variants:

родќл

родилђ

родилќ

родќлся

родилђсь or родќлась

родилќсь or родќлись

In the non-past, suffixed stems have three possible patterns of stress:

(a) S-stress

(b) E-stress

(c) M-stress

читђю

говорє

расскажџ

читђешь

говорќшь

расскђжешь

читђет

говорќт

расскђжет

читђем

говорќм

расскђжем

читђете

говорќте

расскђжете

читђют

говорїт

расскђжут

Here are some interesting facts about stress:

The only stem stressed -Е- stems are

вќдеть

see

ненавќдеть

hate

обќдеть

offend, hurt

завќсеть

depend

The only -Е- stems with moving stress are

смотрљть

look

вертљть

twist, turn

терпљть

endure, suffer.

слІшать

hear

The only Ч-А stems with moving stress are

держђть

hold

дышђть

breathe

Stress in non-suffixed verbs

All the non-suffixed stems, with just one exception, have constant stress (stem or ending) in the non-past. The exception is the stem МОГ (мћчь, помћчь) which has moving stress. In the past there are these patterns of stress:

S-stress

E-stress

M-stress

дљлал

привёл

убрђл

дљлала

привелђ

убралђ

дљлало

привелћ

убрђло

дљлали

привелќ

убрђли

Note that on the basis of the masculine singular form you can make no predictions about the stress pattern; on the basis of the masculine singular and feminine singular forms you cannot distinguish between E-stress and M-stress. The stress of the neuter form is always on the same syllable as the stress of the plural form. Therefore, in the citations of Past tense forms we usually give only the masculine, feminine, and plural forms.

S-stress verbs have their infinitive stressed on (the same syllable of) the stem as their past tense forms. E-stress verbs have their infinitive stressed on the ending -ТЌ. M-stress verbs have their infinitive stressed on the stem. In this group, and in this group only, the stress of the infinitive may be different from the stress of the masculine, neuter, and plural past forms. In these forms stress may move to a prefix, provided the prefix contains a vowel. Compare принїть, whose prefix contains a vowel, with снїть:

принїть

снїть

прќнял

снїл

принялђ

снялђ

прќняло

снїло

прќняли

снїли