Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

stress on the first syllable in the case governed by the preposition, the preposition bears the stress, e.g. зa´ год, over the space of a year ; зa´ город, out of town ; зa´ дeнь, over the space of a day ; зa´ зиму, over the winter ; зa´

ногу, by the leg ; зa´ ночь, during the night ; зa´ руку, by the hand ; нa´ год, for a year ; нa´ голову, on to one’s head ; нa´ гору, up the mountain ; нa´ дeнь, for a day ; нa´ зиму, for the winter ; нa´ ногу, on to one’s foot/leg ; нa´ ночь, for the night ; нa´ руку, on to one’s arm/hand ; нa´ спину, on to one’s back ; по´

уши, up to one’s ears ; по´д вeчeр, towards evening ; по´д гору, downhill ; по´д

ноги, under one’s feet/legs ; по´д руку, under one’s arm/hand . Stress also falls on the preposition in the phrases пропa´сть бe´з вeсти, to go missing (in action); бe´з толку, senselessly ; до´ дому, as far as one’s home ; до´ ночи, until nightfall ; и´з дому, out of one’s home ; и´з лeсу, out of the forest ; по´ двa, по´ двоe, two each ; по´ три, three each .

12.3

Stress in adjectives

r Long forms of adjectives (e.g. большо´й, big ; прeкрa´сный, fine ; си´ний, dark blue ; трe´тий, third ; хоро´ший, good ) have fixed stress throughout their declension.

r In adjectives with the suffixes - ичный,- aльный,- онный, and also in adjectives with one of the four suffixes of participial origin - учий,

- ючий,- aчий,- ячий, stress is always on the penultimate syllable, e.g. типи´чный, typical ; пeчa´льный, sad ; трaдицио´нный, traditional ; могу´чий, powerful ; колю´чий, prickly ; кошa´чий, feline ; горя´чий, hot (to the touch).

r In adjectives with the suffix - ичeский, stress is always on the antepenultimate syllable, e.g. aвтомaти´чeский, automatic .

r In disyllabic adjectives the stress usually shifts to the ending in the feminine short form, e.g. вaжнa´, сильнa´, стрaшнa´, тeмнa´, хрaбрa´, яснa´from вa´жный, important , си´льный, strong , стрa´шный, terrible , тёмный, dark , хрa´брый, brave , я´сный, clear , respectively. The same process takes place in some trisyllabic adjectives, mainly adjectives with a stem in к, e.g. вeликa´, горячa´, дaлeкa´, хорошa´ from вeли´кий, great , горя´чий, hot (to the touch), дaлёкий, distant , хоро´ший, good , respectively.

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12

Stress

r In the short comparative form of disyllabic adjectives stress is on the first syllable of the ending, e.g. новeé, newer , сильнeé, stronger .

r In the superlative form of disyllabic adjectives and trisyllabic adjectives with a stem in кstress is usually on the penultimate syllable, e.g.

новe´йший, newest , сильнe´йший, strongest , глубочa´йший, deepest .

Note:

in adverbs in - и´чeскиthat are derived from adjectives in - и´чeскийstress is also always on the antepenultimate syllable, e.g. aвтомaти´чeски, automatically .

12.4

Stress in verbs

Stress patterns in Russian verbs are considerably simpler than stress patterns in Russian nouns. It is only in the indicative forms of the second conjugation and the past-tense forms of some verbs that they

give much difficulty.

12.4.1

Stress in first-conjugation verbs

r In verbs classified in 9.6.2 above as 1A (e.g. рaбо´тaть, to work ; тeря´ть, to lose ; крaснe´ть, to go red, blush ) stress remains on the same vowel in the infinitive and throughout the indicative (i.e. in imperfective verbs the present tense and in perfective verbs the simple future tense), e.g.

1st pers sg

рaбо´тaю

тeря´ю

крaснe´ю

2nd pers sg

рaбо´тaeшь

тeряéшь

крaснeéшь

3rd pers sg

рaбо´тaeт

тeряéт

крaснeéт

1st pers pl

рaбо´тaeм

тeряéм

крaснeéм

2nd pers pl

рaбо´тaeтe

тeряéтe

крaснeéтe

3rd pers pl

рaбо´тaют

тeря´ют

крaснe´ют

r In 1B verbs with vowel stems (9.6.3 and 9.6.5 above) stress remains on the same vowel throughout the indicative (i.e. in imperfective verbs the present tense and in perfective verbs the simple future tense), e.g.

мыть, to wash , дaвa´ть, to give :

1st pers sg

мо´ю

дaю´

2nd pers sg

моéшь

дaёшь

3rd pers sg

моéт

дaёт

1st pers pl

моéм

дaём

2nd pers pl

моéтe

дaётe

3rd pers pl

мо´ют

дaю´т

Note:

in many 1B verbs in - овaтьor - eвaть(9.6.3) stress may be on the ending in the infinitive form even though it is on the stem in the indicative form, e.g.

оргaнизовa´ть, to organise , but оргaнизу´ю, etc.