First, lets look at some common 1st conjugation verbs (in their infinitive forms):
- закрывать, “to close”
- делать, “to do, to make”
- жить, “to live”
- изучать, “to study, learn”
- понимать, “to understand”
- работать, “to work”
Not all forms having an infinitive ending in -ать (or soft -ять) are 1st conjugation, so this ending cannot be trusted on its own. But it is a common identifying element.
Imperfective Present
To form the imperfective present, i.e. “I do”, form of Е-type verbs, take the infinitive, remove the ending -ть, and add the following endings to form the appropriate form:
| sg. | pl. | |
| 1p | -у/-ю | -ем/-ём |
| 2p | -ешь/-ёшь | -ете/-ёте |
| 3p | -ет/-ёт | -ут/-ют |
