Ultimate Guide to Russian Verbs of Motion (Идти vs. Ходить)

Need help understanding Russian verbs of motion?

It’s one of the most notorious topics for new learners of the Russian language.

But it’s much simpler than it first appears.

In this guide, I’ll break down Russian verbs of motion into simple, manageable explanations.

I’ll go over the core pairs, what they mean, and how adding simple prefixes can change the meaning.

What are verbs of motion?

First things first.

In English, we have one main verb “to go”. We use it for everything.

• “I go to work every day.”
• “I’m going to the store now.”
• “I will go to the beach tomorrow.”

Russian’s a lot more specific.

It has a special group of verbs for movement, and they almost always come in pairs.

The basic idea behind each pair is this:

• Unidirectional: You’re going in one, single direction. Right now. Think of it as a one-way trip.
• Multidirectional: You’re talking about movement in general, a round trip, or a repeated action. Think of it as “there and back” or a general ability.

I’ll start with the most fundamental pair.

On foot: идти vs. ходить

When you’re talking about going somewhere on your own two feet, you’ll use идти (idti) or ходить (khodit’).

• идти (idti) is unidirectional. Use it when you are currently walking to a single destination.
• ходить (khodit’) is multidirectional. Use it for repeated trips, general statements, or when you go somewhere and come back.

Я иду в парк.

Ya idu v park.

I am going to the park (right now).

Here, you’re on your way to the park. It’s a single, current action.

Я хожу в парк каждый день.

Ya khozhu v park kazhdy den'.

I go to the park every day.

This is a repeated action. You go there and back regularly.

Conjugations

Here’s how to conjugate these two essential verbs in the present tense.

By transport: ехать vs. ездить

When you’re going somewhere using a vehicle (car, bus, train, bike), you use a different pair of verbs: ехать (yekhat’) and ездить (yezdit’).

The logic is exactly the same.

• ехать (yekhat’) is unidirectional. You’re on your way somewhere in a vehicle right now.
• ездить (yezdit’) is multidirectional. You travel by vehicle repeatedly or in general.

Мы едем в город.

My yedem v gorod.

We are going to the city (by bus right now).

This is a one-way trip happening now.

Она часто ездит в город.

Ona chasto yezdit v gorod.

She often travels to the city.

This is a repeated action. She goes to the city and comes back on a regular basis.

Conjugations

Adding direction with prefixes

Now for the fun part.

Once you understand the basic pairs, you can create dozens of new, specific verbs just by adding a prefix. This is where my chunking method really helps.

Think of each prefix as a “chunk” of meaning you attach to your base verb.

When you add a prefix, the verb becomes perfective. This means it describes a completed action, usually in the past or future.

I shared some helpful tips for understanding this in this post.

Here’s a tip you should take note of for understanding the concept of prefixes:

“…in English we say “go around”, “go out, “go across”, etc.

Just think of Russian like this: “aroundgo”, “outgo”, “acrossgo”.”

Let’s look at the most common prefixes using our ходить/идти (on foot) and ездить/ехать (by transport) pairs.

при- (arrival)

This prefix means you’ve arrived or will arrive at a destination.

• прийти (to arrive on foot)
• приехать (to arrive by transport)

Он уже пришёл в офис.

On uzhe prishol v ofis.

He already arrived at the office.

Они приедут в Москву завтра.

Oni priyedut v Moskvu zavtra.

They will arrive in Moscow tomorrow.

у- (departure)

This prefix means you have left or will leave a place. It implies leaving for good, or at least for a while.

• уйти (to leave on foot)
• уехать (to leave by transport)

Она ушла из дома час назад.

Ona ushla iz doma chas nazad.

She left home an hour ago.

Я хочу уехать за город.

Ya khochu uyekhat' za gorod.

I want to leave for the countryside.

в- / во- (entering)

This prefix means to enter or go into something.

• войти (to enter on foot)
• въехать (to enter by transport)

Студент вошёл в класс.

Student voshol v klass.

The student entered the classroom.

Машина въехала в гараж.

Mashina vyekhala v garazh.

The car drove into the garage.

вы- (exiting)

This is the opposite of в-. It means to exit or go out of somewhere.

• выйти (to exit on foot)
• выехать (to exit by transport)

Ты можешь выйти на минуту?

Ty mozhesh' vyyti na minutu?

Can you go outside for a minute?

Мы выехали из города рано утром.

My vyyekhali iz goroda rano utrom.

We drove out of the city early in the morning.

пере- (crossing)

This prefix means to cross from one side to another.

• перейти (to cross on foot)
• переехать (to cross by transport; also means “to move house”)

Давай перейдём улицу здесь.

Davay pereydyom ulitsu zdes'.

Let's cross the street here.

Мой друг переехал в новую квартиру.

Moy drug pereyekhal v novuyu kvartiru.

My friend moved to a new apartment.

Sample conversation

Let’s see how these verbs work in a simple dialogue.

Привет! Ты куда идёшь?

Privet! Ty kuda idyosh'?

Hello! Where are you going?

Привет! Я иду в магазин. Мой друг уже приехал туда на машине.

Privet! Ya idu v magazin. Moy drug uzhe priyekhal tuda na mashine.

Hi! I'm going to the store. My friend already arrived there by car.

Отлично. А куда ушла Мария? Я видел, как она вышла из библиотеки.

Otlichno. A kuda ushla Mariya? Ya videl, kak ona vyshla iz biblioteki.

Great. And where did Maria go? I saw her leaving the library.

Она пошла домой. Сказала, что придёт позже.

Ona poshla domoy. Skazala, chto pridyot pozzhe.

She went home. She said she'll come back later.

Russian verbs of motion are easy and logical

Mastering verbs of motion is vital if you want Russian fluency.

It’s not about memorizing endless tables, but about understanding the core concepts.

Remember these key ideas:

1. Pairs: Verbs come in pairs. One for single trips (идти/ехать), one for general or round trips (ходить/ездить).
2. How you travel: Are you on foot or in a vehicle? Choose your pair accordingly.
3. Prefixes as chunks: Prefixes add a specific direction or goal to the verb (arrival, departure, crossing, etc.).

Start by mastering идти/ходить and ехать/ездить.

Once you’re comfortable, start practising one prefix at a time with the help of my chunking approach.

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