The -ить pattern
Russian's second conjugation covers most verbs that end in -ить, plus a small set ending in -еть or -ать. The endings are different from the first conjugation: you'll see и's where you saw е's.
The endings (2nd conjugation)
Take говорить (to speak). Drop -ить: говор-. Add: - я говорю (I speak) - ты говоришь (you speak) - он говорит / она говорит (he/she speaks) - мы говорим (we speak) - вы говорите (you speak) - они говорят (they speak) Key signals: -ишь, -ит, -им, -ите, -ят. If you see those endings, it's 2nd conjugation.
How to spot the conjugation in the dictionary
Most -ить verbs are 2nd conjugation. Most -ать / -ять verbs are 1st. The exceptions exist (e.g. видеть - to see - is 2nd), but the heuristic gets you 80% there. When in doubt, look at the он / она form — if it ends in -ит, it's 2nd; if it ends in -ет, it's 1st.
Spelling rule strikes again
Remember: after Г К Х Ж Ш Щ Ч you can't write -ю or -я — you write -у or -а. So учить → я учу, они учат (not 'я учю, они учят'). The seven letters strike again.
Stem changes — a heads up
Some 2nd-conjugation verbs change a consonant in the я form. Любить → я люблю (extra л). Видеть → я вижу (д → ж). The other forms keep the regular stem. We'll mostly avoid these in this lesson, but you'll meet them.
