Russian Verb Prefixes – Prefix НА

Posted On Aug 26, 2020 By admin With Comments Off

A year ago, I made this video in which I started talking about Russian Verb Prefixes.

A difficult subject, I know.

BUT. There is a but.

Those who master these prefixes will have a powerful advantage in understanding the language and even coming up with a word they didn’t know before!

This is the first video I did on the prefix B.

Here are my notes on the next prefix, НА.

Until I manage to make a video for НА I hope you’ll find these useful!

Direction of the verb on the surface of something

The preposition на can mean “on, on the surface of” and takes Instrument Case. For example,

на столе – on the table (стол – table)

на стене – on the wall (стена – wall)

на диване – on the couch (диван – couch)

In the same way, на can be used as a prefix to denote an on(to) direction.

наезжать (impf) – наехать (pf) – run over, coerce, blame

Машина наехала на столб. – The car ran over a pole.

In life anything can happen, we are exposed to hazardous events. You walk and you may get run over by a car.

Конечно, на тебя могут наехать, но если так думать, и кирпич на голову, как говорится, может упасть. – Surely, you may get run over, but if you think like that, even a brick might fall onto your head.

The verb наехать is mostly used with the meaning

обидеть – to hurt, upset

обвинять – to blame

На нас наехали бандиты. – This means that bandits used threats, blackmail, physical power to force us to act in a certain way, for example, give money to them etc.

На меня наехали какие-то бандиты, требуют денег. – These guys got

наплывать – наплыть – to flow over sth

на глаза наплывают слезы – tears flow on the eyes

Наплыли чёрные тучи – black clouds appeared in the sky

наплывают воспоминания из прошлого – memories get washed-up from the past

You can visualise the memories as waves that come to you one after the other.

Attention!!! Don’t confuse this verb with наплевать which means “screw this, f%£$ that!”. Наплевать на работу! – F@£$ work!

налетать (impf) – налететь (pf) – fly on(to)

Птица налетела на самолёт. – The bird flew onto the plane (hit the plane).

Налетела грусть. – Sorrow, melancholy hit us.

Listen to this wonderful song by the famous bard Aleksandr Rosenbaum (Песня by Розенбаум)

Набрести (pf) – to come across, to hit upon an idea

Брести – to walk slowly with difficulty, trudge, stroll, plod (impf)

So, while you walk you stumble upon something, you come across sth, you hit upon something

Я набреду, ты набредешь, они набредут

натыкаться (impf) – наткнуться (pf) – to bump into , hit

наткнусь – наткнёшься – наткнутся

Наткнуться на знакомых в театре. – I bumped into friends in the theatre.

Наткнуться на старые фотографии. – to come across old photos

Наткнуться на столб – run into/hit a pole

наталкиваться (impf) – натолкнуться (pf) – to come across, to hit

натолкнуться на доказательство, на решение задачи – to come across evidence, solution to a problem

Note: натолкнуться differs from наткнуться in the sense that once you hit an obstacle you can’t go further, you’re stuck.

наступать (impf) – наступить (pf) – to step on, start

наступить на ногу – step on one’s foot

Наступили мне не ногу и теперь не могу ходить – they stepped on my foot and I can’t walk now

Наступила зима – the winter came

Скоро зима наступает. – The winter is upon us!

Наступила тишина – ночь – Night/silence fell

Наливать (impf) – налить (pf) – to pour on, pour

Наливай мне сока, пожалуйста. Очень хочется пить. – Pour me some juice, please. I’m very thirsty.

You say to your friend after having already 3-4 rounds.

Тебе больше не буду наливать! Все! – You’re cut off. That’s it! No more drinking!!!!

Натирать (impf) – натереть (pf) – to rub on

You remember we saw the pair втирать – втереть – to rub in the first video.

Here we have a similar pair which means to run on a surface.

Again just like втереть is conjugated like this

ВотрУ, вотрЁшь – we have натрУ, натрЁшь

We also have a similar verb like Натирать (impf) – натереть (pf) – to rub on

Намазывать (impf) – намазать (pf) – to rub on

намазать лицо кремом – to put some cream on your face

Gradual completeness of an action

All the following verbs in this section will require the Genitive Case. Let’s look at the first one.

накапливать (impf) – накопить (pf) – accumulate, build up, save up

надо накопить денег на колледж – you have to save up money for the college

нажаривать (impf) – нажарить (pf) – to fry

нажарить пирожков – step by step, one by one fry piroshky

нарывать (impf) – нарвать (pf) – to pick

нарвать цветы и сделать букет – pick the flowers one by one and finally make a bouquet

нарезАть (impf – нарезАю) – нарЕзать (pf – нарЕжу) – to slice

нарезать колбасы, хлеба – slice sausage, bread

Pay attention to the stress, imperfective – perfective

Overdo Verbs – Excess of an Action

наговаривать (impf) – наговорить (pf) – to slander, say something bad, damage someone’s reputation

Я слышал, что наш новый директор очень жестокий человек, но, по-моему, на него наговаривают. – I heard that our new director is a very cruel person, but in my opinion, they are slandering him.

There is a also a usual expression, наговорить лишнего – to say something bad

Пойди и извинись – скажи что ты наговорил лишнего и тебе стыдно. – Go and apologise, that you said something bad and you are ashamed.

наговориться (pf) – to talk a lot with somebody

У нас будет много времени наговориться по дороге домой. – We’ll have lots of time to catch up/to talk on the way home.

После года, что они не виделись, не могут наговориться. – After one year without seeing each other, they can’t now get enough of talking to each other/catching up.

напываться (impf) – напыться (pf) – to overdrink

Я напился – I drank very much. (You show a bottle of wine or something )

наедаться (impf) – наесться (pf) – to overeat, eat till full

Я наелся – I ate very much. YOu show something, your belly. That’s a very common verb. I use it a lot because I eat a lot!!!

There is also another one which shows that you ate so much that it feels you’re gonna die.

Я обьелся!

Надышаться – to breathe in, take loads of fresh air!!!

Надышаться свежим воздухом – to get plenty of fresh air

Перед смертью не надышишься – it’s late now, you can’t do much now. If you want to achieve something, you have to plan and take certain action well in advance. For example, you need to study early for an exam.

наесться – напиться – надышаться all take Instrumental Case! Have a look at the example above. Свежий воздух becomes свежИМ воздухОМ

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