Ра́ньше и сейча́с
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Use the imperfective past tense to describe habits, routines, and ongoing situations that existed over a period of time in the past.
- Distinguish an imperfective habitual description, such as what someone used to do, from a perfective completed event, such as what someone did on one occasion.
- Describe change over time using станови́ться and стать, choosing the correct aspect according to whether a change is in progress or has occurred as a completed shift.
- Compare an earlier period of time with the present, using comparative forms already active from earlier chapters together with time expressions such as ра́ньше and сейча́с.
- Ask and answer basic questions about how someone's life, a place, or a habit used to be different.
- Narrate a short connected account comparing then and now, combining imperfective habitual description with the past-tense and aspect skills from Chapters 16 and 17.
This chapter continues Unit IV. It introduces habitual past narration with imperfective aspect, change with станови́ться/стать, and comparison of past and present as productive systems for the first time. All vocabulary, cases, and other grammar from Chapters 1 through 17 remain active and continue to appear throughout this chapter.
Communication Scenario
Дми́трий visits his grandmother, Ба́бушка Ве́ра, and asks her what life was like when she was young, in the town where she grew up. She describes her childhood routines, and how the town has changed since then. Later, О́льга writes a short message to an old classmate, comparing what their school friend group used to do together with what has changed now that everyone has moved away.
- You will learn how to describe habitual actions and ongoing situations from the past using imperfective verbs.
- You will practice describing change over time with станови́ться and стать.
- You will practice comparing an earlier period with the present, using ра́ньше, сейча́с, and comparative forms.
Core Vocabulary
The tables below present new vocabulary for childhood, earlier life, change, and memory. All vocabulary from Chapters 1 through 17 remains productive and may appear in this chapter's tasks.
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| де́тство, ю́ность | childhood, youth |
| ра́ньше, тогда́, в те времена́ | before, back then, in those days |
| сейча́с, тепе́рь, в настоя́щее вре́мя | now, nowadays, at the present time |
| вспомина́ть, по́мнить | to recall, to remember |
| привы́чка, обы́чно, ка́ждый день быва́ло | habit, usually, it used to happen every day |
| Russian | English |
|---|---|
| станови́ться/стать (кем? каки́м?) | to become, to grow (into someone or something) |
| изменя́ться/измени́ться | to change (receptive for now) |
| ме́ньше, бо́льше, лу́чше, ху́же | less, more, better, worse |
| по сравне́нию с (+ instrumental) | in comparison with |
| всё по-друго́му, всё так же | everything is different, everything is the same |
Станови́ться and стать are new verbs of change, active for the first time in this chapter. Ме́ньше, бо́льше, лу́чше, and ху́же are irregular comparative forms of already familiar adjectives; their attributive comparative forms remain receptive for now and will be developed in later volumes.
Pronunciation Focus
Стать is a short, one-syllable perfective infinitive, and its past-tense forms keep stress on the root throughout: стал, ста́ла, ста́ли, with a shift to the ending only in the feminine form, following the same mobile pattern you practiced with был/была́ in Chapter 16. Станови́ться is longer and keeps stress on the syllable -ви́- in the infinitive and in most present-tense forms: станови́тся, станови́мся.
- стал, ста́ла, ста́ли — stress moves to the ending only in the feminine.
- станови́тся, станови́мся — stress stays on -ви́- in the present tense.
- ра́ньше, тепе́рь — both words carry fixed stress and should be learned together with their stress marks.
Continue reducing unstressed о and а in longer words such as станови́ться, and continue applying the hard-soft consonant contrasts you have practiced since Chapter 2.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
Imperfective Past for Habits and Ongoing Situations New
In Chapters 16 and 17 you used the past tense to move a story forward through completed events. This chapter develops a different use of the same imperfective forms you already know, describing what someone used to do regularly, or what a situation used to be like over a period of time, rather than a single completed event.
- Ра́ньше мы жи́ли в ма́леньком го́роде.We used to live in a small town.жить, imperfective, ongoing situation over a past period
- В ю́ности она́ ка́ждое ле́то е́здила к ба́бушке.In her youth she used to go to her grandmother's every summer.е́здила, imperfective, repeated habitual trips, not one journey
This chapter treats the imperfective past as a productive form for habitual and ongoing description. The imperfective/perfective past contrast itself was already introduced in Chapter 16; this chapter develops one specific communicative use of that contrast.
Change with Станови́ться and Стать New
Станови́ться/стать describes becoming something or someone, or a quality developing over time. Стать is perfective and reports a completed change; станови́ться is imperfective and describes a change in progress or a repeated pattern of change. Both verbs take the instrumental case for the noun or adjective that follows.
- Он стал врачо́м два го́да наза́д.He became a doctor two years ago.стать, perfective, completed change; instrumental врачо́м
- Го́род постепе́нно стано́вится бо́льше.The city is gradually becoming bigger.станови́ться, imperfective, change in progress; instrumental бо́льше
- С года́ми она́ ста́ла бо́лее споко́йной.Over the years she became calmer.стать, perfective, completed change; instrumental споко́йной
Стать describes a shift from one state to another, while был/была́/бы́ли, active since Chapter 16, simply reports that something was the case in the past without focusing on the change itself. Compare: Он был учи́телем, meaning he was a teacher at some point, with Он стал учи́телем, meaning he became a teacher, marking the moment or process of change.
Comparing Then and Now New
Comparison from Chapter 9 continues here, now applied to time rather than to objects in a shop. Use ра́ньше and сейча́с to frame two points in time, and use comparative forms, including irregular comparatives such as лу́чше, ху́же, бо́льше, and ме́ньше, to state the difference between them.
- Ра́ньше в го́роде бы́ло ме́ньше маши́н, а сейча́с их намно́го бо́льше.Before, there were fewer cars in the city, and now there are far more.ме́ньше, бо́льше; irregular comparatives active in predicative use
- По сравне́нию с про́шлым, жизнь ста́ла бы́стрее.In comparison with the past, life has become faster.по сравне́нию с + instrumental; стать + instrumental comparative
Talking About Memory New
Вспомина́ть and по́мнить allow learners to frame a habitual description as a memory, connecting this chapter's grammar to natural storytelling about the past.
- Я хорошо́ по́мню, как мы игра́ли во дворе́ до тёмноты́.I remember well how we used to play in the yard until dark.по́мнить + habitual imperfective clause
- Ба́бушка ча́сто вспомина́ет своё де́тство.Grandmother often recalls her childhood.вспомина́ть, imperfective, habitual recollection
Model Dialogue: Ра́ньше и сейча́с
Context: Дми́трий visits his grandmother, Ба́бушка Ве́ра, and asks her what life was like when she was young in her home town.
Notice how habitual imperfective verbs such as жи́ли, е́здила, and игра́ли describe ongoing past routines, while стал and появи́лись mark completed changes.
Listening Practice
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text to speech tool to read the passage below aloud, or read it aloud to yourself slowly.
- How did the speaker usually get to school as a child, and with whom?
- According to the speaker, how have children's evenings changed?
- Does the speaker say life used to be better? What comparison does the speaker actually make?
Speaking Practice
Управля́емая пра́ктика — Controlled practice: three habits from the past
With a partner, take turns describing three things you used to do as a child, using the imperfective past for each. Include at least one frequency word, such as ча́сто, обы́чно, or ка́ждый день.
Коммуникати́вное зада́ние — Communicative task: How has it changed?
With a partner, role-play a conversation like the Model Dialogue. Ask each other Как ра́ньше бы́ло? and Что стало по-друго́му?, and include at least one sentence with станови́ться or стать.
Самостоя́тельная пра́ктика — Solo alternative
Record yourself comparing a place, a habit, or a person then and now, using at least three imperfective habitual verbs and one sentence with станови́ться or стать.
Reading Practice
Сообще́ние ста́рой однокла́сснице — A message to an old classmate
Приве́т! Дав но не писа́ла, извини́. Ча́сто вспомина́ю на́шу шко́лу и на́ших друзе́й. По́мнишь, как мы ка́ждый день после уро́ков сиде́ли в кафе́ на угла́х и до́лго разгова́ривали обо всём? Тогда́ у всех бы́ло мно́го свобо́дного вре́мени, и мы ча́сто встреча́лись про́сто так, без вся́кой причи́ны. Сейча́с всё по-друго́му: ка́ждый живёт в друго́м го́роде, у всех рабо́та и семья́, и мы встреча́емся гора́здо ре́же. Мне ка́жется, на́ша дру́жба со вре́менем не ста́ла ме́ньше, про́сто фо́рма измени́лась. Ра́ньше мы ви́делись ка́ждый день, а тепе́рь пи́шем друг дру́гу сообще́ния и иногда́ созва́ниваемся. Наде́юсь, ско́ро уви́димся!
Зада́ние по чте́нию — Reading task:
- What did the writer and her classmates use to do every day after school?
- According to the writer, what has changed, and why?
- Does the writer think the friendship has become smaller? What word does she use to describe her view?
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order. This workshop develops habitual past narration, change with станови́ться/стать, and comparison of then and now, introduced in this chapter.
Зада́ние 1 — Complete the sentence: Choose the correct form to complete each sentence.
Зада́ние 2 — A connected comparison: Write eight to ten sentences comparing a place, habit, or person then and now, real or imagined. Use at least three imperfective habitual verbs, one sentence with станови́ться or стать, and one comparative form.
- Review the Core Vocabulary tables above. Confirm the meaning of any new word you intend to use.
- Choose a simple comparison. For example, your own childhood, a family member's youth, or a place you know well.
- Draft your comparison. Decide what used to happen regularly, and what is different now.
- Read your comparison aloud once. Listen for correct aspect choice between habitual imperfective forms and completed changes with стать.
- Check станови́ться/стать against the Grammar section. Confirm the instrumental case appears correctly after each one.
Спи́сок прове́рки — Editing checklist:
- At least three imperfective habitual verbs describe repeated or ongoing past situations.
- Станови́ться or стать appears at least once, with the following noun or adjective in the instrumental case.
- At least one comparative form, such as лу́чше, ху́же, бо́льше, or ме́ньше, states a difference between then and now.
- Ра́ньше and сейча́с, or similar time expressions, clearly frame the two points in time being compared.
- Vocabulary and grammar from Chapters 1 through 17 are used correctly where they appear.
Culture and Communication
Asking an older relative or family friend how life used to be is a common and welcome way to practice this chapter's grammar in many Russian-speaking families, and it can prompt genuinely interesting conversation regardless of background. One person's memory of childhood, however, reflects one time, one place, and one set of personal circumstances. Do not treat a single family memory, including any example in this chapter, as evidence about how an entire country, generation, or region lived.
It can be tempting to treat "used to" as an automatic signal to reach for a special past tense form in Russian. Russian marks habitual and ongoing meaning through the imperfective aspect, using the same past-tense forms that also report single ongoing actions, such as the process verbs from Chapter 16. The habitual meaning comes from context, frequency words, and the imperfective choice itself, not from a separate grammatical tense dedicated only to habits.
Common Mistakes
Error: Saying Ка́ждое ле́то я пое́хал к ба́бушке to describe a childhood summer habit.
Correction: Use the imperfective for a repeated action across many summers: Ка́ждое ле́то я е́здил(а) к ба́бушке. Save the perfective пое́хал for a single, specific departure, as in В про́шлом ию́не я пое́хал(а) к ба́бушке.
Error: Saying Он стал врач instead of Он стал врачо́м.
Correction: Станови́ться and стать require the instrumental case for the following noun or adjective, the same case pattern you learned for roles in Chapter 14: Он стал врачо́м, Она́ ста́ла бо́лее споко́йной.
Error: Saying Он был врачо́м два го́да наза́д when the intended meaning is that he became a doctor two years ago and still is one.
Correction: Use стать to mark the moment or process of becoming something: Он стал врачо́м два го́да наза́д. Use был only to report that something was the case at a past point, without focusing on the change itself.
Chapter Review
Imperfective past for habits
Uses imperfective past forms to describe repeated actions and ongoing situations from an earlier period.
Change with станови́ться/стать
Marks change in progress or completed change, with the following noun or adjective in the instrumental case.
Comparison of then and now
Uses ра́ньше, сейча́с, and comparative forms such as лу́чше, ху́же, бо́льше, and ме́ньше to compare two points in time.
Talking about memory
Uses вспомина́ть and по́мнить to frame habitual past description as personal recollection.
Часть A — Понима́ние (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- What did Ба́бушка Ве́ра use to do in the evenings as a child?
- How does she say the town has changed?
Часть B — Пи́сьменная речь (Writing)
1. Write four sentences comparing then and now, using at least two imperfective habitual verbs.
2. Write one sentence describing a change using станови́ться or стать.
Часть C — Чте́ние (Reading)
1. Return to the message to an old classmate, and list what used to happen and what has changed.
Часть D — Говоре́ние (Speaking)
1. With a partner, compare a habit, place, or person then and now, marking at least one completed change.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 18 Practical Task
Ра́ньше и сейча́с: Then and Now
Complete the following connected tasks, in order, drawing on the imperfective habitual past, станови́ться/стать, and comparison from this chapter, together with material from Chapters 1 through 17.
- Read the Model Dialogue and the message to an old classmate. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
- Say what you or someone else used to do regularly in the past. Use at least two imperfective habitual verbs.
- Say how something has changed. Use станови́ться or стать with the instrumental case.
- Compare then and now directly. Use ра́ньше, сейча́с, and at least one comparative form.
- Mention a memory. Use вспомина́ть or по́мнить to frame part of your comparison.
- Write your eight to ten sentence comparison from the Writing Workshop. Apply the editing checklist.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Imperfective habitual accuracy | The learner correctly uses imperfective past forms to describe repeated or ongoing past situations, distinct from single completed events. |
| Станови́ться/стать accuracy | The learner correctly chooses станови́ться or стать and applies the instrumental case to the following noun or adjective. |
| Comparison accuracy | The learner correctly uses ра́ньше, сейча́с, and at least one comparative form to state a difference between two points in time. |
| Memory framing | The learner includes at least one plausible use of вспомина́ть or по́мнить. |
| Connected narration | The learner produces a coherent multi-sentence comparison of then and now, drawing on Chapters 1 through 17. |
This task assesses the new productive systems of Chapter 18 together with recycled material from Chapters 1 through 17.
Answer Key
Listening — Comprehension
- The speaker used to walk to school every day together with his brother.
- According to the speaker, children now usually travel to school by car or bus and more often spend evenings at home with a phone, rather than playing outside or talking with neighbors.
- The speaker does not say life used to be better. He says life has definitely become faster, and in his opinion a little less calm.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- As a child, Ба́бушка Ве́ра used to play in the yard until dark, read books, or listen to the radio.
- She says the town became much bigger, new districts appeared, and there are now far more cars than before.
Writing
- 1. игра́л. 2. стал. 3. ме́ньше. 4. стано́вится. 5. вспомина́ем.
- Sample answer: В де́тстве я ка́ждый день игра́л(а) на у́лице с сосе́дскими детьми́. У нас не́ было телефо́нов, и мы про́сто разгова́ривали и гуля́ли до ве́чера. Со вре́менем всё ста́ло по-друго́му: сейча́с у ка́ждого есть телефо́н, и мы гора́здо ре́же встреча́емся про́сто так. Ра́ньше вре́мени бы́ло бо́льше, а сейча́с его́ намно́го ме́ньше. Иногда́ я вспомина́ю, как всё бы́ло проще́, но жизнь то́чно ста́ла удо́бнее. Other combinations using material from Chapters 1 through 18 are also correct.
Reading
- The writer and her classmates used to sit at a café on the corner every day after school and talk for a long time about everything.
- Everyone now lives in a different town and has work and a family, so they meet much less often; the form of the friendship changed, not its size.
- No, the writer does not think the friendship has become smaller. She uses the phrase не ста́ла ме́ньше, saying that only its form changed.
Looking Ahead
Что вы уже уме́ете — What you can do now
You can describe habits and ongoing situations from the past using imperfective verbs, mark change with станови́ться and стать, compare an earlier time with the present using ра́ньше, сейча́с, and comparative forms, and frame a comparison as a personal memory.