Russian Classes: Learning motion verbs with an old cinema classic

Legion Media; Georgiy Daneliya/Mosfilm, 1964

Allow me to introduce Kolya! He knows Moscow better than Yandex Maps - especially, since he's one of the main characters in the Soviet film 'Я шагаю по Москве' ('Walking the Streets of Moscow').

He helps a guy from Siberia, who has just arrived in Moscow, to find an address, leading to the two becoming friends, falling in love with the same girl, and... no more spoilers from me!

With Kolya we visited the Red Square, the fountain at VDNKh, the main building of the MSU - the first university in Moscow, the floating bridge in Zaryadye Park, and skyscrapers in the Moscow City district.

While walking around Moscow we also learned some verbs, indicating motion.
Such words and their endless prefixes are usually a nightmare for foreign learners. So let’s tackle them together step by step! 

In this article I've gathered examples with the prefix “про-” for the verbs "идти" and "ходить" in perfective and imperfective aspects. And here are some more examples:

• Мы прошли через парк Зарядье к навесному мосту. (Perfective)
  We passed through Zaryadye Park to the floating bridge.
• Когда мы проходили мимо Спасской башни, часы пробили полдень. (Imperfective)
  As we passed by Spasskaya Tower, the clock struck midday.

Check out more lessons in our Telegram channel, using the tag #russianclasses!

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