Say the imperfective out loud, then check.
Going this way looks simpler and is not. Stripping a prefix works for about half of these, but the rest need a syllable put back into the stem, and there is nothing in the perfective that tells you which.
The forgiving group. Take the prefix off and you have the imperfective — though you still have to know it was a prefix and not part of the verb.
| Perfective | Imperfective | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| wypić | pić | to drink |
| zjeść | jeść | to eat |
| przeczytać | czytać | to read |
| napisać | pisać | to write |
| zrobić | robić | to do, to make |
| nauczyć się | uczyć się | to learn, to study |
| zrozumieć | rozumieć | to understand |
| posprzątać | sprzątać | to tidy up |
| ugotować | gotować | to cook |
| porozmawiać | rozmawiać | to talk, to converse |
| zadzwonić | dzwonić | to phone |
| zapłacić | płacić | to pay |
| podziękować | dziękować | to thank |
| poprosić | prosić | to ask for |
| zapytać | pytać | to ask a question |
| posłuchać | słuchać | to listen |
| poczekać | czekać | to wait |
| zatańczyć | tańczyć | to dance |
| zaśpiewać | śpiewać | to sing |
| zbudować | budować | to build |
| skończyć | kończyć | to finish |
| pobawić się | bawić się | to play |
| pojechać | jechać | to go (by vehicle) |
| pójść | iść | to go (on foot) |
The hard direction. These imperfectives are built by lengthening the stem, often with -ywa-, -owa- or an added -a-, and the perfective gives you no clue which one it wants.
| Perfective | Imperfective | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| zacząć | zaczynać | to begin |
| spotkać się | spotykać się | to meet |
| wyrzucić | wyrzucać | to throw out |
| ułożyć | układać | to arrange, to put in order |
| kupić | kupować | to buy |
| wstać | wstawać | to get up |
| wrócić | wracać | to come back |
| otworzyć | otwierać | to open |
| zamknąć | zamykać | to close |
| dać | dawać | to give |
| dostać | dostawać | to receive |
| pokazać | pokazywać | to show |
| odpowiedzieć | odpowiadać | to answer |
| pomóc | pomagać | to help |
| wybrać | wybierać | to choose |
| sprzedać | sprzedawać | to sell |
| zamówić | zamawiać | to order |
| zapomnieć | zapominać | to forget |
Unchanged by the direction: there is no route from powiedzieć back to mówić except knowing the pair.
| Perfective | Imperfective | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| powiedzieć | mówić | to speak, to say |
| obejrzeć | oglądać | to watch |
| wziąć | brać | to take |
| zobaczyć | widzieć | to see |
Watch Your Language is an iPhone and Apple Watch app for vocabulary. Aspect pairs are exactly the kind of thing it is built for: two entries that have to be met together, often enough, which it does by putting them in a widget on your Lock Screen and watch face:
Watch Your LanguageVocabulary widgets for iPhone & Apple Watch
