Some rules relating to stress in verbs
- There are relatively few verbs with stable and/or predictable stress; these tend to be 1st conjugation verbs with the stem suffixes -а, -я, -ува, -юва, -ну, -і, e.g. ма́ти, ді́яти, розумі́ти, перепи́сувати) and 2nd conjugation verbs with the stem suffix -и, e.g. ши́ти, ми́ти; the largest category of verbs with stable/predictable stress is derived from foreign loans, e.g. авансува́ти, суфлюва́ти, транслюва́ти etc.
- In the future imperfective, both forms of which are based on the infinitive, the stress of the infinitive is retained e.g. роби́ти / бу́ду роби́ти / роби́тиму.
- Where the future perfective has been formed by addition of a prefix to the present, the stress of the present is usually retained e.g. пишу́ / напишу́, слу́хаю / послу́хаю; however, one category of verbs does undergo shift in stress when a prefix (e.g. по-) is added to suggest an extended period of action e.g. стою́ / посто́ю, лежу́ / поле́жу.
- Stress in the past is mainly predictable; past perfective formed by addition of a prefix to the imperfective retains the stress of the original.
- In the past gerund, which is formed from the masculine singular of the past perfective (see Read Ukrainian! page 13.3), the stress of the original form is retained e.g. зроби́ти / зроби́в / зроби́вши, прочита́ти / прочита́в / прочита́вши.
- In the present tense, the first syllable of the 1st and 2nd person plural (ми, ви) endings i.e. -емо/-имо, -ете/-ите is not stressed; the stress will fall either on the 2nd syllable e.g. живемо́ / живете́, ідемо́ / ідете́, несемо́ / несете́, or on the stem, e.g. бу́демо / бу́дете, ро́бимо / ро́бите.
- One important category of verb with «е» in the stem has end stress in the present, e.g. вести́ / веду́, нести́ / несу́, везти́ / везу́.
- In one important category of verb with the vowel «а» in the stem, the stem stress in the infinitive shifts to end stress in the present, e.g. кла́сти / кладу́, впа́сти / впаду́, кра́сти / краду́.
- In the present gerund, which is formed from the 3rd person plural present tense (see Read Ukrainian! page 12.2), the stress of the original remains, e.g. писа́ти / пи́шуть / пи́шучи, говори́ти / гово́рять / гово́рячи.
- In most first-conjugation verbs with stems ending in a consonant and with end stress on the infinitive, in the present tense the last syllable is stressed, e.g. пекти́ / печемо́ / пекла́, берегти́ / бережу́ / берегла́, нести́ / несу́ / несла́.
- In most first-conjugation verbs with stems ending in a consonant and with stem stress in the infinitive, the stem stress is retained in the past but shifts to the ending in the present. Many of these verbs denote basic functions, including rural pursuits, e.g. па́сти / пасу́ / па́сла, пря́сти / пряду́ / пря́ла, кра́сти / краду́ / кра́ла, упа́сти (впа́сти) / упаду́ / упа́ла, кла́сти / кладу́ / кла́ла, де́рти / деру́ / де́рла.
- In other first-conjugation and most second-conjugation verbs where the stress falls on the last syllable of the stem, in the present tense the stress shifts to the ending in the 1st person singular, and then shifts back to the stem for all other persons, e.g. каза́ти / кажу́ / ка́жеш, люби́ти / люблю́ / лю́биш, ходи́ти / ходжу́ / хо́диш.