# Verbs of motion xодить, сходить, идти, пойти (в кино)



## Eli.C

Hi!
As a non-native russian speaker I often have problems with verbs of motion; so, I'd like you to translate these sentences (the same sentence but with different verbs of motion) and explain to me why would you use an option rather than another one, so that I could better understand the shades of meaning 

- мы не знаем, что делать сегодня вечером.



вы можете ходить в кино.
вы можете сходить в кино.
вы можете идти в кино.
вы можете пойти в кино.


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## Linguoman

Eli.C said:


> - мы не знаем, что делать сегодня вечером.
> 
> 
> 
> вы можете ходить в кино. - *On a regular base, every day etc. (not suitable for the given context as the question was about a single occasion, this evening).*
> вы можете сходить в кино. - *A good option. It is like providing an option of what we can do this evening.*
> вы можете идти в кино. - *Not for the given context. In a different context, it can be understood the following way:*
> 
> *- Can we go already?
> - No, no, wait, please.
> ... (waiting)
> - Now you can go to the cinema (*вы можете идти в кино*).
> *
> 
> вы можете пойти в кино. - *A good option. As good as #2. Maybe there is a slight difference: this option is more like "what can we do right now?" while #2 is in a more general sense (maybe right now, maybe later). In most contexts, #2 and #4 can be equally used.*


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## Eli.C

Thank you Linguoman for your explanation!

I still have some doubt about the use of идти without any prefix: when should I use it? I understand your example (it denotes permission to go?), but I am not sure about its general usage.


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## Sobakus

There's a wealth of discussions and explanations about verbs of motion to be found using the search function. In short, _идти_ is used when the direction is constant, _ходить_ – when it isn't or the act is repeated.


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## Linguoman

Yes, in the specific context you provided, I would understand "идти" as a permission to go.

But to answer your question more generally, as Sobakus noted, "идти" is to be moving in a single direction, more like "to be in your way to...". It denotes a motion in its progress from point A to point B (when you are somewhere between A and B).

If you are describing visiting a cinema as a single event, than it involves moving there and back (A->B->A), that is way "идти" is not appropriate for describing the event. That is why "идти" in your context makes an impression of a "premission to go" ("you can move", "you can start going"), not a proposal how to spend your evening.

A proposal how to spend the evening necessarily involves the perfective aspect (an event considered as a whole).
It can either be the whole A->B->A event (сходить в кино ("и вернуться" is implied)), or it can be the event of leaving home (пойти в кино). The latter is more like "to have left one's home in order to visit a cinema" without actually including the event of arriving to the cinema.


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## Eli.C

Thanks Linguoman, your explanation is really accurate 

I know the differences between uni and pluridirectional verbs, and imperfective and perfective ones, but in the russian language course we were taught, first of all, the verbs of motion without prefixes, and then how prefixes modify the verbs' meaning; so, although I know the general rules of their usage, often it's not so simple to understand when to choose a verb without prefix or with a certain prefix instead of another.

Now I think it's all more clear


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## igusarov

Eli.C said:


> As a non-native russian speaker I often have  problems with verbs of motion


Are they really verbs of motion? I  think 3 of your examples are using the verbs not in their primary motion  sense...

"Ходить в кино" means "to go to see movies". It has little to do with walking. "Ходить"  is not a verb of  motion here, it is rather used in the sense "to attend", "to  visit" with no focus on the process of moving. Compare: if taken literally (as a verb of motion) this phrase should be  interpreted as "гулять по залу кинотеатра", which is obviously not how natives perceive it...
The same for "сходить в кино".

The  phrase "вы можете идти" is, indeed, affected by the verb "можете" to  the point where it sounds like a permission: "I'm not detaining you any  more".

I would suggest switching to the following examples:

Я хочу ходить босиком.
Я хочу сходить (куда-то) босиком.
Я хочу идти босиком.
Я хочу пойти босиком.


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## Eli.C

igusarov said:


> Are they really verbs of motion? I  think 3 of your examples are using the verbs not in their primary motion  sense...
> 
> "Ходить в кино" means "to go to see movies". It has little to do with walking. "Ходить"  is not a verb of  motion here, it is rather used in the sense "to attend", "to  visit" with no focus on the process of moving. Compare: if taken literally (as a verb of motion) this phrase should be  interpreted as "гулять по залу кинотеатра", which is obviously not how natives perceive it...
> The same for "сходить в кино".
> 
> The  phrase "вы можете идти" is, indeed, affected by the verb "можете" to  the point where it sounds like a permission: "I'm not detaining you any  more".
> 
> I would suggest switching to the following examples:
> 
> Я хочу ходить босиком.
> Я хочу сходить (куда-то) босиком.
> Я хочу идти босиком.
> Я хочу пойти босиком.



Basically, идти and ходить, among others, are verbs of motion to which it's possible to add prefixes that could modify their meaning. Mine ("As a non-native russian speaker I often have  problems with verbs of motion") was just an introduction to the argument, and my request was to tell me which of the verbs I used aren't a correct option in this context (можете's sense was to express not a permission, but a suggestion; doesn't a russian perceive it that way?).
From the examples that you have suggested I can't understand the differences between the verbs's shades of meaning


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## igusarov

I'm sorry if I have confused you... If you intent was to get an  explanation for those four particular sentences in that particular  context - then everything is fine. What I wanted to say is that those  examples are so special and so different (because the verb "ходить" is used in  different sense each time) that they hardly could give you an idea about  verbs of movement. "Ходить в кино" is absolutely different then "ходить по улице".



Eli.C said:


> можете's  sense was to express not a permission,  but a suggestion; doesn't a russian perceive it that way?


It is  perceived as suggestion in sentences 1, 2 and 4, because the context of  the question implies that the answer should suggest some actions. But  sentence #3 doesn't look good in that context. And the only way to make  at least some sense of sentence #3 is to interpret "можете" as  permission.


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## Enquiring Mind

> From the examples that you have suggested I can't understand the differences between the verbs's shades of meaning


 Hi Eli, here's how I, as a fellow non-native Russian speaker, understand the difference in Igusarov's examples. 

(1) Я хочу ходить босиком.
I want to walk around barefoot, I want to do all my walking barefoot. For any walking in life that I do, I never want to wear shoes. Here, ходить means walking as a general means of locomotion."To do (all) my (general, non-specific) walking."

(2) Я хочу сходить (куда-то) босиком.
I want to do (or make) that particular trip, errand or journey barefoot.  Here the sense of сходить is not in the method of locomotion, but in making (and completing) a particular trip. In fact, I may not even do that trip on foot at all, I might use some form of transport. I want to go somewhere (specific), but without wearing any shoes. 

(3) Я хочу идти босиком.  In this context, we are already walking somewhere specific, our method of locomotion is on foot. 
My companion: "Why have you taken your shoes off?"
Me: "Я хочу идти босиком." I want to walk (to do *this particular walking that we are doing now*) barefoot. (Maybe it's a beach, I want to feel the sand beneath my feet. Maybe my shoes are pinching my feet, Maybe I'm getting a blister).  

(4) Я хочу пойти босиком. I want to go (there and back) barefoot. I want to do/make (and complete) that journey without wearing shoes,* or *(but less likely) I want to set off barefoot (and maybe at some stage I'll put my shoes on). But initially, when I start this journey, I don't want to be wearing anything on my feet. 

So in 1 and 3, ходить and идти mean "walking" as a means of locomotion, and "walk" will probably be the right choice of verb. In 2 and 4, the sense is of "making a trip/visit", of "*go*ing somewhere", but not focusing on walking as the method of locomotion. You might not even *walk *there (and back) at all. In 2 and 4, "walk" would probably be the wrong choice of verb. The right choice would be go there, do the errand/trip/journey,set out etc.


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## Sobakus

Enquiring Mind said:


> (4) Я хочу пойти босиком. I want to go (there and back) barefoot. I want to do/make (and complete) that journey without wearing shoes,* or *(but less likely) I want to set off barefoot (and maybe at some stage I'll put my shoes on). But initially, when I start this journey, I don't want to be wearing anything on my feet.


Hey *Enquiring Mind*, your explanation is as detailed and informative as ever, but here you seem to be a little wide of the mark. Prefixed VOMs formed from the unidirectional imperfective retain the non-iterative meaning, the resulting perfective verb therefore ends up denoting either the start or end of the action. The iterative meaning of the prefix _по-_ therefore is impossible, instead it's relegated to the pluridirectional-based perfective _походить_. As a result, the unidirectional-based perfective is the most common verb to be used with modal verbs such as _хотеть_, indicating the start of the action (simply doing it) and saying nothing more about it.


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## Eli.C

igusarov said:


> I'm sorry if I have confused you... If you  intent was to get an  explanation for those four particular sentences in  that particular  context - then everything is fine. What I wanted to  say is that those  examples are so special and so different (because the  verb "ходить" is used in  different sense each time) that they hardly  could give you an idea about  verbs of movement. "Ходить в кино" is  absolutely different then "ходить по улице".



Don't worry, I have understood what you wanted to say, and of course  you're right! But mainly I was interested in the shades of meaning that  prefixes give to these verbs: probably I would have said "I often have  problems with verbs with prefixes", but most of time others verbs have a  specific and (more or less) fix meanings not so difficult to understand  . With verbs of motion, although I know their basic sense and  characteristics (uni or pluridirectional, by foot/vehicle), often I have  to be reflecting on them more time.



Enquiring Mind said:


> Hi Eli, here's how I, as a fellow non-native Russian speaker, understand the difference in Igusarov's examples.



Thank you! I haven't understood the difference between Я хочу сходить (куда-то) босиком and Я хочу пойти босиком, now I do.


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## Eli.C

Sobakus said:


> Hey *Enquiring Mind*, your explanation is as detailed and informative as ever, but here you seem to be a little wide of the mark. Prefixed VOMs formed from the unidirectional imperfective retain the non-iterative meaning, the resulting perfective verb therefore ends up denoting either the start or end of the action. The iterative meaning of the prefix _по-_ therefore is impossible, instead it's relegated to the pluridirectional-based perfective _походить_. As a result, the unidirectional-based perfective is the most common verb to be used with modal verbs such as _хотеть_, indicating the start of the action (simply doing it) and saying nothing more about it.



So the difference between Я хочу идти босиком and Я хочу пойти босиком is only that the second one denotes the beginning of the action of walking barefoot and the first one just suggests the general action of walking barefoot in one direction?


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## Enquiring Mind

Thanks for the feedback, Sobakus. I don't think I was suggesting (or at least I didn't intend to suggest) any iterative (by which I mean "repetitive" or "on more than one occasion") sense in the context I gave for пойти in example 4.  Is it the "I want to do/make (and complete) that journey" comment that you are referring to?  I used "that" to mean one specific journey.


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## Enquiring Mind

Eli.C said:


> So the difference between Я хочу идти босиком and Я хочу пойти босиком is only that the second one denotes the beginning of the action of walking barefoot and the first one just suggests the general action of walking barefoot in one direction?


 
Пойти in 4 isn't focusing on the means of locomotion, it's  not about "walking", it's about  wanting to "make/start/complete a trip" (one particular trip), "going somewhere"(specific, or for a specific purpose), not just "the beginning" but looking to the result of the action.

На мне уснул кот а *я хочу пойти* поесть - ........ I want to go and get something to eat. ("Walking" is not the point here)
*Я хочу пойти* после армии работать в милицию, или в спецназ ("Walking" is not the point here)
Куда пойти сегодня вечером?  Where shall we go this evening? ("Walking" is not the point, we may not even "walk" there at all.)


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## Eli.C

Enquiring Mind said:


> Пойти in 4 isn't focusing on the means of locomotion, it's  not about "walking", it's about  wanting to "make/start/complete a trip" (one particular trip), "going somewhere"(specific, or for a specific purpose), not just "the beginning" but looking to the result of the action.
> 
> На мне уснул кот а *я хочу пойти* поесть - ........ I want to go and get something to eat. ("Walking" is not the point here)
> *Я хочу пойти* после армии работать в милицию, или в спецназ ("Walking" is not the point here)
> Куда пойти сегодня вечером?  Where shall we go this evening? ("Walking" is not the point, we may not even "walk" there at all.)



Yes, sorry, with "the second one denotes the beginning of the action of walking barefoot" I wanted to say go in one direction, not walking. But if in *пойти  *there isn't a sense of "beginning", what's the difference with идти in the #3 example? I understand that, as you say, *пойти *isn't focusing on the mean of locomotion, but even with a prefix it remains a verb that implies a movement not by vehicle. Are you saying that in this case "walking is not the point" because we can use it before knowing if we are going to go by foot o by vehicle (like in your sentence "Куда пойти сегодня вечером?")?

I can say Я хочу идти босиком only if I am referring to this exact moment, and Я хочу пойти босиком if I am speaking in general of an intention about a particular future trip..?


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## Sobakus

Enquiring Mind said:


> Thanks for the feedback, Sobakus. I don't think I was suggesting (or at least I didn't intend to suggest) any iterative (by which I mean "repetitive" or "on more than one occasion") sense in the context I gave for пойти in example 4.  Is it the "I want to do/make (and complete) that journey" comment that you are referring to?  I used "that" to mean one specific journey.



By iterative i meant the "there and back" part, which is only expressed by the verb _сходить_. The verb _пойти_ doesn't say anything about the result of the trip, it specifically denotes that the trip will take place and that's it, the "result" here is a successful departure. Basically, _сходить_ is _пойти туда_ plus _пойти обратно_, indeed denoting the result of the trip.


Eli.C said:


> So the difference between Я хочу идти босиком and Я хочу пойти босиком is only that the second one denotes the beginning of the action of walking barefoot and the first one just suggests the general action of walking barefoot in one direction?


_Идти_ is an imperfective verb, therefore it expresses a process. You want to be going right now, no purpose or result is implied.


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## Enquiring Mind

Ok, thanks Sobakus, I happily concede that the "there and back" bit was on the wrong track there. .


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## Eli.C

So if I'd wanted to say "Let's go to the beach!" "I want to go barefoot" (assuming that we live in a house on the beach, so it makes sense) I'd have to say "Давай пойдём на пляж" "я хочу идти босиком" as it refers to the process of going to the beach?


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## Enquiring Mind

I think your version is right, but wait for the natives to confirm.


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## Linguoman

Eli.C said:


> So if I'd wanted to say "Let's go to the beach!" "I want to go barefoot" (assuming that we live in a house on the beach, so it makes sense) I'd have to say "Давай пойдём на пляж" "я хочу идти босиком" as it refers to the process of going to the beach?



The both phrases sound perfect to me.

Although they are not the only possible options to render that meaning. If to go to nuances, instead of "Давай пойдём на пляж" you may say:

Пойдём на пляж! (As "давай" is a little bit redundant here, "пойдём" is already an invitation);
Пошли на пляж! (This form can also be used for invitation to do something together).
etc.

Another thought: "Я хочу пойти босиком" is also possible depending on the whole context. But your option sounds better to me (when two consecutive phrases are used).


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## Sobakus

Your version is perfect, *Eli.C*! 
_Давай_ makes the invitation more casual and a bit less insistent.
_Я хочу пойти босиком_ works in a similar way, making it more of a request of opinion and less of a statement of inevitable, since the action is now in the future.
_Давай сходим на пляж_ is an option too, but it treats the process as a whole, therefore placing it further in the future (when you'll have returned home), so it would be more suitable if you lived far from the beach or to express non-immediate plans. Without _давай_, it's only used as a question.


Enquiring Mind said:


> Ok, thanks Sobakus, I happily concede that the "there and back" bit was on the wrong track there. .


I'll only repeat then that this is a peculiarity of verbs of motion. _Я хочу погладить кота_ still refers to the action as a complete whole, of course.


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## Eli.C

Thank you all guys 
Talk about this kind of problems with a native always is useful!


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