Read & compare the examples paying attention to how the period of time is expressed:
1. Я делал отчёт 2 часа.
I was doing the report for 2 hours.
2. Я сделал отчёт за 2 часа.
I did the report in 2 hours.
If we want to emphasize the duration of some action, we don’t use a preposition: for 2 hours = 2 часа. And the action is expressed by an imperfective verb here.
When we want to emphasize finishing an action within a period of time, we use the preposition ‘за’: in 2 hours = за 2 часа. In this case, we use the perfective verb.
Here are more examples:
1. Я читал книгу 3 дня.
I was reading the book for 3 days.
2. Я прочитал книгу за 3 дня.
I read a book in 3 days.
1. Я учил английский язык 4 года в университете.
I was learning English for 4 years at university.
2. Я выучил английский язык за 4 года.
I learnt English in 4 years.
Words of period change depending on number like this:
hour | day | month | year | |
1 | час | день | месяц | год |
2, 3, 4 | часа | дня | месяца | года |
5… | часов | дней | месяцев | лет |
NOTE!
- For the numbers 11-19, we use ‘часов’, ‘дней’, etc.: 11 часов, 12 месяцев, 15 лет
- For the numbers that start with 20, 30, etc. and end with 1, we use ‘час’, ‘день’, etc.: 21 час, 31 день, 41 год
- For the numbers that start with 20, 30 etc. and end with 2,3,4, we use ‘часа’, ‘дня’, etc.: 2 часа, 3 дня, 4 месяца
Listen to the audio to hear the correct answers
Listen to the audio to hear the correct answers