Quick answer
Verb stress is either fixed on the stem, fixed on the ending, or mobile: on the ending in the я form and on the stem everywhere else.
The three patterns
| Pattern | Example | Where the stress sits |
|---|---|---|
| fixed stem | де́лать: де́лаю, де́лаешь | never moves |
| fixed ending | говори́ть: говорю́, говори́шь | always on the ending |
| mobile | плати́ть: плачу́, пла́тишь | ending in я, stem elsewhere |
The mobile pattern is the one to watch. It affects a large group of second-conjugation verbs: плати́ть, проси́ть, люби́ть, смотре́ть, учи́ть, шути́ть, води́ть — all of them stress the ending in the я form and the stem from ты onwards.
The past tense
Most verbs keep the stress where the infinitive has it: де́лал, де́лала, де́лали. But a group of one-syllable verbs shifts the stress to the ending in the feminine: был — была́, взял — взяла́, на́чал — начала́, по́нял — поняла́, жил — жила́. The masculine and plural keep the stem.
The pairs that stress separates
Звони́т is the single most-discussed stress in Russian: зво́нит is widespread and still considered an error. Saying звони́т correctly is a small marker of careful speech.
Learn the я and ты forms together
Because the mobile pattern changes between exactly those two, learning плачу́ — пла́тишь as a pair fixes the whole verb. Every table on this site marks the stress on every form for the same reason.
Typical mistakes
Он зво́нит.
Он звони́т.
The standard stress is on the ending.
Она́ бы́ла до́ма.
Она́ была́ до́ма.
The feminine past of быть is end-stressed.
Check yourself
Which is the standard stress?