Let’s say we have 2 pairs of verbs with quite raw translation:
Готовить (to cook) – приготовить (to have cooked)
Читать (to read) – прочитать to read (to have read)
Учить (to learn/teach) – выучить (to have learned)
The first word in a pair is related to the continuous and generic process. It can be non-specific. As я читаю I read. When it is specified it normally refers to a continuous tense. Я читаю книгу. I am reading a book. There can be Я читаю that equals to I am reading, but ther shall be a clear context to it, like "What are you doing? I am reading " Что ты делаешь? Я читаю.
The second word in a pair is a perfect verb. It is specific about the action that has been done. Я выучил урок. The only case when clarification is omitted is when it is known for sure. And it sounds a bit too brief, and a spoken version of the language.
- Ты читаешь Войну и Мир? Are you reading War and Peace?
- Уже прочитал. (I have) already read (it).
The perfect tense is accompanied by a preposition.
Prepositions as you can see, may vary, combining with the initial word to indicate a different end action. Писать (to write/writing) – записать (to write down) – выписать (to write out) – прописать (to prescribe).
You can only mix them up in a single short sentence. Я читаю книгу or Я прочитал книгу can both be right if no further context given.
Now imagine, you need to insert word читаю and прочитаю in the sentence below.
Я хорошо ******* (1), и я ******(2) много книг.
The first word is generic, and unless it is 100% specified by the context, which is impossible in a single sentence, it shall be a simple word. So, in any case it is Я хорошо читаю (1), ….
(2) in this case can both be “читаю много книг” or “прочитал много книг”. It is specified, I don’t just read, I read books, but there is no further indication.
There can be a further indication, like therefore (поэтому) – because of (почему) between (1) and (2), or additional prepositions. This one you just translate carefully.
A small hint on the way: if the construction feels overcomplicated or vague then it’s probably wrong. The Russian language omits a lot: continuous or present tense, “to be”, articles, word order is flexible and there are homonyms as well. We need to imply and clarify a lot. So complicated/vague structure of the sentence needs to be clarified by several sentences around, and we will not use it unless it is super-necessary.
Normally, I say “Я люблю читать” "I like to read" instead of Я читаю "I read" because the next thing I’d need to say is “Ну то есть в принципе читаю, а не прямо сейчас” "Well I mean I read, not reading right now".
Just too much, right?
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