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RUSSIAN VERB

отвечать

to answer (the ongoing verb)

  • #85 most used
  • Imperfective verb

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Настоящее время · now and habits: imperfective verbs only

  1. я I answer
  2. ты you answer
  3. он, она, оно he/she answers
  4. мы we answer
  5. вы you all answer
  6. они they answer

Past

Прошедшее время · by gender and number: он говорил, она говорила

  1. он he answered
  2. она she answered
  3. оно it answered
  4. они they answered

Future

Будущее время · “буду” and the infinitive for an imperfective verb; a perfective verb conjugates by itself

  1. я I will answer
  2. ты you will answer
  3. он, она, оно he/she will answer
  4. мы we will answer
  5. вы you all will answer
  6. они they will answer

Conditional

Условное наклонение · “would”: the past and “бы”

  1. он he would answer
  2. она she would answer
  3. оно it would answer
  4. они they would answer

Imperative

Повелительное наклонение · requests and orders: ты, вы

  1. ты answer!
  2. вы answer! (formal, or all of you)

How to use отвечать

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Он никогда не отвечает на мои сообщения.

    He never answers my messages.

  2. Past

    На уроке я отвечал первым и всё забыл.

    In class I answered first and forgot everything.

  3. Future

    На звонки буду отвечать после обеда.

    I'll answer calls after lunch.

  4. Conditional

    Я бы отвечал короче, у нас мало времени.

    I'd answer more briefly, we don't have much time.

  5. Imperative

    Отвечай честно, ты брал мои ключи?

    Answer honestly, did you take my keys?

Good to know

  • Отвечать на вопрос, на письмо: what you answer comes after на. Отвечать за что-то is to be responsible for it. Ответить is once.

Where you hear отвечать

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Russian · Fluency Level 3

  • Он отвечает на все вопросы. He answers all the questions.
  • Я отвечал медленно, но по-русски. I answered slowly, but in Russian.
  • Маша будет отвечать сама. Masha will answer for herself.
14
The Medical

Fluency Level 3 · Один вопрос. Отвечай как нормальный человек.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: imperfective verb.