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fluentbyear

RUSSIAN VERB

плавать

to swim

  • #173 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 swim
  2. ты you swim
  3. он, она, оно he/she swims
  4. мы we swim
  5. вы you all swim
  6. они they swim

Past

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

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

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

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

Imperative

Повелительное наклонение · requests and orders: ты, вы

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

How to use плавать

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

  1. Present

    Летом мы плаваем в озере у дачи.

    In summer we swim in the lake near the dacha.

  2. Past

    В детстве я плавал лучше, чем ходил.

    As a child I swam better than I walked.

  3. Future

    Я буду плавать в бассейне по утрам.

    I'll swim in the pool in the mornings.

  4. Conditional

    Я бы плавал в море каждый день.

    I'd swim in the sea every day.

  5. Imperative

    Плавай у берега, там не глубоко.

    Swim near the shore, it's not deep there.

Good to know

  • Плавать is swimming in general: я умею плавать; плыть is one swim in one direction, now.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: imperfective verb.