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fluentbyear

RUSSIAN VERB

плыть

to swim, to sail

  • #174 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 плыть

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

  1. Present

    Смотри, лодка плывёт прямо к нам.

    Look, the boat's coming straight towards us.

  2. Past

    Мы плыли на пароме четыре часа.

    We sailed on the ferry for four hours.

  3. Future

    Завтра мы будем плыть по Волге весь день.

    Tomorrow we'll be sailing down the Volga all day.

  4. Conditional

    Я бы плыла медленнее, вода холодная.

    I'd swim more slowly, the water's cold.

  5. Imperative

    Плыви ко мне, здесь можно стоять.

    Swim over to me, you can stand here.

Good to know

  • Плыть is one swim or one sailing in one direction: мы плывём к острову; плавать is swimming in general. Boats and clouds плывут too.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: imperfective verb.