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RUSSIAN VERB

ругать

to scold, to tell off

  • #434 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 scold
  2. ты you scold
  3. он, она, оно he/she scolds
  4. мы we scold
  5. вы you all scold
  6. они they scold

Past

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

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

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

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

Imperative

Повелительное наклонение · requests and orders: ты, вы

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

How to use ругать

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

  1. Present

    Мама ругает меня за беспорядок в комнате.

    Mum tells me off for the mess in my room.

  2. Past

    Тренер ругал нас после каждого матча.

    The coach told us off after every match.

  3. Future

    Никто не будет тебя ругать, просто расскажи.

    Nobody's going to scold you, just tell us.

  4. Conditional

    Я бы не ругал ребёнка за разбитую чашку.

    I wouldn't scold a child over a broken cup.

  5. Imperative

    Не ругай его, он старался.

    Don't tell him off, he was trying.

Good to know

  • Ругать кого-то за что-то is to tell someone off for something; ругаться is to swear or to quarrel. Отругать is once.

Where you hear ругать

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

Russian · Intermediate Level 2

  • Я вас не ругаю, Сэм. I'm not scolding you, Sam.
  • Мама ругала меня за опоздание. Mum told me off for being late.
  • Родители будут ругать не вас, а меня. The parents will scold me, not you.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: imperfective verb.