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RUSSIAN VERB

скромничать

to be modest, to play down what you did

  • 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 am modest
  2. ты you are modest
  3. он, она, оно he/she is modest
  4. мы we are modest
  5. вы you all are modest
  6. они they are modest

Past

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

  1. он he was modest
  2. она she was modest
  3. оно it was modest
  4. они they were modest

Future

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

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

Conditional

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

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

Imperative

Повелительное наклонение · requests and orders: ты, вы

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

How to use скромничать

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

  1. Present

    Она скромничает, а сама выиграла конкурс.

    She's being modest, though she won the competition.

  2. Past

    Дедушка всю жизнь скромничал и молчал о войне.

    Grandpa was modest all his life and said nothing about the war.

  3. Future

    Я не буду скромничать: пирог мне удался.

    I won't be modest: the pie came out great.

  4. Conditional

    На твоём месте я бы не скромничала.

    In your place I wouldn't be modest.

  5. Imperative

    Не скромничай, расскажи, как всё прошло.

    Don't be modest, tell us how it went.

Good to know

  • Не скромничай! is said to someone who plays down what they did.

Where you hear скромничать

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

Russian · Fluency Level 1

  • Он скромничает, играл он отлично. He's being modest, he played very well.
  • Сэм скромничал весь вечер. Sam was modest all evening.
  • Не скромничай, скажи, что было хорошо. Don't be modest, say it was good.
6
The Yes That Means No

Fluency Level 1 · Он скромничает.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: imperfective verb.