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RUSSIAN VERB

свистнуть

to whistle once, to give a whistle

  • Perfective verb

Conjugation

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

Past

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

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

Future

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

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

Conditional

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

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

Imperative

Повелительное наклонение · requests and orders: ты, вы

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

How to use свистнуть

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

  1. Past

    Проводник свистнул, и поезд тронулся.

    The conductor whistled, and the train moved off.

  2. Future

    Я свистну, когда можно будет выходить.

    I'll whistle when it's okay to come out.

  3. Conditional

    Я бы свистнул, но не умею.

    I'd whistle, but I don't know how.

  4. Imperative

    Свистни мне, если увидишь контролёра.

    Give me a whistle if you see the inspector.

Good to know

  • Свистнуть is one whistle: проводник свистнул. Свистеть is whistling as it goes on. In slang, свистнуть is also to pinch, to steal.

Where you hear свистнуть

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

Russian · Advanced Level 3

  • Поезд свистнул, бегите! The train has whistled, run!
  • Проводник свистнул, и мы побежали. The conductor gave a whistle, and we ran.
  • Как только свистнет, бегите. As soon as it whistles, run.
25
Twenty Minutes on a Platform

Advanced Level 3 · Как только свистнет, бегите.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: perfective verb.