Conjugation › Russian › Znat'
Russian · Verb Tables · Intermediate
знать (znat') means "to know" in Russian. Present: я (ya) знаю [znayu], ты (ty) знаешь [znayesh'], он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) знает [znayet], мы (my) знаем [znayem], вы (vy) знаете [znayete], они (oni) знают [znayut]. Below: all 6 tenses we teach, with examples.
Formed from the imperfective present stem plus personal endings (1st or 2nd conjugation). It covers habitual actions, general truths, and actions happening right now; perfective verbs have no present tense at all.
| я (ya) | знаю [znayu] |
| ты (ty) | знаешь [znayesh'] |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | знает [znayet] |
| мы (my) | знаем [znayem] |
| вы (vy) | знаете [znayete] |
| они (oni) | знают [znayut] |
Drop -ть from the infinitive and add -л (masculine), -ла (feminine), -ло (neuter) or -ли (plural), agreeing with the subject's gender and number, never with person. Describes an action that was ongoing, repeated, or habitual in the past, or simply names a past fact without stressing that it was completed — this single form covers what English splits into "simple past" and "was doing."
| я (ya) | знал / знала [znal / znala] |
| ты (ty) | знал / знала [znal / znala] |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | знал / знала / знало [znal / znala / znalo] |
| мы (my) | знали [znali] |
| вы (vy) | знали [znali] |
| они (oni) | знали [znali] |
Compound future: the future of быть (буду, будешь, будет, будем, будете, будут) plus the imperfective infinitive. Used for an action that will be ongoing, repeated, or habitual in the future, without saying whether it will be finished.
| я (ya) | буду знать [budu znat'] |
| ты (ty) | будешь знать [budesh' znat'] |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | будет знать [budet znat'] |
| мы (my) | будем знать [budem znat'] |
| вы (vy) | будете знать [budete znat'] |
| они (oni) | будут знать [budut znat'] |
Бы + the imperfective past (-л/-ла/-ло/-ли) form. Used for general or repeated hypotheticals, polite wishes, and requests where completion isn't the point.
| я (ya) | знал / знала бы [znal / znala by] |
| ты (ty) | знал / знала бы [znal / znala by] |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | знал / знала / знало бы [znal / znala / znalo by] |
| мы (my) | знали бы [znali by] |
| вы (vy) | знали бы [znali by] |
| они (oni) | знали бы [znali by] |
Ты/вы forms come from the present/future stem plus -й/-йте (or -и/-ите after a consonant cluster); мы uses давай(те) + infinitive or the perfective 1st-plural future; the 3rd persons use пусть + present/future.
| я (ya) | — |
| ты (ty) | знай [znay] (rare, rhetorical) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | пусть знает [pust' znayet] |
| мы (my) | — |
| вы (vy) | знайте [znayte] (rare, rhetorical) |
| они (oni) | пусть знают [pust' znayut] |
Не + the same forms, almost always built on the imperfective aspect (не читай, not не прочитай) even when the corresponding affirmative command would be perfective — a perfective negative instead warns against an accidental action (не забудь, "don't forget"), which is a separate, narrower use not covered here.
| я (ya) | — |
| ты (ty) | не знай [ne znay] (rare) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | пусть не знает [pust' ne znayet] |
| мы (my) | — |
| вы (vy) | не знайте [ne znayte] (rare) |
| они (oni) | пусть не знают [pust' ne znayut] |
| Я его хорошо знаю. Ya yego khorosho znayu. | I know him well. |
| Я не знал её лично. Ya ne znal yeyo lichno. | I didn't know her personally. |
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