| Introduction |
In this post we’re covering verbs ending in –овать/-евать. These verbs may seem complicated, but they are indeed very easy to conjugate.
| Formation |
Conjugating these verbs is snap! Just one thing needs to be done before adding in the proper endings.
Before proceeding to that step, these are first-conjugation verbs. That means they take the following endings:
| First-Conjugation Endings |
| я | ты | он/она/оно | мы | вы | они |
| –ю | –ешь | –ет | –ем | –ете | –ют |
| Are you finding my blog useful? Like and share the posts and subscribe to my blog please. By doing so, you help it thrive and succeed. |
But wait! Before we add in those endings, we need to make a little alteration.
| Remove the stem, which is –овать/-евать. Then add in у and finally the necessary endings. |
We’ll be using the verb следовать [to follow] as our example.
| следовать [to follow] |
| Ending: –овать | Stem: след– |
| следую | следуем |
| следуешь | следуете |
| следует | следуют |
Some in-context examples:
| Дети следуют правилам, когда они на уроке. The children follow the rules when they are in class. |
| Он следует советам старших братьев. He follows the advice of his older brothers. |
| За январем следует февраль. February follows January. |
Additional verbs following this pattern are:
| целовать | to kiss |
| рисовать | to draw |
| интересовать | to interest |
| фотографировать | to photograph |
| путешествовать | to travel |
| советовать | to advise |
| рисковать | to [take a] risk |
| синхронизировать | to synchronize |
| рекламировать | to advertise |
| афишировать | to parade around, to give attention to |
| пробовать | to try |
| протестовать | to protest |
| игнорировать | to ignore |
| приветствовать | to greet |
| радовать | to be joyful |
| действовать | to act |
| отсутствовать | to be absent |
| присутсвовать | to be present |
| существовать | to exist |
| праздновать | to celebrate |
| планировать | to plan |
| арестовать | to arrest |
| чувствовать | to feel |
| рекомендовать | to recommend |
| танцевать | to dance |
| ремонтировать | to repaire |
| копировать | to copy |
| жаловаться | to complain |
| воевать | to wage war |
| требовать | to demand |
| медитировать | to meditate |
| голосовать | to vote |
| Did you know? Many new verbs adopted into the Russian language conjugate like this. |
| The verb жаловаться is always reflexive. |
In-context examples:
| Муж целует жену перед выходом из дома. The husband kisses his wife before leaving home. |
| Что они планируют делать этим летом? What are they planning to do this summer? |
| Я советую тебе слушать родителей. I advise you to listen to your parents. |
| Remember the greeting здравствуйте? It comes from the verb здравствовать. And this is the imperative form: be healthy, but it’s used to mean hello. So, you can follow this pattern to form the imperative of any of these verbs. |
| Фотографируй меня побольше, пожалуйста. Take some more photos of me, please. |
| Танцуй! Не перестань! Dance! Don’t stop! |
Well, there it is! You now know how to conjugate verbs of this type. 🙂
| Last Edit: 01/03/2026. |
My Slavic Studies 