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 |
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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
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 |
| жевать | to chew |
| 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. |
Additional Info
| 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: 11/01/2026. |