Russian Vocabulary (and Wisdom)

How to say "to think" in Russian

This Russian word is one of the top 1000 words in Russian. The complete list of most common Russian words is available here.

подумать

Meaning: to think, consider

Pronunciation: [puh-DOO-maht']

Part of speech: verb (perfective aspect)

Rank: #192 (see frequency list)

I've been thinking it over and I decided we don't need any car at all!
Photo by Marco Raaphorst CC-BY-2.0

Example sentences:

Я поду́мал, что ты до́ма.
I thought you were home. (familiar "you")
А ты что поду́мала?
And what did you think? (addressing a female informally)
Сыно́к, поду́май хороше́нько! Ты действи́тельно хо́чешь быть арти́стом?
Sonny, think it over! Do you really want to be an actor?
literal Sonny, think it over well! Do you really want to be an actor?
Я тут посиде́л, поду́мал и реши́л, что никака́я маши́на нам не нужна́.
I've been thinking it over and I decided we don't need any car at all!
literal I was sitting and thinking here and I decided we don't need any car at all!
А ты обо́ мне-то поду́мал?
Have you thought about me or not?
literal And you about me then thought?
Е́сли я им об э́том скажу́, они́ поду́мают, что я невоспи́танная.
If I tell them about it, they'll think that I'm bad-mannered.
Поду́маешь! Я то́же свобо́дно говорю́ на четырëх языка́х!
So what! I also speak four languages fluently!
literal You think! I also speak four languages fluently!
Поду́мать то́лько! Он да́же извини́лся!
Just think! He even apologized!
Я и не поду́маю помога́ть ему́, пусть сам свои́ пробле́мы реша́ет, уже́ взро́слый!
I just don't want to help him at all, let him solve his problems himself, he's already adult.
literal I won't think of helping him at all, let him solve his problems himself, he's already adult.
Мо́жно поду́мать, что нам так легко́ живëтся.
One may think we live without problems.

Idioms and set expressions:

и не поду́маю = I wouldn't think of it
literal I won't think
поду́маешь! = so what
literal [you will] think
кто бы поду́мал = who would have thought it
мо́жно поду́мать = one may think
поду́мать то́лько = just think
на кого́ ты поду́мал? = who are you suspecting?
literal on whom you thought?

Related words:

ду́мать = think
проду́мать = think over

Proverbs and sayings:

Сперва подумай, а там и нам скажи.
First think, then speak.

Verb conjugation:

Present Tense

The perfective verb подумать is not used in the Present Tense. Use the imperfective verb думать instead.

Past Tense

I, you (singular), he	поду́мал
she	поду́мала
it	поду́мало
we, you (plural), they	поду́мали

Future Simple Tense

I	поду́маю
you (singular)	поду́маешь
he, she, it	поду́мает
we	поду́маем
you (plural)	поду́маете
they	поду́мают

Future Compound Tense

The perfective verb подумать is not used in the Future Compound Tense. Use the imperfective verb думать instead.

Imperative Mood (Command Form)

you (singular)	поду́май
you (plural)	поду́майте

View full conjugation table for the verb pair думать/подумать

Vocabulary lesson: By Russificate blog exclusively for MasterRussian

Phrase recordings: Copyright(c) 2011 MasterRussian.com. All rights reserved.
Word recordings: Copyright(c) 2006 Streit Goulnara, Streit Eric, Vion Nicolas. Copyright(c) 2007 S. Sakhno, N. Vion. Distributed under CC-BY.

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