успеть

Russian

Etymology

By surface analysis, у- (u-) +‎ спеть (spetʹ), from Proto-Indo-European *spewd- (“press, hurry”), whence English speed.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ʊˈspʲetʲ]
Audio: (file)

Verb

успе́ть • (uspétʹ) pf (imperfective успева́ть)

to have time, to find time
to manage (to do something), to succeed
to make it, to arrive in time (for), to be in time (for)
to catch (a train, bus)

Usage notes

One of the notable ways to use the verb успеть is to indicate two events happening subsequently in a sudden way. The main clause includes не успел/успела/успело/успели and the subordinate clause starts with как. For example:

Не успе́л он заверши́ть свою́ рабо́ту на компью́тере, как случи́лась ава́рия в энергосисте́ме зда́ния.

Ne uspél on zaveršítʹ svojú rabótu na kompʹjútɛre, kak slučílasʹ avárija v enɛrgosistéme zdánija.

Just as he (almost) finished his work on a computer, a blackout occurred in the building.

The main clause has an additional perfective infinitive verb due to the finite verb, успел, also being perfective. Thus, the main clause evokes an action that intends to reach completion, but is suddenly interrupted with another event (as described by the main clause). Thus, the two subsequent events may be slightly overlapped with each other or lack any interval.

Conjugation

Conjugation of успе́ть (class 1a perfective intransitive)

Note: For declension of participles, see their entries. Adverbial participles are indeclinable.
perfective aspect
infinitive	успе́ть uspétʹ
participles	present tense	past tense
active	—	успе́вший uspévšij
passive	—	—
adverbial	—	успе́в uspév, успе́вши uspévši
	present tense	future tense
1st singular (я)	—	успе́ю uspéju
2nd singular (ты)	—	успе́ешь uspéješʹ
3rd singular (он/она́/оно́)	—	успе́ет uspéjet
1st plural (мы)	—	успе́ем uspéjem
2nd plural (вы)	—	успе́ете uspéjete
3rd plural (они́)	—	успе́ют uspéjut
imperative	singular	plural
	успе́й uspéj	успе́йте uspéjte
past tense	singular	plural (мы/вы/они́)
masculine (я/ты/он)	успе́л uspél	успе́ли uspéli
feminine (я/ты/она́)	успе́ла uspéla
neuter (оно́)	успе́ло uspélo

Related terms

успе́х (uspéx), успе́шность (uspéšnostʹ)
успе́шный (uspéšnyj)
успева́ть (uspevátʹ), преуспева́ть (preuspevátʹ), преуспе́ть (preuspétʹ)
успе́шно (uspéšno)