Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| счита́ть | sčitátʹ | imperfective | |
| посчита́ть | posčitátʹ | perfective | |
| счесть | sčestʹ | [ɕːesʲtʲ] (narrow) [ɕt͡ɕesʲtʲ] (narrow) |
perfective |
| сосчита́ть | sosčitátʹ | perfective |
The primary meaning of these verbs is to enumerate or determine a number. However, the imperfective form счита́ть is also frequently used to mean 'to consider' or 'to believe', such as when saying 'I consider him a friend'.
Which one should you use?
The different forms are distinguished by aspect and specific nuance. Use the imperfective счита́ть to describe the ongoing process of counting or the habit of counting. The perfective form посчита́ть is used for a single, completed instance of counting. The form сосчита́ть is also perfective but often emphasizes the completion of a total or the act of summing up a specific quantity. Finally, the form счесть is a perfective verb that shifts the meaning away from numerical enumeration to 'to consider' or 'to deem' something to be a certain way.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
sčitátʹ
Did you know?
- When Russians count out loud, they often use the word раз 'one' instead of the cardinal number один if they are counting repetitions of an action.
- If you want to say you are 'counting on' someone, meaning you are depending on them, you do not use a verb related to numbers, but rather the verb 'to rely' or 'to hope'.
- In Russian, there is a subtle distinction between the act of counting things (like coins) using сосчита́ть and the act of calculating a mathematical sum, which often uses different terminology.
Examples in context
- Пожалуйста, подсчитайте количество гостей, прибывающих на конференцию.Please count the number of guests arriving for the conference.
- Посчитай, сколько овощей нужно купить для салата.Count how many vegetables we need to buy for the salad.
- Я считаю, что у нас достаточно времени на завершение проекта.I think we have enough time to finish the project.
- Ребёнок любит счита́ть ступеньки.Rebyonok lyubit schitat' stupen'ki.The child likes to count the steps.
- Она начала счита́ть деньги.Ona nachala schitat' den'gi.She started to count the money.
- Мы не можем счита́ть все звёзды.My ne mozhem schitat' vse zvyo-zdy.We cannot count all the stars.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “count” translations and entries счесть, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
