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Thread: Take/pass/fail an exam

  1. #1
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    Take/pass/fail an exam

    How would you say, in Russian?

    I took the exam. I hoped that I would pass but I failed.

    I can't work out how to express the 3 English verbs, take, pass and fail an exam.

    Спасибо
    Исправьте ошибки в моём русском, пожалуйста

  2. #2
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    Indeed, «сдать экзамен» has two meanings in Russian: ‘take the exam’ and ‘pass the exam’.
    So you can use this verb alone for all cases:

    I took the exam. I hoped that I would pass but I failed.
    Я сдава́л экза́мен. Ду́мал, что сдам, но не сдал.
    (impf. past) (perf. fut.) (neg. perf. past)
    Here, the verb aspect makes the difference.

    Мата́н я не сдал. (perf.) ‘I failed the calculus exam’
    Мата́н я не сдава́л. (impf.) ‘I didn’t take the calculus exam’

    However, the verb aspect in Russian is a complex thing. In some cases you cannot use a certain aspect. For example, when you describe multiple events, you need the imperfect, and the meaning becomes less clear:

    сдава́л экза́мен пять раз и ка́ждый раз не сдава́л.
    I took the exam five times and each time I failed.

    A sentence like this can be said but doesn’t sound good.

    To be more unambiguous, one can also use:

    у меня́ был экза́мен ‘I took an/the exam’
    я успе́шно сдал экза́мен ‘I passed an/the exam’
    я завали́л экза́мен ‘I failed an/the exam’

    Я ходи́л на экза́мен пять раз и ка́ждый раз зава́ливал.
    I took the exam five times and each time I failed.
    Please correct my English

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