Managing to Do Something
To express managing, succeeding, or failing to do something, Russian uses an impersonal construction. Instead of "I manage," you essentially say "It manages itself to me."
The person who succeeds takes the Dative case, followed by удаваться (imperfective) or удаться (perfective), and the infinitive of the action.
Habitual Success (Imperfective)
For repeated or habitual successes, use the imperfective verb удаваться. As an impersonal verb, it takes the third-person singular in the present tense: удаётся.
| I rarely manage to fall asleep early. | Мне редко удаётся уснуть рано. |
| Do you often manage to persuade clients? | Тебе часто удаётся уговорить клиентов? |
Specific Achievements (Perfective)
For a specific, completed success, use the perfective verb удаться.
In the past tense, impersonal verbs take the neuter singular form (удалось). The person achieving the goal remains in the Dative case (нашей команде, её брату).
| Our team managed to win the tournament! | Нашей команде удалось выиграть турнир! |
| On the second attempt, her brother managed to pass the exam. | Со второй попытки её брату удалось сдать экзамен. |
You can emphasize the effort involved with phrases like с трудом (with difficulty).
| My grandfather managed to quit smoking with difficulty. | Моему дедушке с трудом удалось бросить курить. |
Failing to Manage
To say someone didn't manage to do something, place не before the verb. The structure remains the same.
| He didn't manage to find a new job, and he moved. | Ему не удалось найти новую работу, и он переехал. |
| The director failed to avoid a scandal. | Директору не удалось избежать скандала. |
