Breakdown of Наш менеджер никогда не улыбается.
не
not
наш
our (наш, наша, наше)
никогда
never
улыбаться
to smile
Questions & Answers about Наш менеджер никогда не улыбается.
Why is there a не after никогда? Doesn't that mean "never not"?
In Russian, double negatives are required! When you use a negative word like никогда (never), you still must put не (not) right before the verb. You literally have to say that the manager "never not smiles."
Why does the verb улыбается end in -ся?
Улыбаться (to smile) is a reflexive verb. While reflexive verbs often show an action done to oneself (like washing or dressing), some Russian verbs simply always have this ending by default. Because the manager (he/she) is doing the action, the dictionary form -ться changes to -ется.
How do you pronounce the -тся part of улыбается?
The -тся combination at the end of verbs is always pronounced like -ца (tsa). Even though it is spelled with a т and an с, those two letters blend together into a single "ts" sound.
If the manager is a woman, does the sentence change to Наша менеджер?
Generally, no. Many modern profession words borrowed from English, like менеджер, are grammatically masculine. You use the masculine modifier наш even if the specific person holding the job is female.