Breakdown of Всегда знаешь, когда уместно сказать откровенный комплимент.
знать
to know
всегда
always
сказать
to tell, to say
когда
when
откровенный
frank
уместно
appropriately
комплимент
compliment
Questions & Answers about Всегда знаешь, когда уместно сказать откровенный комплимент.
Why is there no ты before знаешь?
This is a generalized-personal clause (обобщённо-личное предложение). By dropping the pronoun ты and just using the second-person singular verb знаешь, the sentence makes a broad statement about what "one" knows or what people in general know, rather than addressing a specific person. It functions exactly like the generic "you" in English.
In English we "give" or "pay" a compliment. Why does this sentence use сказать?
Russian uses different verbs for compliments. The standard collocations are сказать комплимент (literally "to say a compliment") and делать комплимент (literally "to do/make a compliment"). You cannot translate "give" or "pay" word-for-word here.
Since the sentence starts with Всегда (always), shouldn't the verb сказать be imperfective (говорить)?
No, because the adverb всегда only modifies the main verb знаешь (you always know). It does not apply to the infinitive сказать. The subordinate clause (когда уместно сказать...) refers to executing a single, completed act of giving a compliment at that specific right moment, which is why the perfective aspect is used.
What is the grammatical role of уместно in this sentence?
It functions as an impersonal predicative word meaning "it is appropriate". In Russian, short neuter adjectives often act as the main predicate in an impersonal clause. Here, уместно combines with the infinitive сказать to mean "it is appropriate to give".
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