Stesnyatsya and obizhatsya: why verbs take -sya
The tail -sya is a shrunken sebya, and it turns the action back on the doer. Odevat — to dress someone; odevatsya — to dress yourself. One thing is dressing a child, another is getting dressed. For example: “Не стесняйся — спрашивай” — Do not be shy — ask away. A rule from the Russian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The tail -sya is a shrunken sebya, and it turns the action back on the doer. Odevat — to dress someone; odevatsya — to dress yourself. One thing is dressing a child, another is getting dressed.
For some verbs the tail is part of the word: stesnyatsya, boyatsya, nravitsya. Take the tail away and no word is left.
For others the tail flips the meaning. Obidet — to hurt someone; obidetsya — to take offence. One is guilty, the other took it to heart.
Sometimes the action is for two at once: pomiritsya — they made up, both of them; obnimatsya — they hug each other. The subject then stands in the plural: oni pomirilis.
Table
| Without -sya | With -sya | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| obidet | obidetsya | hurt someone — take it to heart |
| izvinit | izvinitsya | forgive — ask forgiveness |
| znakomit | znakomitsya | introduce someone — get to know |
| uspokoit | uspokoitsya | calm another — settled down yourself |
By example
- Не стесняйся — спрашивайNe stesnyaysya — sprashivayDo not be shy — ask away
- Она обиделась и молчитOna obidelas i molchitShe took offence and keeps silent
- Мы помирились в тот же вечерMy pomirilis v tot zhe vecherWe made up that same evening
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Why verbs end in -sya in Russian?
The tail -sya is a shrunken sebya, and it turns the action back on the doer. Odevat — to dress someone; odevatsya — to dress yourself. One thing is dressing a child, another is getting dressed.
Obidet vs obidetsya?
For others the tail flips the meaning. Obidet — to hurt someone; obidetsya — to take offence. One is guilty, the other took it to heart.
Verbs that only exist with -sya?
The tail -sya is a shrunken sebya, and it turns the action back on the doer. Odevat — to dress someone; odevatsya — to dress yourself. One thing is dressing a child, another is getting dressed.
Oni pomirilis: what it means?
Sometimes the action is for two at once: pomiritsya — they made up, both of them; obnimatsya — they hug each other. The subject then stands in the plural: oni pomirilis.
What does it look like in a Russian example sentence?
“Не стесняйся — спрашивай” (Ne stesnyaysya — sprashivay) — Do not be shy — ask away. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.