Reflexive verbs

  1. We use reflexive verbs in Russian when we want to show that the subject and object in a sentence are the same person, performer, or thing.
  2. In English we show that a verb is reflexive by using it with a reflexive pronoun:
    Example: I wash myself.
  3. Notice that I (the subject) and myself (the object) are the same person.
  4. Compare the above example to the one below:
    I wash the car.
  5. The subject here (I) is not the same person or thing as the object (car).
  6. Russian shows that a verb is used in the reflexive form by adding the reflexive particle -ся after consonants and -сь after vowels to the verb, after all other necessary endings have been added.
  заниматься учиться
я занимаюсь учусь
ты занимаешься учишься
он, она занимается учится
мы занимаемся учимся
вы занимаетесь учитесь
они занимаются учатся

Copyright ©. George Mitrevski. Auburn University. e-mail:mitrege@auburn.edu