Russian reflexive verbs (-ся).

What reflexive verbs are

A reflexive verb in Russian carries the suffix -ся or -сь at the end. The suffix is historically a short form of the reflexive pronoun себя ("self") that fused onto the verb sometime in the medieval period. In modern Russian, the suffix sticks to the verb permanently - you can't separate it.

The choice between -ся and -сь is purely phonetic:

• -ся after a consonant: учится, моются
• -сь after a vowel: учусь, моюсь

You don't pick - the verb form's ending picks for you. After consonants like -т, -л, -ть, use -ся. After vowels like -у, -ю, -а, -е, use -сь.

How to conjugate a reflexive verb

Conjugate the base verb normally, then stick -ся / -сь on the end. Example with учиться (to study, learn):

Note: in the spoken pronunciation, -тся and -ться both sound like [tsa]. The spelling distinction is grammatical (the ть marks an infinitive), not phonetic. Beginners often write the wrong one. A reliable trick: if the verb form answers "what does he/she do?" (что делает?), write -тся (3rd-person form). If it answers "what to do?" (что делать?), write -ться (infinitive). The Russian questions even rhyme with the spelling.

The four meanings of -ся

The same suffix does four different jobs depending on the verb. Most reflexive verbs sit firmly in one category; a few drift between.

1. True reflexive: the subject acts on themselves

The most literal use. The subject does something to their own body.

• Я моюсь. - I wash myself / take a shower.
• Она одевается. - She is getting dressed.
• Он бреется. - He shaves.
• Дети умываются. - The children wash their faces.

2. Reciprocal: each other

Two or more subjects do the action to each other. English would use "each other"; Russian just adds -ся.

• Они встречаются. - They meet (each other) / They're dating.
• Мы целуемся. - We kiss (each other).
• Друзья обнимаются. - Friends hug (each other).
• Они часто ссорятся. - They often argue.

3. Intrinsic: the verb only exists in reflexive form

Some verbs are reflexive in form but not really "reflexive" in meaning. They simply don't exist without -ся. You memorise them as fixed words.

• смеяться - to laugh
• бояться - to be afraid
• надеяться - to hope
• улыбаться - to smile
• казаться - to seem
• остаться - to remain, stay
• нравиться - to be pleasing (to like)

4. Passive: the subject receives the action

Used especially in formal or written Russian. The thing being acted upon is the grammatical subject.

• Дом строится. - The house is being built.
• Магазин закрывается в 9. - The shop closes at 9.
• Книги продаются онлайн. - Books are sold online.

Essential reflexive verbs for A1-B1

These are the ones you'll meet first and use constantly. Memorise the infinitive and the meaning category - the conjugation just follows the rules above.

Common pitfalls

Mixing up -тся and -ться

The two endings sound identical: both pronounced [tsa]. They mean different things in writing. -тся is a 3rd-person present form (он учится = he studies). -ться is the infinitive (учиться = to study). When you ask in Russian "что делает?" (what does he do?), the answer is -тся; when you ask "что делать?" (what to do?), the answer is -ться. The questions rhyme with the spellings - that's the mnemonic.

Translating нравиться as "to like"

Нравиться grammatically means "to be pleasing." So "Мне нравится кофе" literally is "Coffee is pleasing to me" - coffee is the subject, я is in the dative (мне). Beginners try to say *"Я нравлю кофе" thinking of it as "I like coffee" - this is wrong and confuses Russian listeners. Use the dative + nominative construction.

Forgetting that some reflexives govern unusual cases

A handful of reflexive verbs take an object case other than accusative. The most common:

• бояться + genitive: я боюсь собаки (I'm afraid of the dog)
• заниматься + instrumental: я занимаюсь спортом (I do sports)
• интересоваться + instrumental: она интересуется музыкой (she's interested in music)
• пользоваться + instrumental: я пользуюсь словарём (I use a dictionary)

Memorise the case alongside the verb - it's a per-verb fact.

Skipping -ся in the past plural form

Beginners sometimes write учились as учили, dropping the -сь. The plural past of a reflexive verb is always -лись, never just -ли. Мы учились (we studied) versus Мы учили (we taught / memorised).

Frequently asked questions

What does -ся mean in Russian verbs?

The suffix -ся (after consonants) or -сь (after vowels) is a frozen short form of the reflexive pronoun себя ('self'). It attaches permanently to the verb. The suffix does four jobs depending on the verb: marks true reflexive action (the subject acts on themselves: мыться = to wash oneself), reciprocal action (встречаться = to meet each other), intrinsic meaning (some verbs only exist in reflexive form: смеяться = to laugh), or passive voice (дом строится = the house is being built).

How do I conjugate a Russian reflexive verb?

Conjugate the base verb normally for the present, past, or future, then attach -ся after a consonant or -сь after a vowel. For example, учиться (to study) becomes: я учусь, ты учишься, он учится, мы учимся, вы учитесь, они учатся. In the past: учился (masc.), училась (fem.), училось (neut.), учились (plural). The reflexive suffix doesn't change which conjugation class the verb belongs to.

What's the difference between -тся and -ться?

Both sound the same (pronounced [tsa]), but they're written differently because they're different grammatical forms. -тся is the 3rd-person singular or plural present-tense ending: он учится (he studies), они учатся (they study). -ться is the infinitive ending: учиться (to study). A useful mnemonic: when the verb answers 'что делает?' (what does he do?), write -тся. When it answers 'что делать?' (what to do?), write -ться. The Russian questions even rhyme with the spelling.

Which Russian reflexive verbs only exist with -ся?

Many common verbs are 'intrinsic' reflexives - they only exist in the -ся form. The most useful ones: смеяться (to laugh), бояться (to be afraid), надеяться (to hope), улыбаться (to smile), казаться (to seem), оставаться (to remain), нравиться (to be pleasing), находиться (to be located), учиться (to study), заниматься (to be occupied with). For these verbs, removing -ся either produces a nonsense word or a completely different verb (учить = to teach, not to study).

How does нравиться (to like) work grammatically?

Нравиться flips the English structure. The thing liked is the grammatical subject (nominative); the person who likes is in the dative case. So 'I like coffee' is 'Мне нравится кофе' - literally 'Coffee is pleasing to me.' If you like multiple things, the verb agrees with the thing: 'Мне нравятся эти книги' (I like these books - нравятся, plural, because книги is plural). The construction is one of the most frequent dative-case patterns in Russian.

Do reflexive verbs have aspect pairs like other verbs?

Yes. Most reflexive verbs come in imperfective/perfective pairs, just like non-reflexive verbs. For example: одеваться (impf.) / одеться (pf.) = to get dressed; просыпаться (impf.) / проснуться (pf.) = to wake up; возвращаться (impf.) / вернуться (pf.) = to return. The pair members keep the -ся suffix, and aspect choice works the same way as for non-reflexive verbs - perfective for completed single events, imperfective for process or repeated actions.

Can I drop the -ся when shortening a verb in writing?

No. The reflexive suffix is grammatically part of the verb; dropping it produces a different verb or a non-word. Учу (I teach) and учусь (I study) are two different verbs - the -сь changes the meaning completely. Even in casual speech and writing, the suffix stays. The only flexibility is the alternation between -ся and -сь, which is determined by the preceding sound (consonant or vowel).