reflexive verbs: present

Understanding Russian Reflexive Verbs

In Russian, reflexive verbs are verbs where the action reflects back onto the subject (like "to wash oneself") or expresses a reciprocal action, a change of state, or a passive voice. These verbs are easily recognized by the suffix -ся (sya) or -сь (s's) attached to the end of the infinitive and conjugated forms.

The Rule for the Suffix

The choice between -ся and -сь depends entirely on the letter immediately preceding it:

• Use -ся after consonants, -й, and -ь (specifically in the infinitive).
• Use -сь after vowels.

Conjugation Examples

Let's look at how two common reflexive verbs are conjugated in the present/future tense. Notice how the suffix changes based on the ending of the verb stem.

1. мыться (mýt'sya) – "to wash oneself"

• я моюсь (ya móyus') — I wash myself (ends in vowel -у, so use -сь)
• ты моешься (ty móyeshsya) — You wash yourself [informal] (ends in consonant -шь, so use -ся)
• он/она/оно моется (on/oná/onó móyetsya) — He/she/it washes itself (ends in consonant -т, so use -ся)
• мы моемся (my móyemsya) — We wash ourselves (ends in consonant -м, so use -ся)
• вы моетесь (vy móyetes') — You wash yourself/yourselves [formal/plural] (ends in vowel -е, so use -сь)
• они моются (oní móyutsya) — They wash themselves (ends in consonant -т, so use -ся)

2. вернуться (vernút'sya) – "to return / to come back"

• я вернусь (ya vernús') — I will return
• ты вернёшься (ty vernyóshsya) — You will return [informal]
• он вернётся (on vernyótsya) — He will return
• мы вернёмся (my vernyómsya) — We will return
• вы вернётесь (vy vernyótes') — You will return [formal/plural]
• они вернутся (oní vernútsya) — They will return

Key Points to Remember

The reflexive suffix is always the very last part of the word. Even though it looks like an extra piece, it is part of the verb's identity. When you see a verb ending in -тся (like моется), the "t" and "s" merge into a "ts" sound. When you see -ться (the infinitive), it sounds exactly the same, but the spelling includes the soft sign.