Victoria V. answered • 08/27/20
We can recognize reflexive verbs by the particle at the end of the verb (postfix) –ся, which comes from the pronoun себя (myself). The name of this group of verbs (возвратные глаголы) comes from the verb to come back (возвращаться). The action is directed back to the one who performed it. For example: одеваться (to dress), раздеваться (to undress) мыться (to wash yourself), умываться (to wash your face), причёсываться (to comb).
Reflexive verbs are formed from transitive and intransitive verbs. Transitive verbs are an action that is directed towards an object. Intransitive verbs, unlike transitive ones, cannot stand together with nouns and pronouns without a preposition, and even in the accusative case. For example:
Мыть - мыться (transitive verb – мыть)
Моя сестра моет собаку(мыть). My sister washes the dog.
Моя сестра моется в ванне(мыться). My sister is taking a bath (washing herself in the bath)
Стучать- стучаться (intransitive verb стучать в дверь) to knock (the door)
If we will add a particle –ся to the transitive verb, then it already becomes intransitive:
Одевать (Who? What? Accusative case) – одеваться (intransitive)
Я одеваю моего ребёнка. I dress my child.
Утром я просыпаюсь и быстро одеваюсь. In the morning I wake up and dress quickly.
Купать (who? Accusative case) – купаться (intransitive)
Молодая мама купает своего ребёнка. Young mother bathes her baby.
Летом мы купаемся в озере. In the summer we swim in the lake.
Irina S.
To grasp the meaning of the reflexive verbs concept in Russian, think about the English phrases like "I did it myself". Here "myself" assists the speaker with emphasizing that he (or she) was the doer of the action. In Russian, if you want to point out that you are the doer of the action, you use the verb with postfix -ся. For example: Я буду одеваться. Я буду учиться. Я иду постригаться. Мне надо готовиться к экзамену.09/05/20