Я хочу примерить юбку.

I want to try on a skirt.

Breakdown of Я хочу примерить юбку.

• я: I
• хотеть: to want
• примерить: to try on
• юбка: the skirt

Questions & Answers about Я хочу примерить юбку.

Why is примерить in the infinitive after хочу?

In Russian, when you use хотеть (to want) followed by another verb, that second verb stays in the infinitive. So Я хочу примерить literally means “I want to try on,” with примерить in its base form.

What’s the difference between примерить and примерять?

These are perfective vs. imperfective pairs. примерить (perfective) means “to try on (once, to complete the action),” while примерять (imperfective) implies an ongoing or repeated action of trying on. Since you want to express a single act of trying on the skirt, you use примерить.

Why is юбку in the accusative case?

Юбка (skirt) is the direct object of примерить, so it takes the accusative. Feminine nouns ending in -а change that ending to -у in the accusative singular, giving юбку.

Can I specify “this skirt” instead of just “skirt”?

Yes. You’d add the demonstrative эту before юбку. Since юбка is feminine, singular, and accusative, you say Я хочу примерить эту юбку.

How do I pronounce примерить юбку, and where’s the stress?

примерить is [prʲɪˈmʲerʲɪtʲ], with the stress on -мер-.
юбку is [ˈjubku], with the stress on ю́б-.

Could I say Я примерю юбку instead of Я хочу примерить юбку?

Yes. Я примерю юбку uses the first-person-singular future of примерить, meaning “I will try on the skirt.” It’s a more direct statement of what you’ll do, while Я хочу примерить юбку focuses on your desire.

What’s the difference between Я хочу примерить юбку and Мне хочется примерить юбку?

Я хочу примерить uses the verb хотеть plus infinitive, a straightforward “I want to….”
Мне хочется примерить uses an impersonal construction with хочется, literally “it is desirable to me…,” often sounding more informal or emotional.

How do you negate this sentence?

Place не before the infinitive: Я не хочу примерить юбку = “I don’t want to try on the skirt.”

There’s no word for “the” or “a” here—how do I know if it’s specific?

Russian doesn’t use articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness comes from context or added words like эту (this) or какую-нибудь (some). Without those, you rely on the situation to tell you whether it’s a specific skirt or just any skirt.