Learn Hardcore Russian: Я сушу волосы полотенцем после душа. - I dry my hair with a towel after the shower.

сушу is the first-person singular present tense of the imperfective verb сушить (to dry). The imperfective aspect focuses on the ongoing process (“I am drying” or “I dry” in general). If you want to express the action as completed or one-time, you’d use the perfective высушить (e.g. Я высушу волосы полотенцем – “I will dry my hair with a towel”).

What case is волосы in, and why?

волосы is in the plural accusative case, because it’s the direct object of the verb “to dry.” Since волосы (hair) is an inanimate plural noun, its accusative form coincides with the nominative plural (волосы).

Why is полотенцем in the instrumental case without a preposition?

Russian uses the instrumental case to indicate the means or tool of an action. Here полотенцем (“with a towel”) shows how you dry your hair. Many verbs take a bare instrumental to express “with X” (e.g. резать хлеб ножом – “to cut bread with a knife”).

Why does после душа use душа in the genitive, and what does после govern?

The preposition после (“after”) always requires the genitive case. The noun душ (shower) in the genitive singular becomes душа, so после душа means “after the shower.”

Why are there no words for “the” or “a” in this Russian sentence?

Russian does not have articles (no equivalents of “the” or “a”). Definiteness and indefiniteness are inferred from context or word order, not from separate words.

Can I change the word order, for example to После душа я сушу волосы полотенцем?

Yes. Thanks to case endings, Russian word order is flexible. Moving после душа to the front simply emphasizes the time (“After the shower…”), but the core meaning remains the same.

How would you say “I will dry my hair” in the future?

Two common ways:
1) Imperfective future (emphasizes the process): Я буду сушить волосы полотенцем после душа – “I will be drying my hair with a towel after the shower.”
2) Perfective future (emphasizes completion): Я высушу волосы полотенцем после душа – “I will dry my hair with a towel after the shower.”

Where is the stress in полотенцем and душа, and could душа be confused with “soul”?

In полотенцем the stress is on the е: по-ло-тЕн-цем. In the genitive душа (from душ) the stress remains on у: дУ-ша. Although душа can also mean “soul,” here context (после + genitive of душ) makes it clear we’re talking about a shower.