Breakdown of Я боюсь петь перед людьми.
я
I
перед
in front of
петь
to sing
человек
the person
бояться
to be afraid
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Questions & Answers about Я боюсь петь перед людьми.
Why is петь in the infinitive after бояться, instead of a conjugated form?
The verb бояться (to be afraid) follows a fixed pattern when you express fear of doing something. You say бояться + infinitive, much like “to be afraid to do X” in English. That’s why петь remains in its basic infinitive form here.
What is the role of the suffix -ся in бояться? Can you drop it?
The -ся ending is intrinsic to the verb бояться. It isn’t a true reflexive action here but part of the verb’s core meaning “to be afraid.” There is no verb боять meaning “to be afraid,” so you must always include -ся.
What case is людьми, and why is that case used?
людьми is the plural instrumental form of люди (people). Russian prepositions govern specific cases, and перед (in front of) always takes the instrumental. Hence перед + людьми.
Could I replace людьми with публикой or аудиторией? What difference would that make?
Yes. You can say петь перед публикой or петь перед аудиторией.
- публикой (instrumental of публика) and аудиторией sound more formal or specific to an assembled audience (concert, lecture).
- перед людьми is more general everyday speech for “in front of people.”
Why not say Я боюсь петь людям instead of перед людьми?
петь людям means “to sing to people” (for their benefit), not “in front of” them. To express “in front of,” Russian uses перед + Instrumental. So петь перед людьми correctly conveys “to sing in front of people.”
Can I drop the pronoun Я or change the word order?
Yes. Russian often omits subject pronouns when the verb ending is clear, so Боюсь петь перед людьми is perfectly natural and means the same. You can also front the prepositional phrase for emphasis: Перед людьми я боюсь петь, which highlights “in front of people.”
Why is the infinitive петь imperfective rather than perfective спеть?
The imperfective петь describes the general action you fear performing. The perfective спеть would imply completing a single instance of singing, which doesn’t fit the idea of fearing the act itself. Imperfective is used for ongoing, habitual, or general actions.
What’s the difference between using бояться, мне страшно, and стесняться here?
- Я боюсь петь… stresses real fear or anxiety about the performance.
- Мне страшно петь… also conveys fear but uses a dative construction (it focuses on the feeling itself).
- Я стесняюсь петь… means you feel shy or embarrassed rather than truly frightened; it’s milder and social in nature.
How do you pronounce боюсь, петь, and людьми? Where are the stresses?
• боюсь is pronounced [bɐˈjusʲ], with stress on the second syllable.
• петь is [pʲetʲ], one syllable.
• людьми is [lʲʊˈdʲamʲɪ], with stress on -дям-.