Я устал и хочу отдохнуть.

I am tired and want to rest.

Breakdown of Я устал и хочу отдохнуть.

• я: I
• и: and
• хотеть: to want
• отдохнуть: to rest
• устать: to get tired

Questions & Answers about Я устал и хочу отдохнуть.

Why is устал in the past tense if the meaning is “I am tired”?

In Russian, the past tense of a perfective verb often expresses a present state as the result of a completed action. Уста́л is the masculine past of perfective уста́ть (to get tired). So Я уста́л literally means “I got tired,” implying “I am (now) tired.” Compare:

• Я устаю́ = “I am getting tired” (ongoing process, imperfective).
• Я уста́л = “I’m tired now” (result of having gotten tired).

How would a woman or a group say this?

The verb in the past agrees with gender/number:

• Male: Я уста́л
• Female: Я устала́
• Neuter (for impersonal subjects): Оно уста́ло
• Plural: Мы/Вы/Они уста́ли

With polite “you”: Вы уста́ли?

Can I say Я усталый to mean “I’m tired”?

Not in the usual sense. Уста́лый is an adjective meaning “weary/tired-looking” and is used predicatively mainly with copular contexts or as an attribute:

• Natural: Он вы́глядит уста́лым. (“He looks tired.”)
• Natural: У него уста́лый ви́д. (“He has a tired look.”)
• Unnatural for the momentary state: Я уста́лый. Prefer Я уста́л.

Why is there no comma before и in Я устал и хочу отдохнуть?

Because it’s one subject with two predicates. In Russian, when the same subject performs two actions joined by и, you don’t put a comma: Я уста́л и хочу́ отдохну́ть. You would use a comma if the subjects differ: Я уста́л, и жена́ хо́чет отдохну́ть.

Why хочу́ отдохну́ть and not хочу́ отдыха́ть?

• Хочу́ отдохну́ть (perfective) = “I want to have a (some) rest once/for a while” — a single, bounded action, typically soon.
• Хочу́ отдыха́ть (imperfective) = “I want to (be) rest(ing)” — a general preference, ongoing activity, or habit (e.g., “on vacation I want to rest,” “I want a lifestyle of resting”). For the immediate need to take a break, Russians prefer the perfective: Хочу́ отдохну́ть.

General rule: with хоте́ть, when do I use perfective vs. imperfective?

• Want the result/one whole act: use perfective. Example: Хочу́ прочита́ть кни́гу (“I want to read [and finish] the book”).
• Want the process/habit: use imperfective. Example: Хочу́ чита́ть кни́ги (“I want to read books [as an activity]”). Here, отдохну́ть (perfective) fits the idea of taking a rest and being done.

Can I omit я?

• With хочу́, yes: the person is clear from the ending, so Хочу́ отдохну́ть is fine in casual speech.
• With уста́л/устала́, people often keep я because the past form mainly shows gender/number, not person. In informal talk, you’ll hear Уста́л. Хочу́ отдохну́ть. (said by a man) or Устала́. Хочу́ отдохну́ть. (by a woman). In writing, Я is usually kept.

How do I pronounce and stress the sentence?

Stresses: Я уста́л и хочу́ отдохну́ть. Approximate pronunciation: “ya oos-TAHL ee kha-CHOO at-dakh-NOOT’.”

• х = German “ch” in Bach/loch.
• ч = “ch” in “church.”
• The unstressed о sounds like “a.”
• In отдохну́ть, the cluster often sounds like “odd-” due to assimilation: “od-dakh-NOOT’.”

How is хоте́ть conjugated?

Present:

• я хочу́
• ты хо́чешь
• он/она хо́чет
• мы хоти́м
• вы хоти́те
• они хотя́т

Past:

• он хоте́л, она хотела́, оно хоте́ло, они хоте́ли

Can I replace и with something else (comma, dash, or a linking word)?

Yes, depending on style:

• Neutral: Я уста́л, поэ́тому хочу́ отдохну́ть. (“I’m tired, therefore I want to rest.”)
• Conversational: Я уста́л — хочу́ отдохну́ть.
• Also common in speech: Я уста́л, хочу́ отдохну́ть. (comma splice; acceptable informally)
• Так что also works: Я уста́л, так что хочу́ отдохну́ть.

Is it okay to use the noun о́тдых instead of the verb?

Saying Я хочу́ о́тдых is not idiomatic. If you want the noun, use:

• Мне ну́жен о́тдых. (“I need rest.”)
• Хочу́ о́тдыха. (genitive; “I want some rest,” less common than the verb) For the immediate intention, the verb is best: Хочу́ отдохну́ть.

How do I ask someone “Are you tired?” in Russian?

• Informal to a man: Ты уста́л?
• Informal to a woman: Ты устала́?
• Polite/plural: Вы уста́ли?

Can I add what I want to rest from, like “rest from work”?

Yes, use от + genitive:

• Хочу́ отдохну́ть от рабо́ты.
• Нам на́до отдохну́ть от го́рода.

What’s the difference between Я устаю́ and Я уста́л?

• Я устаю́ = “I’m getting tired” (process, happening now/regularly).
• Я уста́л/устала́ = “I’m tired (now)” (resultative state). In your sentence, the state is already reached, hence the past perfective form.

Could I say Хочу́ поспа́ть instead of Хочу́ отдохну́ть?

Yes, but it’s more specific: Хочу́ поспа́ть = “I want to sleep (for a bit).” Отдохну́ть is broader: nap, lie down, take a break, relax—sleep is just one way of resting.

Are there softer or more neutral alternatives to Я хочу́ отдохну́ть?

Yes:

• Мне хо́чется отдохну́ть. (“I feel like resting.” Softer, impersonal.)
• Мне ну́жно/на́до отдохну́ть. (“I need to rest.”)