Не стесняйся задавать вопросы, если тебе что‑то непонятно.

Не стесняйся is a very common Russian phrase meaning don’t be shy, don’t feel embarrassed, or more naturally in this context, don’t hesitate.

The verb is стесняться, which can mean:

• to feel shy
• to feel embarrassed
• to be hesitant because of embarrassment

So in this sentence, Не стесняйся задавать вопросы means something like:

• Don’t be shy about asking questions
• Don’t hesitate to ask questions

It is not just about personality; it is often used politely to encourage someone to speak up.

Yes. Стесняйся is the informal singular imperative form of стесняться.

So the sentence is speaking to one person in an informal way, like you to a friend, student, child, or someone you address with ты.

Breakdown:

• стесняться = to be shy / to hesitate
• стесняйся = be shy / hesitate
• не стесняйся = don’t be shy / don’t hesitate

The -ся is the reflexive ending, part of the verb itself.

If you wanted the formal or plural version, you would say:

• Не стесняйтесь задавать вопросы...

The -ся marks the verb as reflexive. In Russian, many verbs have a reflexive form, and sometimes that meaning is literally reflexive, but often it is just part of the normal dictionary form of the verb.

Here, стесняться is simply the standard verb meaning:

• to be shy
• to feel embarrassed
• to hesitate

You do not usually analyze it as to shy oneself in normal usage. It is just how the verb works.

In the imperative, the reflexive ending stays:

• стесняйся
• не стесняйся

Russian strongly prefers задавать вопросы for to ask questions.

• задавать вопрос / вопросы = to ask a question / ask questions
• спрашивать often means to ask someone or to inquire

Examples:

• Можно задать вопрос? = May I ask a question?
• Я хочу спросить тебя. = I want to ask you.
• Учитель задаёт вопросы. = The teacher asks questions.

You may sometimes hear спрашивать, but задавать вопросы is the most standard collocation when the object is question(s).

This is a very common aspect question.

Russian usually uses the imperfective after expressions like не стесняйся when talking about a general activity or repeated action.

So:

• Не стесняйся задавать вопросы = Don’t hesitate to ask questions, in general, whenever you need to

This has the sense of an ongoing or repeatable action.

If you said:

• Не стесняйся задать вопрос

that would sound more like:

• Don’t hesitate to ask a question

That version is more about a single completed act.

In your sentence, the speaker means feel free to ask questions whenever needed, so задавать is the natural choice.

Вопросы is in the accusative plural because it is the direct object of задавать.

You are asking questions, so questions is what the action is directed at.

For inanimate masculine plural nouns, the accusative plural looks the same as the nominative plural:

• nominative: вопросы
• accusative: вопросы

So even though the form looks like nominative plural, here it is functioning as accusative plural.

Singular comparison:

• вопрос = question
• задать вопрос = to ask a question

Plural:

• вопросы
• задавать вопросы = to ask questions

Because непонятно is used in a structure that takes the dative case for the person experiencing the feeling or state.

So:

• тебе непонятно = it is unclear to you
• literally: to you [it is] unclear

This is very common in Russian with words like:

• понятно = clear
• интересно = interesting
• трудно = difficult
• легко = easy
• жаль = sorry / a pity

Examples:

• Мне понятно. = It is clear to me.
• Ему трудно. = It is difficult for him.
• Нам интересно. = It is interesting to us.

So если тебе что-то непонятно literally means:

• if something is unclear to you

Непонятно here is a predicative form, often treated like an adverb-shaped state word in Russian grammar.

It comes from понятный = understandable / clear, but in sentences like this, понятно / непонятно means:

• it is clear
• it is not clear
• it is understandable
• it is unclear

So:

• Мне понятно = It’s clear to me.
• Мне непонятно = It’s unclear to me.

This is a very common Russian structure and does not need a separate word for it. Russian often leaves that implicit.

In this sentence, непонятно is normally written as one word because it functions as a single lexical idea meaning unclear or not understandable.

So:

• что-то непонятно = something is unclear

Writing не понятно separately is possible in some contexts when the speaker wants a stronger contrast, like not clear, but something else, but that is not the normal neutral spelling here.

In ordinary usage, with the meaning unclear, write:

• непонятно

Here что-то literally means something:

• если тебе что-то непонятно = if something is unclear to you

In natural English, this is often translated more loosely as:

• if anything is unclear
• if there’s anything you don’t understand

Russian often uses что-то where English may prefer anything in this kind of sentence.

So the literal meaning is something, but the practical meaning in context is often close to anything.

Yes, что-нибудь is possible, but the nuance is a little different.

• что-то = something
• что-нибудь = anything / something-or-other

In this sentence:

• если тебе что-то непонятно sounds completely natural and neutral
• если тебе что-нибудь непонятно also sounds natural, with a slightly more any little thing at all feeling

Both are acceptable, but что-то непонятно is very common and straightforward.

Because если тебе что-то непонятно is a subordinate clause introduced by если = if.

Russian, like English, normally separates this kind of clause with a comma.

So the sentence structure is:

• Не стесняйся задавать вопросы, main clause
• если тебе что-то непонятно, subordinate if clause

That is why the comma is required.

Yes. Russian word order is flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

Original:

• Не стесняйся задавать вопросы, если тебе что-то непонятно.

You could also say:

• Если тебе что-то непонятно, не стесняйся задавать вопросы.

This version puts the condition first:

• If something is unclear to you, don’t hesitate to ask questions.

Both are natural. The original version starts with the encouragement, which sounds warm and conversational.

It is informal singular because of:

• не стесняйся
• тебе

This means the speaker is addressing one person with ты.

For formal singular or plural, you would say:

• Не стесняйтесь задавать вопросы, если вам что-то непонятно.

Changes:

• стесняйся → стесняйтесь
• тебе → вам

That is the version you would use with a group, a stranger, or in a more polite setting.

The main stress pattern is:

• Не стесня́йся задава́ть вопро́сы, е́сли тебе́ что-то непоня́тно.

A few pronunciation notes:

• не стесняйся: the stress is on -няй-
• задавать: stress on the last а
• вопросы: stress on the second о
• тебе: stress on the last е
• непонятно: stress on я

In natural speech, the sentence flows smoothly, and что-то may sound slightly reduced, but the stressed syllables stay the same.

Yes, extremely common.

Russian often expresses understanding with:

• мне понятно = it is clear to me
• мне непонятно = it is unclear to me

So this pattern is useful to remember:

• Если тебе что-то непонятно... = If something is unclear to you...
• Если вам что-то непонятно... = If something is unclear to you... (formal/plural)

You can reuse it in many situations:

• Скажи, если тебе что-то непонятно. = Tell me if something is unclear.
• Если вам что-то непонятно, спросите. = If anything is unclear, ask.

It is one of the most natural ways in Russian to talk about not understanding something.