Questions & Answers about Не волнуйся, со мной всё в порядке.
Why is it волнуйся, not волновайся?
Because the verb is волноваться (to worry / to get worried), and its imperative is formed from the present-tense stem:
- я волнуюсь
- ты волнуешься
- imperative: волнуйся
So:
- Не волнуйся = Don’t worry (to one person, informal)
Russian imperatives are not always built by simply removing -ться and adding something predictable, so this is a form worth memorizing.
What does -ся mean in волнуйся?
-ся is the reflexive ending. In many verbs, it adds a sense like oneself, but in practice it often just forms a standard dictionary verb that must be learned as a whole.
Here, волноваться means to worry / be anxious.
Compare:
- волновать = to worry / trouble someone
- Это меня волнует = That worries me
- волноваться = to worry / be worried
- Я волнуюсь = I’m worried
So in Не волнуйся, the -ся is part of the normal verb form, not something optional.
Is Не волнуйся formal or informal?