Losing Track of Time: "за- ... -ся"
To express getting so completely absorbed in an activity that you lose track of time, go too far, or stay up late, Russian wraps a verb in the prefix за- and the reflexive postfix -ся (or -сь after a vowel).
When this deep focus involves consuming media, the object of your attention often takes the Instrumental case (meaning you were absorbed by it), as with зачитаться (to get carried away reading). You will also often see this paired with the adverb допоздна (until late).
| The student got carried away reading an interesting novel until late. | Студент зачитался интересным романом допоздна. |
You will notice two additional grammar patterns in the examples below:
- "Both": The word for "both" is оба (masculine/neuter) or обе (feminine). It declines to match its noun (e.g., Instrumental с обоими, Accusative/Genitive обеих).
- "Having done...": You can express "having done [something]" by adding the suffix -в to a perfective verb stem (e.g., закончив — having finished; встретив — having met).
Staying Up and Working Late
You can use this structure for staying somewhere too long (засидеться) or working too hard (заработаться). These verbs are perfective, usually describing a finished result in the past or a hypothetical situation in the future.
| Yesterday we stayed up late at the cafe with both friends. | Вчера мы засиделись в кафе с обоими друзьями. |
| Having finished the important project, we realized that we had gotten carried away working. | Закончив важный проект, мы поняли, что заработались. |
Talking and Playing
Just as adults can lose track of time talking (заговориться), children often get carried away playing (заиграться).
| Children can get carried away playing in the yard and forget about the time. | Дети могут заиграться во дворе и забыть о времени. |
| Having met both friends (f), she got carried away talking. | Встретив обеих подруг, она заговорилась. |
Lost in Sight and Thought
Getting carried away looking at something (засмотреться) pairs with the preposition на + Accusative case.
If the absorption happens entirely in your head, you might instead get lost in thought (задуматься) or lost in daydreams (замечтаться).
| I got carried away looking at this beautiful painting. | Я засмотрелся на эту красивую картину. |
| Having heard the difficult question, he got lost in thought. | Услышав трудный вопрос, он задумался. |
Getting Carried Away Listening
Similar to reading, when you get carried away listening to something (заслушаться), the object you are listening to takes the Instrumental case.
| I got carried away listening to this beautiful song and was late. | Я заслушался этой красивой песней и опоздал. |