Word
Я просыпаюсь, а потом иду умываться.
Meaning
I wake up, and then I go to wash my face.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Я просыпаюсь, а потом иду умываться.
а
and (contrastive)
я
I
идти
to go (on foot) / to proceed, go (of a process)
потом
then
Questions & Answers about Я просыпаюсь, а потом иду умываться.
Why does просыпаюсь end in -сь while умываться ends in -ся?
The reflexive ending changes depending on the letter right before it. If the verb form ends in a vowel (like the ю in просыпаюсь), you add -сь. If it ends in a consonant or a soft sign (like the ть in умываться), you add -ся.
What does the reflexive ending actually mean for these verbs?
It usually adds the meaning of doing something to 'oneself'. For example, умывать means to wash someone or something else, but adding -ся makes it умываться, meaning to wash yourself (usually your face and hands). Similarly, просыпаться means to wake yourself up, rather than waking up another person.
Why is умываться in its dictionary form instead of matching the 'I' form like иду?
When you use a verb to show the purpose of your motion (why you are going), you leave it in the infinitive (dictionary) form. Just like in English ('I go to wash'), иду is conjugated for 'I', and умываться stays in the infinitive.
Why does the sentence use а for 'and' instead of и?