Breakdown of Моя собака не любит мыться.
не
not
собака
dog
мой
my (мой, моя, моё) / mine
любить
to love, to like
мыться
to wash oneself
Questions & Answers about Моя собака не любит мыться.
Why does мыться end in -ся instead of -сь?
Reflexive verbs in their dictionary form (infinitive) always end in -ться, never -сь. The rule is that you only use -сь after vowels when you are conjugating the verb for a specific person, like in я моюсь (I wash myself). Since the infinitive ends in a soft sign (ь), which acts like a consonant, it takes -ся.
Why isn't the reflexive verb conjugated here? Why is it мыться instead of моется?
Because it comes directly after another verb, любит (likes). Just like in English (doesn't like to wash), the second verb in a chain stays in its infinitive (dictionary) form. You only change the ending of the first verb.
How do you pronounce the -ться at the end of мыться?
It actually sounds like -ца (tsa). Even though it is spelled with a т, a soft sign (ь), and a с, those letters blend together to make a short, hard ts sound when spoken.
Can мыться just mean taking a bath or a shower?
Yes! While it literally translates to washing oneself, Russians commonly use мыться as the everyday word for taking a shower, taking a bath, or getting completely washed.
Why is it моя собака and not мой собака?
Собака (dog) ends in -а, which makes it a feminine noun. Therefore, the possessive word for my has to match its gender and take the feminine form, моя.
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