Breakdown of Мой брат быстро бреется, умывается и одевается.
и
and
брат
brother
мой
my / mine
быстро
fast, quickly
умываться
to wash one's face
одеваться
to get dressed
бриться
to shave
Questions & Answers about Мой брат быстро бреется, умывается и одевается.
What does the -ся at the end of бреется, умывается, and одевается actually do here?
The -ся makes these verbs reflexive, meaning the brother is doing the action to himself. For example, одевать without the -ся means to dress someone else, but одеваться means to get oneself dressed.
Why do these verbs use -ся instead of the other reflexive ending, -сь?
You choose between -ся and -сь based on the last letter of the standard verb form. Since the brother (брат) is a "he", the verbs take the "he/she/it" ending, which is the consonant -т. We always attach -ся after a consonant. We only use -сь after a vowel, like in the "I" form: я одеваюсь.
How should I pronounce the -тся ending on all of these verbs?
Even though it is spelled -тся, you pronounce it like -ца (or "tsa" in English). This is a strict pronunciation rule in Russian for any verb ending in -тся or -ться.
I know the infinitive for shaving is бриться. Why is it spelled бреется here with an е?
The verb бриться is slightly irregular. When you conjugate it in the present tense, the stem vowel и changes to е. So it becomes я бреюсь (I shave) and он бреется (he shaves). You just have to memorize this vowel change!
Does умывается mean washing anything, like the dishes or a car?
No, умываться specifically means washing one's face and hands. If your brother were washing a car or his clothes, Russian uses completely different verbs.
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