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Questions & Answers about Дети ложатся рано.
Our current lesson is about the reflexive pronoun себя. Is that related to the -ся at the end of ложатся?
Yes! The reflexive suffix -ся (or -сь after vowels) found on many verbs is historically a shortened, glued-on version of себя. While себя is used as a separate word to mean "oneself", verbs with -ся often carry that same built-in "self" meaning. With ложатся, the children are literally laying themselves down.
Why is there no soft sign (ь) before the -ся in ложатся?
You only use the soft sign to make the -ться ending when the verb is in the infinitive (dictionary) form, meaning "to do something", like ложиться (to go to bed). Here, the verb is conjugated for "they" (the children), which gives us the ending -ят. When you attach -ся to that conjugated ending, no soft sign is added.
Why does the word дети look so different from the singular word for child (ребёнок)?
This is a classic irregular plural that you just have to memorize. The singular word ребёнок (child) completely changes its root in the plural to become дети (children).
I've seen the verb лечь used for "to go to bed". Why are we using ложатся here instead?