Breakdown of Он поднимается медленно.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
медленно
slowly
подниматься
to rise, to go up
Questions & Answers about Он поднимается медленно.
The current lesson is about the word себя (oneself), but it isn't in this sentence. Where is it?
It is hiding at the end of the verb! The reflexive suffix -ся on поднимается is actually a historical, shortened version of себя. The base verb поднимает means "he lifts". By adding -ся, it literally becomes "he lifts himself," which is how Russian says "he goes up" or "he rises."
Why does the verb end in -ется instead of just -ет?
The regular conjugated form for "he" is поднимает (he lifts). Because this is a reflexive action, we must attach the reflexive suffix -ся to the end of that conjugated verb. When you attach -ся after a consonant (like the т in -ет), it forms the ending -ется.
How do I pronounce the -тся at the end of поднимается?
Even though it is spelled with a т, с, and я, the entire -тся ending is pronounced simply as a hard "tsa" (ца) sound. You do not pronounce the letters individually.
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