Breakdown of Моя сестра вышла замуж.
сестра
sister
мой
my / mine
выйти
to exit, go out (pf) / to go beyond
замуж
to marry (of a woman)
Questions & Answers about Моя сестра вышла замуж.
Why does the sentence use the phrase вышла замуж instead of a single verb for 'married'?
In Russian, the way you say 'got married' changes depending on the person's gender. Because the subject is a woman (сестра), you must use the specific feminine phrase выйти замуж.
What is the literal translation of вышла замуж?
It literally translates to 'went out behind a husband'. The word замуж combines за (behind) and муж (husband). The verb вышла is the feminine past tense of выйти (to go out).
How would this sentence change if I were talking about my brother instead of my sister?
You would use a completely different verb. For a man getting married, Russian uses the verb жениться (which is related to жена, meaning wife). The sentence would become Мой брат женился.
Why is the verb вышла perfective here?
Getting married is treated as a single, completed event with a clear result. Therefore, Russian uses the perfective verb выйти rather than its imperfective counterpart выходить.