Breakdown of Мальчик волнуется, поэтому ему не сидится на месте.
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
мальчик
boy
место
place, seat
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
поэтому
so (therefore)
волноваться
to worry
сидеться
to sit (impersonal)
Questions & Answers about Мальчик волнуется, поэтому ему не сидится на месте.
Why is it ему не сидится instead of он не сидит?
This is the impersonal construction you are currently learning. Instead of saying the boy actively is not sitting (он не сидит), we use the Dative pronoun (ему) and the reflexive verb (не сидится). This shows that the state is involuntary: he physically or mentally just cannot bring himself to sit still because he is too anxious.
Both halves of the sentence use reflexive verbs ending in -ся. Do they work the same way?
No, they serve completely different purposes here. In Мальчик волнуется (The boy is worried), волноваться is a normal active verb with a regular Nominative subject. But сидеться is used impersonally with the Dative case (ему) to express a restless feeling that happens to him regardless of his intentions.
What does на месте literally mean here?
Literally, it means "in place" or "on the spot." The phrase сидеть на месте is the standard Russian way to say "to sit still." Because it indicates the abstract location where the sitting happens, месте is in the Prepositional case.
Why are both verbs in the imperfective aspect?
Both волнуется and не сидится describe ongoing, continuous states in the present moment. Impersonal involuntary states like ему не сидится almost always use imperfective verbs, because they describe a lingering feeling or a persistent inability to perform an action.
Learn Мальчик волнуется, поэтому ему не сидится на месте and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free