(no subject)

[gjertsen.livejournal.com]

I just can't seem to understand this. Is there a reason some verbs end in "ся"? does it indicate something about the verb? I'm just not seeing a major difference between (for instance):
узнать (to learn)
and
учиться (to study)
thanks...

Comments

[mystache.livejournal.com]

-ся is a reflexive ending to a verb. учиться literallly means to teach yourself (i.e. study), учить means to teach.

[oryx_and_crake]

"учить means to teach"
not always; but I guess for the purposes of this topic it is more or less true.

[yms.livejournal.com]

so, "собака кусается" means "the dog bites itself", yeah? ;)

There are five meanings of -ся (according to Dr. Rosenthal and Co. (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=4&url=http%3A//www.hi-edu.ru/x-books-free/xbook107/01/part-096.htm&ei=Wmb0QouSLra4swHsppCLDg)):
1. Reflexive (вытираться = dry oneself).
2. Reciprocal (целоваться = kiss each other).
3. "General reflexive" (печалиться) - expresses general internal state of the subject.
4. Indirect reflexive (запасаться) - an action made by subject in his own interests.
5. "Objectless reflexive" meaning the subject's action as its permanent property, irrespective of object (кусаться, рваться).

Собака кусаетСЯ. Что ж, не беда.
Загадочно то, что собака
Хотя и кусаетСЯ, но никогда
Себя не кусает, однако.
(from Zakhoder's translation of Winnie the Pooh)

[yms.livejournal.com]

the link to the source should be like this:
http://www.hi-edu.ru/x-books-free/xbook107/01/index.html?part-096.htm

[madrumos.livejournal.com]

Sometimes -ся has a reflexive meaning (i.e. to onesself or of onesself), but other times, it's just there and you have to learn it. It often serves to make a transitive verb intransitive: остановить (to stop [something]) vs. остановиться (to stop [onesself]).

узнать means 'to find out' or 'to realize', not really 'to learn'.

To learn could probably be выучить, научиться, изучать...

[apollotiger.livejournal.com]

I believe it's usually reflexive, or at least intransitive; for example, брить is to shave someone else, whereas бриться is to shave oneself.

English can get confusing on transitive (takes an object) and intransitive (doesn't take an object) because we have many verbs (e.g. close, open, shave, change) that can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on context — "the door closed" does not mean that the door has closed something else; it means that the door closed.

[tikvi.livejournal.com]

Yep, reflexive verbs are confusing at times.

If it helps:
1. -ся verbs can't take a direct object (accusative case).
2. The verbs without -ся have an animate subject while the verbs with -ся take an inanimate subject.

I can't think of any examples for the two verbs you mentioned, but here's the best i could come up with.

Я открыла магазин в семь часов. (I opened the store at 7 o'clock)

Магазин открылся в семь часов. (The store opened [itself] at 7 o'clock.)

Hope that helps:-)

[vypejvina.livejournal.com]

Simply, "ся" = "cебя".

Узнать себя > узнаться.
Учить себя > учиться.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Ah-uh, so кусаться means to bite yourself? It's not at all this simple, see comment above (http://www.livejournal.com/community/learn_russian/275037.html?thread=3823965#t3823965).