-вшись/-ясь

Reflexive Gerunds in -вшись and -ясь

Level 4Sounds Like vozvratnoe deepričastie na -všisʹ/-âsʹ

Reflexive gerunds (adverbial participles) act like adverbs to describe how or when a subject performs the main action. They are formed by adding -ясь (imperfective) or -вшись (perfective) to the verb stem.

How It Works

Reflexive gerunds are a formal way to combine two actions into one sentence. They function as adverbial modifiers.

1. Formation:

  • Imperfective: Use the present tense stem + -я- + -сь. If the stem ends in a sibilant (ж, ш, ч, щ), use -а- + -сь instead due to spelling rules. This indicates an action happening at the same time as the main verb. Examples: улыбаться → улыбаясь (smiling), держаться → держась (holding on). Exception: Verbs with the roots -давать, -знавать, and -ставать (like оставаться, признаваться) form their gerunds from the infinitive stem, not the present tense stem. Example: оставаться (present stem: остай-) → оставаясь (not остаясь, which would come from adding -я to the present stem). Note that some reflexive verbs (e.g., казаться) and imperfective verbs ending in -чься (like жечься, печься) generally cannot form gerunds at all.
  • Perfective: Use the infinitive stem + -вши- + -сь (for stems ending in a vowel) or the past tense stem + -ши- + -сь (for stems ending in a consonant). This indicates an action completed before the main verb. Examples: умыться → умывшись (having washed), увлечься → увлёкшись (having gotten carried away). While some perfective verbs ending in -ить, -еть, or -ать can form gerunds with -я-/-а- + -сь (like встретясь), these are stylistically marked (poetic, archaic, or colloquial). The -вши- + -сь form (e.g., встретившись) is the standard, neutral choice for these verbs. Stress rule: For perfective gerunds in -вшись, the stress almost always falls on the same syllable as in the infinitive.
  • Perfective verbs in -ти(сь): Verbs ending in -йти(сь) and specific root families (like -нестись, -вестись) form their gerunds using the future tense stem + -я-/-а- + -сь. Examples: пройтись (future stem: пройд-) → пройдясь (having taken a walk), найтись → найдясь (having found what to say/do, or not having been at a loss). Other perfective verbs in -ти(сь) use the past tense stem + -шись (e.g., спастись → спасшись).

2. The -сь Rule:
In standard reflexive verbs, you use -ся after consonants and -сь after vowels. While non-reflexive perfective gerunds often use the suffix -в (e.g., сделав), reflexive verbs are strictly required to use the extended variant -вши-. Because the gerund suffixes used here (-я, -а, -вши, -ши) always end in a vowel, reflexive gerunds always take the -сь ending.

3. The Same-Subject Rule:
This is the most important rule for same-subject constraints. The person doing the 'smiling' or 'washing' must be the same person performing the main verb. An important exception is impersonal sentences where the main predicate is an infinitive and the implied subject is a generalized 'anyone' (e.g., Одевшись, нужно выходить - Having dressed, one needs to leave). However, if there is a specific logical subject in the dative case, you cannot use a gerund. Instead, you must use a subordinate clause (e.g., После того как он оделся, ему нужно было выходить). Otherwise, if the subjects are different, you must use a subordinate clause with 'когда' (when) or 'после того как' (after).

4. Punctuation:
Gerunds and gerundial phrases must always be separated by commas from the rest of the sentence, regardless of their position.

5. Negation:
The negative particle не is always written as a separate word from the gerund (e.g., не улыбаясь, не умывшись).

6. Register:
These forms are very common in literature, news, and formal writing. In casual speech, Russians usually prefer to use two separate verbs connected by 'и' (and).

Examples (5)

  1. Улыбаясь, она вошла в комнату.

    Smiling, she entered the room.

    Word by Word: Smiling, she entered into room.

    The imperfective gerund 'улыбаясь' shows that she was smiling at the same time she entered.

  2. Вернувшись домой, я сразу лёг спать.

    Having returned home, I immediately went to bed.

    Word by Word: Having-returned home, I immediately lay to-sleep.

    The perfective gerund 'вернувшись' shows that the return happened before the act of going to bed.

  3. Стараясь не шуметь, дети прокрались в кухню.

    Trying not to make noise, the children crept into the kitchen.

    Word by Word: Trying not to make-noise, children crept into kitchen.

    The gerund 'стараясь' describes the manner in which the children performed the main action (creeping).

  4. Встретившись с друзьями, мы долго гуляли по парку.

    Having met with friends, we walked in the park for a long time.

    Word by Word: Having-met with friends, we long walked along park.

    This uses a perfective reflexive gerund to show the meeting was a completed prerequisite for the walk.

  5. Одевшись, он вышел на улицу.

    Having dressed, he went outside.

    Word by Word: Having-dressed, he went-out onto street.

    A classic example of a perfective reflexive gerund indicating a sequence of actions by one person.

Common Mistakes

  • Using -ся instead of -сь.

    Улыбаяся, он смотрел на меня.
    Улыбаясь, он смотрел на меня.

    Gerunds are an exception to the general reflexive rule; they must always end in -сь, never -ся.

  • Dangling participle (different subjects).

    Подъезжая к станции, у меня слетела шляпа.
    Когда я подъезжал к станции, у меня слетела шляпа.

    In the incorrect version, the 'hat' is technically the one 'approaching the station.' The subject of the gerund and the main verb must be the same.

  • Using a non-reflexive gerund for a reflexive action.

    Умыв, он лёг спать.
    Умывшись, он лёг спать.

    'Умыв' implies he washed something else (like a car). To say he washed himself, you must use the reflexive form 'умывшись'.

How It Connects

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-вшись/-ясьLevel 4Reflexive Gerunds in -вшись and -ясь

Learn This First

To learn reflexive gerunds, a learner must first understand how the reflexive suffix -ся/-сь functions and changes form depending on the preceding letter. Since these gerunds are formed from reflexive verb stems, familiarity with reflexive past tense forms and the general category of reflexive verbs (including inherent reflexives) is required.