russian word
to be afraid of, to fear in Russian: бояться
verbimperfectivelevel B1#392 by frequency
every form stress-marked · levels from the official TORFL lexical minimum
В детстве я очень боялся темноты. As a child I was very afraid of the dark.
Не бойся собаки, она совсем не злая. Don't be afraid of the dog, it isn't mean at all.
Я боюсь, что мы не успеем на поезд. I'm afraid we won't make it to the train.
Она боялась, что будет дождь. She was afraid that it would rain.
What does бояться mean in Russian?
01
to be afraid of, to fear (someone or something)
Aspect pair
This verb is imperfective: ongoing or repeated action. Its perfective partner, for a completed one-time result, is
забоятьсяto take fright; to grow afraid; to lose one's nerve (colloquial)perfective
Conjugation of бояться
Stress marks show the stressed vowel; it moves between forms more often than learners expect.
| present | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| я / мы | боюсь | боимся |
| ты / вы | боишься | боитесь |
| он / они | боится | боятся |
| past | |
|---|---|
| masc | боялся |
| fem | боялась |
| neut | боялось |
| plural | боялись |
| imperative | |
|---|---|
| ты | бойся |
| вы | бойтесь |
Participles and gerunds
present activeбоящийся
past activeбоявшийся
gerund (imperfective)боясь
gerund (perfective)боявшись
Words near this one by frequency
- действительноreally, indeed (confirming that something is truly so)#389
- положениеposition, posture (in space)#390
- поставитьput, place, set (something somewhere, usually upright)#391
- наконецfinally, at last (after waiting)#393
- центрcentre, middle (of a place or area)#394
- происходитьhappen, take place, occur#395