-сь

See also: сь and съ

Belarusian

Alternative forms

• -ś — Łacinka (Belarusian Latin alphabet)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Ruthenian сь (sʹ), from Old East Slavic сь (sĭ), from Proto-Slavic *sь. Compare Polish -ś, Russian and Ukrainian -сь (-sʹ). The Old East Slavic сей (sej) (whence Ukrainian цей (cej), Russian сейчас (sejčas)) does not appear to have survived in modern standard Belarusian, with the possible exception of the fixed phrase сёй-той (sjoj-toj, “this and that”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sʲ]

Suffix

-сь • (-sʹ)

1. appended to relative/interrogative pronouns to form indefinite pronouns; some-

   Synonyms: -сьці (-sʹci), -не́будзь (-njébudzʹ)

Usage notes

• Unlike in Russian, -сь (-sʹ) does not act as a shorthand of the reflexive suffix -ся (-sja) when following a vowel. For instance, Russian учу́сь (učúsʹ, “I am studying”) would correspond to вучу́ся (vučúsja) in Belarusian, rather than *вучу́сь (*vučúsʹ).
• Generally less common than its derived counterpart -сьці (-sʹci), and may now be considered only a colloquial variant.

Derived terms

Belarusian terms suffixed with -сь

летась

хтось

штось

• -сьці (-sʹci)

Russian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sʲ]

• Audio (Saint Petersburg):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Suffix

-сь • (-sʹ)

1. contraction of -ся (-sja) (reflexive suffix appended to finite verbs and infinitives to make a reflexive, reciprocal, or intransitive verb)

Usage notes

• After a vowel, -ся is usually contracted to -сь, except when attached to an adjectival participle:
  • мы́ться (mýtʹsja, “to wash oneself”), мо́ется (mójetsja, “[she] washes herself”)
  • мо́юсь (mójusʹ, “[I] wash myself”)
  • мы́вшаяся (mývšajasja, “having been washing herself”).

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sь (“this”). Doublet of сий (sij), a borrowing from Old Church Slavonic. See also сей (sej), the inherited independent form.

Suffix

-сь • (-sʹ)

1. this, last (found in a few, mostly obsolete or dialectal, terms referring to time)

   ‎лони́ (loní, “year”) (dialectal) + ‎-сь (-sʹ) → ‎лони́сь (lonísʹ, “last year”) (dialectal)

   ‎вчера́ (včerá, “yesterday”) + ‎-сь (-sʹ) → ‎вчера́сь (včerásʹ, “yesterday”) (colloquial)

   ‎дне- (dne-, “day”) + ‎-сь (-sʹ) → ‎днесь (dnesʹ, “now”) (obsolete)

   ‎ле́то (léto, “year, summer”) + ‎-сь (-sʹ) → ‎ле́тось (létosʹ, “last year, last summer”) (low colloquial)

Ukrainian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sʲ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old East Slavic си (si), from Proto-Slavic *si. Compare synonymous Russian -то (-to) ultimately from *tъ (“that”), similar Polish -ś.

Particle

-сь • (-sʹ) (undeclinable)

1. Appended to relative/interrogative pronouns to form indefinite pronouns: some-
   • десь (desʹ)
   • якось (jakosʹ)
   • яки́йсь (jakýjsʹ)
   • коли́сь (kolýsʹ)
   • хтось (xtosʹ)
   • куди́сь (kudýsʹ)
   • щось (ščosʹ)
   • чийсь (čyjsʹ)

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe

Proto-Indo-European *ís

Proto-Indo-European *ḱís

Proto-Balto-Slavic *śís

Proto-Slavic *sь

Ukrainian -сь

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sь (“this”). Doublet of цей (cej), a borrowing from Old Church Slavonic. Cognates Belarusian and Russian -сь (-sʹ). See also сей (sej), the inherited independent form.

Suffix

-сь • (-sʹ)

1. this, last (found in a few, mostly obsolete or dialectal, terms referring to time)

   ‎дне- (dne-, “day”) + ‎-сь (-sʹ) → ‎днесь (dnesʹ, “now”) (obsolete)

Derived terms

Ukrainian terms suffixed with -сь

десь

днесь

звідкись

когось

колись

комусь

котрийсь

хтось

чийсь

чомусь

щось

якийсь

якось

References

• Лев Миха́йлович Полю́га [Lev Mykhailovych Poliuha] (2001), Словник українських морфем: близько 40 000 слів [Dictionary of Ukrainian morphemes: close to 40,000 words] (in Ukrainian), Львів [Lviv]: Світ [Svit], →ISBN, page unspecified