бояться

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Russian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bojàti.

Pronunciation

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Verb

боя́ться (bojátʹsjaimpf (perfective побоя́ться or забоя́ться)

  1. to fear, to be afraid
    Synonyms: пуга́ться (pugátʹsja), страши́ться (strašítʹsja), опаса́ться (opasátʹsja)
    Я бою́сь мускули́стых же́нщин, а мой дру́г счита́ет их несравне́нно привлека́тельными.
    Ja bojúsʹ muskulístyx žénščin, a moj drúg sčitájet ix nesravnénno privlekátelʹnymi.
    I'm afraid of muscular women, but my friend thinks they are incomparably attractive.
    боя́ться за кого́-либоbojátʹsja za kovó-liboto be scared for someone
    • 1859, Иван Тургенев, “Глава 4”, in Дворянское гнездо; English translation from Constance Garnett, transl., A House of Gentlefolk, 1917:
      — И вы не боитесь ездить на такой злой лошади? — спросила его Марья Дмитриевна.
      — Помилуйте, она пресмирная; а вот, я доложу вам, чего я боюсь: я боюсь играть в преферанс с Сергеем Петровичем; вчера у Беленицыных он обыграл меня в пух.
      — I vy ne boitesʹ jezditʹ na takoj zloj lošadi? — sprosila jevo Marʹja Dmitrijevna.
      — Pomilujte, ona presmirnaja; a vot, ja doložu vam, čevo ja bojusʹ: ja bojusʹ igratʹ v preferans s Sergejem Petrovičem; včera u Belenicynyx on obygral menja v pux.
      "Aren't you afraid to ride such a vicious horse?" Marya Dmitrievna questioned him.
      "I assure you he's very quiet, but I will tell you what I am afraid of: I'm afraid to play preference with Sergei Petrovitch; yesterday he cleaned me out of everything at Madame Byelenitsin's."
  2. to suffer from, to be vulnerable to

Usage notes

  • The perfective form побоя́ться is more common than забоя́ться.
  • After the verb боя́ться, animate nouns are sometimes used in accusative instead of genitive: боя́ться ма́му = боя́ться ма́мы "to be afraid of one's mother". The usage of accusative is considered colloquial.

Conjugation

Ukrainian

Pronunciation

Verb

боя́ться (bojátʹsja)

  1. inflection of боя́тися impf (bojátysja):
    1. third-person plural present indicative
    2. alternative infinitive form