Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| успока́иваться | uspokáivatʹsja | imperfective |
| успоко́иться | uspokóitʹsja | perfective |
| унима́ться | unimátʹsja | imperfective |
| уня́ться | unjátʹsja | perfective |
The verb is used to describe the act of becoming less excited. While успока́иваться is a general term for this transition, унима́ться is often used specifically when someone is being noisy, hyperactive or physically restless.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb успока́иваться is built from the root покой, meaning peace or rest, with the prefix у- and the suffix -ива-, which indicates a continuous process of becoming calm.
Which one should you use?
The imperfective form успока́иваться is used to describe the ongoing process of calming down or a repeated action. In contrast, the perfective form успоко́иться describes the completed state of having calmed down. Similarly, унима́ться (imperfective) and уня́ться (perfective) are used to describe quietening down or becoming less restless.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form успокойся is the imperative used when giving a command to a single person in an informal setting. The form успокойтесь is the imperative used for formal address or when addressing multiple people.
How do you pronounce it?
uspokáivatʹsja
Did you know?
- In a heated argument, telling someone to 'calm down' is frequently perceived as a provocation by Russians rather than a way to de-escalate the situation.
- While 'calm down' is a common command in English, using the imperative успокойся in Russian can often sound patronizing or dismissive, as if you are treating the other person like a child.
- The root покой is shared with the word поко́й, which is a solemn term used to refer to the 'eternal rest' of the deceased.
Example sentences for Russian are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “calm down” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
