Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| сдава́ться | sdavátʹsja | imperfective |
| сда́ться | sdátʹsja | perfective |
| капитули́ровать | kapitulírovatʹ | imperfective, perfective |
These verbs are used intransitively or reflexively to describe giving oneself up into the power of another. For example, if you are surrendering to an authority such as the police, you use the dative case for the recipient of the surrender, as in сдаться полиции.
Which one should you use?
The imperfective form сдава́ться is used to describe the ongoing process of surrendering or a general tendency to give up. The perfective form сда́ться refers specifically to the moment of surrendering or the completed act of giving up.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While сда́ться is common in everyday speech, капитули́ровать is a formal, technical term used in military or political contexts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix –ся in сдаться indicates that the action is reflexive, meaning the subject is surrendering themselves.
How do you pronounce it?
sdavátʹsja
Did you know?
- The root сда- is also used in the word сдача, which means both the 'surrender' of a position and the 'change' you receive back from a cashier.
- The verb сдаться is also used to say someone has finally fallen asleep, as in ребёнок наконец сдался, meaning the child 'surrendered' to sleep.
- In Russian, if you want to say you are 'handing in' an exam or an assignment, you use the same root: сдавать an exam. To the English ear, 'surrendering an exam' sounds like an act of defeat, but in Russian, it is a routine academic requirement.
Examples in context
- сдаться врагуSurrender to the enemy
- Преступник решил не сдава́ться.Prestupnik reshil ne sdavat'sya.The criminal decided not to surrender.
- Солдаты начали сдава́ться.Soldaty nachali sdavat'sya.The soldiers began to surrender.
- Он не собирается сдава́ться без боя.On ne sobiraetsya sdavat'sya bez boya.He is not going to surrender without a fight.
Example conversation
Sergey and Maria are discussing a video game strategy.
- Сергей SergeyТы собираешься сдава́ться в этой игре?Ty sobirayesh'sya sdavat'sya v etoy igre?Are you going to surrender in this game?
- Мария MariaНет, я не хочу сдава́ться так просто.Net, ya ne khochu sdavat'sya tak prosto.No, I don't want to surrender so easily.
- Сергей SergeyТогда мы попробуем еще раз.Togda my poprobuyem yeshche raz.Then we will try one more time.
- Мария MariaДа, давай победим их.Da, davay pobedim ikh.Yes, let's defeat them.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “surrender” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
