Fatigue, Russian Style: Alternate Ways to Say “I’m Tired”
We all get tired all the time. Of work, of boredom, and even of life in general. That’s why it’s helpful to know the phrases with which you can express how tired you are.
In this article, I will list expressions that you can use to express fatigue and tiredness. Stay tuned and don’t get tired reading!
Я устал. – I’m tired.
It’s the basic one. The sentence is very easy, though if you’re a female you should use “Я устала” instead.
Or you can also say:
- У меня нет сил. – I have no energy/strength. (reflects a feeling of extreme tiredness and weakness)
- Я вымотан(а). – I’m worn out.
- Я выжат(а) как лимон. – I’m wiped out.
The verb уставать/устать is used with the preposition от (from, of).
Я устал от чрезмерной работы. – I’m tired of working so much.
Я реально устал от всего этого. – I am really getting tired of all this.
You don’t necessarily have to be tired physically to use “я устал“. Let’s look at some other examples:
- Я так устал от всех секретов и полуправд. – I am so tired of all the secrets and the half-truths.
- Я устал от обыденной, рутинной жизни. – I am tired of the day-to-day routine of life.
- Я устал от одиночества. – I’m tired of being alone.
See Also: How to say “I don’t care” in Russian
If you’re not talking about physical tiredness, you can also use the word надоело.
Мне надоело жить в этом доме по твоим правилам. – I’m tired of living in this house under your rules.
Ей надоело сидеть дома и быть простой домохозяйкой. – She is tired of sitting at home and being a simple housewife.
Тому надоело ждать, и он ушёл. – Tom got tired of waiting, so he left.
Notice that we use a personal pronoun or a noun (name) in the Dative case with this word.
Finally, we have a common phrase “Я не могу (так) больше/Я больше (так) не могу“. It translates to “I can’t anymore.” and conveys being at one’s limit and unable to continue due to exhaustion.
You can watch this short video to learn new phrases:
