Russian Word ‘заваляться’: Meaning and Examples

Today we’re learning Russian from a real comment on the internet:

В холоди́льнике мно́го я́блок заваля́лось, всё не зна́ла, куда их примени́ть. И вот он реце́пт — спаси́бо большо́е!
(I had a bunch of apples lying around in the fridge, and I couldn't figure out what to do with them. And then I found this recipe — thank you so much!)

Meaning

So, what does the Russian verb ‘заваля́ться’ mean?

‘Заваля́ться’ is a colloquial verb. It means that something has been lying around for a long time without being used. Often it suggests that the object was forgotten or left among other things, sometimes in a bit of a mess.

This verb frequently appears in the titles of recipes on the internet, where people encourage cooking something using ingredients that have been sitting around in the fridge.

Examples

Here are a few examples to see how this verb appears in real life:

• За дива́ном заваля́лась па́ра носко́в. (There’s a pair of socks lying around behind the sofa.)
• В я́щике стола́ заваля́лась ста́рая шко́льная тетра́дь. (There's an old school notebook sitting in a desk drawer.)

From the media:

• Бло́гер научи́ла спаса́ть проду́кты, заваля́вшиеся в холоди́льнике. (A blogger showed how to rescue food that had been sitting unused in the fridge.)

💡 Note: ‘Заваля́вшиеся’ is the past active participle of the verb ‘заваля́ться’.

Verb Aspect and Tense Forms

The verb ‘заваля́ться’ does not have an imperfective counterpart used with the same meaning.

Because of its meaning, it is most commonly used in the past tense.

Remember, it’s a reflexive verb, so always stick -ся or -сь at the end.

заваля́ться (perfective)

Have you ever found something at home that had been lying around for years? Tell me in the comments below!