Listen to the audio & read the examples:

1. Извините! Скажите, пожалуйста, где музей?
Excuse me! Can you please tell me where the museum is?

2. Дайте, пожалуйста, ваш номер.
Please give me your number.

3. Отправьте, пожалуйста, мне имейл.
Please send me an email.

To ask someone to do something or to give advice, we use the Imperative form of the verb.

It has 2 forms: for ‘ты’ and ‘вы’. For example:

To form the imperative form of the verb, you need to take following steps:

Step 1. Put the verb into 3rd person plural form – present tense for the imperfective verbs, future for the perfective verbs: делать - они делают, сделать - сделают

Step 2. Check what letter is the last in a stem. For example, in the word ‘делают’ it is ‘a’: ‘делают’

Step 3. Choose the appropriate imperative ending:

• If it is a vowel, you should put ‘й’ instead of the ending: дела ю̶т̶  + ’й’ → делай
• If it is a consonant with the stress in the ending, you should put ‘и’ instead of the ending: говор я̶т̶  + ’и’ → говори
• If it is a consonant with the stress in the stem, you should put ‘ь’ instead of the ending: готóв я̶т̶ + ’ь’ → готовь. 

Below is a table with a guide on how to build a proper Imperative form:

NOTE! 

1) Most Russian verbs form the imperative using the endings  ‘-й’ or ‘-и’. Forms that use the soft sign (‘-ь’) are much less common.

2) Remember some special forms:

• есть – ешь! ешьте!  (eat)
• пить – пей! пейте!  (drink)
• быть – будь! будьте! (be)
• давать – давай! давайте! (let’s)
• вставать – вставай! вставайте! (get up)

Interestingly, the expression of apology – ‘извините!’ – is essentially an Imperative form of the verb ‘извинить’ (to excuse, to forgive):

• извинить – Извини! – Извините!

Listen to the audio to hear the correct answers

Listen to the audio to hear the correct answers

Listen to the audio to hear the correct answers

Listen to the audio to hear the correct answers

Listen to the audio to hear the correct answers

Listen to the audio to hear the correct answers