Podozhdi and podozhdite: request, command, politeness
A request starts from the command form. For ty the tail is short, -y or -i: podozhdi, skazhi, obyasni. Polite vy adds -te: podozhdite, skazhite, obyasnite. The form itself says who you are talking to. For example: “Подождите меня, пожалуйста” — Wait for me, please. A rule from the Russian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A request starts from the command form. For ty the tail is short, -y or -i: podozhdi, skazhi, obyasni. Polite vy adds -te: podozhdite, skazhite, obyasnite. The form itself says who you are talking to.
A bare command lands hard, and what softens it is not the tone but pozhaluysta at the end: Podozhdite menya, pozhaluysta. Without it the phrase reads as an order.
Invitations go through davay: davay vstretimsya zavtra, davay kofe. A ban puts ne before the same verb: ne trogayte, ne opazdyvayte.
Table
| Verb | ty | vy (polite) |
|---|---|---|
| podozhdat | podozhdi | podozhdite |
| skazat | skazhi | skazhite |
| obyasnit | obyasni | obyasnite |
| povtorit | povtori | povtorite |
| sest | syad | syadte |
By example
- Подождите меня, пожалуйстаPodozhdite menya, pozhaluystaWait for me, please
- Объясните ещё разObyasnite eshchyo razExplain it once more
- Давай встретимся завтраDavay vstretimsya zavtraLet's meet tomorrow
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Podozhdi vs podozhdite?
A request starts from the command form. For ty the tail is short, -y or -i: podozhdi, skazhi, obyasni. Polite vy adds -te: podozhdite, skazhite, obyasnite. The form itself says who you are talking to.
How to form the imperative in Russian?
A request starts from the command form. For ty the tail is short, -y or -i: podozhdi, skazhi, obyasni. Polite vy adds -te: podozhdite, skazhite, obyasnite. The form itself says who you are talking to.
Why pozhaluysta softens a request?
A bare command lands hard, and what softens it is not the tone but pozhaluysta at the end: Podozhdite menya, pozhaluysta. Without it the phrase reads as an order.
Davay: how invitations work in Russian?
Invitations go through davay: davay vstretimsya zavtra, davay kofe. A ban puts ne before the same verb: ne trogayte, ne opazdyvayte.
What does it look like in a Russian example sentence?
“Подождите меня, пожалуйста” (Podozhdite menya, pozhaluysta) — Wait for me, please. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.