Breakdown of Пусть консультант покажет нам новые модели.
новый
new
показать
to show
нам
us
модель
the model
консультант
the consultant
пусть
let
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Questions & Answers about Пусть консультант покажет нам новые модели.
What does пусть mean and how is it used in this sentence?
Пусть is a particle that creates a third-person imperative, equivalent to English “let someone do something.” In “Пусть консультант покажет нам новые модели,” it literally means “Let the consultant show us the new models.” In more natural English you’d say “Have the consultant show us the new models.”
Why is the verb покажет in the future tense rather than a 2nd-person imperative like покажи?
Because in a пусть construction you’re not addressing the consultant directly (that would be 2nd person). Instead you use a 3rd-person form of the verb to express the command. Here покажет is the 3rd-person indicative (future of the perfective показать), but with пусть it acts as an imperative: “let him show.”
Why is покажет perfective rather than the imperfective показывает?
Using the perfective aspect (показать → покажет) indicates a single, complete action—showing the new models once in full. If you said “пусть показывает,” with imperfective, it would sound like you want an ongoing or repeated show, which is less natural for a one-off demonstration.
Why is консультант in the nominative case?
In the пусть construction the noun directly after пусть functions as the subject of the implied clause. All subjects in Russian are in the nominative case, so консультант stays nominative.
What is the case and role of нам in this sentence?
Нам is the dative plural form of “we.” It marks the indirect object, meaning “to us.” The consultant is doing the showing to us, so we use dative.
Why are новые модели in the accusative plural?
They are the direct object of покажет (“what is he showing?” → the new models). For inanimate nouns in Russian, the accusative plural form is identical to the nominative plural. Hence новые модели serves as the accusative.
Can the word order be changed in this sentence?
Yes, Russian allows fairly free word order for emphasis. For example:
- Пусть нам консультант покажет новые модели. (emphasizes us)
- Пусть консультант нам покажет новые модели.
- Пусть консультант покажет нам новые модели. All convey the same basic meaning; you shift elements to highlight different parts.
What’s the difference between пусть and давайте(те)?
- давай(те)
- 1st-person plural = “let’s …” (we do it together).
- пусть
- 3rd person = “let him/her/it …” (asking someone or giving permission for a third person).
You cannot use давайте to tell a third person to act—you need пусть.
- 3rd person = “let him/her/it …” (asking someone or giving permission for a third person).
Why not just say “Покажите нам новые модели,” using the 2nd-person imperative?
“Покажите нам новые модели” is correct if you are speaking directly to the consultant (or group you address as Вы).
But if you’re instructing someone else (e.g., a manager) to tell the consultant to do it, you need the 3rd-person imperative пусть консультант покажет.
How do you pronounce пусть, and what does the soft sign (ь) do?
Пусть is pronounced [pustʲ], with stress on the only syllable У. The soft sign ь doesn’t have its own sound but softens (palatalizes) the preceding consonant т, so ть is pronounced [tʲ].