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Questions & Answers about Пожалуйста, дайте мне мыло.
Why is дайте used instead of дай?
дайте is the formal or plural imperative of дать, suitable when speaking politely to strangers or addressing more than one person. дай is the singular informal form used among friends or family.
What case is мыло, and why does it look the same as the nominative?
мыло is a neuter noun. In Russian, inanimate neuter nouns have identical forms in the nominative and accusative singular. Here it functions as a direct object in the accusative case but stays мыло.
Why is мне in the dative case?
мне is the dative form of я (I) and means “to me.” Verbs like дать require a dative indirect object, so you need мне to indicate who receives the soap.
Why is there a comma after Пожалуйста?
Пожалуйста here is an introductory word meaning “please.” Introductory words and phrases are set off with a comma in Russian.
Can пожалуйста be placed elsewhere in the sentence?
Yes. You could also say Дайте мне мыло, пожалуйста. or Дайте, пожалуйста, мне мыло. Russian word order is flexible; moving пожалуйста changes the emphasis slightly but keeps the meaning.
Is this request polite or formal, and how would it change in informal speech?
This sentence is polite/formal because of the plural/formal imperative дайте. In informal speech among friends you’d say: Дай мне мыло, пожалуйста.
Could you omit мне and just say Пожалуйста, дайте мыло?
Grammatically you can say Пожалуйста, дайте мыло, and context (e.g., in a restaurant) may imply “to me.” Adding мне makes the recipient explicit, which is clearer in many situations.
What’s the difference between давать and приносить in this context?
давать means “to give” (hand something directly to someone), while приносить means “to bring” (fetch something from another place). If you want the soap handed over right away, use дайте; if you want someone to go fetch it from another room, use принесите, пожалуйста, мыло.