Learn Hardcore Russian: У меня есть ещё один совет: не спеши, читай внимательно. - I have one more piece of advice: don’t rush, read carefully.

Russian usually expresses possession with у + Genitive + есть + Nominative: literally “at me there is X,” meaning “I have X.”
Я имею is uncommon for simple “have” and sounds formal or bookish; it’s used in set phrases like я имею право (I have the right), имею в виду (I mean).

Do I have to keep есть? Can I say У меня ещё один совет?

In the present tense, есть is optional. With it, you’re clearly introducing or asserting existence: “I have (there is) one more piece of advice.”
Without it (У меня ещё один совет), it sounds a bit lighter or more matter‑of‑fact. Both are fine here.
In the negative, you use нет and put the noun in Genitive: У меня нет совета. In the past/future, use был/будет: У меня был/будет совет.

What cases are used in У меня есть ещё один совет?

у requires Genitive: меня is Genitive of я.
The possessed item is the grammatical subject in Nominative: совет (and один agrees with it in Nominative).
ещё is an adverb meaning “more/another.”

What exactly does ещё один mean? Could I use другой instead?

ещё один = “one more, an additional one.”
другой = “a different/another (as opposed to the previous one).”
Here ещё один совет is best. другой совет would stress “a different piece of advice,” not “an extra one.”

Could I change the word order, like Ещё один совет у меня есть?

Yes, Russian word order is flexible for emphasis.
У меня есть ещё один совет is the neutral default.
Ещё один совет у меня есть front‑loads the focus on “another piece of advice,” sounding emphatic or stylistic.

Why is there a colon after совет? Could it be a dash?

The colon introduces the content of the advice. It’s the standard way to present an explanation, list, or quote after a generalizing word like совет.
A dash (—) is also acceptable and slightly more informal/emphatic: …совет — не спеши, читай внимательно.

What forms are не спеши and читай? Who are they addressed to?

They are 2nd person singular imperatives (informal ты).
- не спеши from спешить.
- читай from читать.
The negative is formed with не
- imperative: не спеши.

How do I make this polite or plural?

Why читай (imperfective)? When would I use прочитай or почитай?

читай (imperfective) focuses on the process/habit: “Read carefully (as you go).”
прочитай (perfective) = “Read it through (to completion), carefully.” Often used with a direct object: Прочитай текст внимательно.
почитай (perfective with по‑, delimitative) = “Read for a while,” often without stressing completion.

Is there a difference between не спеши and не торопись?

Both mean “don’t rush.”
спешить (non‑reflexive) vs торопиться (reflexive); in usage they’re near‑synonyms.
Не торопись can feel a touch more colloquial/soothing; Не спеши is equally common and neutral.

Why is there just a comma between the two imperatives? Could I add и?

A comma is normal for asyndetic coordination (two commands in sequence): не спеши, читай внимательно.
Adding и is also correct: не спеши и читай внимательно. With и, the actions feel more tightly linked as a single combined instruction.

Is совет countable in Russian? How do I say “pieces of advice”?

Yes. совет is countable:
- Singular: совет, Genitive совета
- Plural: советы, Genitive plural советов
Examples: один совет, два совета, несколько советов. English “advice” is uncountable, but Russian isn’t.

How is the sentence stressed and pronounced? What about ё?

Stresses: У меня́ есть ещё́ оди́н сове́т: не спеши́, читай́ внимáтельно.
ё is always stressed and pronounced “yo.” In print it’s often written as е (e.g., еще), but the pronunciation stays ещё.

What’s the difference between внимательно and внимательный?

внимательно is an adverb (“carefully, attentively”) modifying verbs: читай внимательно.
внимательный is an adjective (“attentive”) modifying nouns: внимательный читатель.