Learn Hardcore Russian: Не снимай перчатки, на улице холодно. - Don’t take off your gloves; it is cold outside.

It’s the 2nd person singular informal imperative of the imperfective verb снима́ть “to take off.” Formation: take the infinitive stem (снима-) and add -й → снима́й. For formal/plural, add -те → снима́йте.

Why is the imperfective used in Не снимай instead of the perfective?

Negative commands in Russian normally use the imperfective imperative to prohibit a process or general action: Не снима́й “Don’t (be) taking off.” The perfective imperative with negation is rare and only used with certain verbs to warn against a single, one-time outcome (e.g., Не забудь!, Не опозда́й!, Не упади́!). With снять, Не сними! is not idiomatic; use Не снима́й!

How do I say this to one person formally or to several people?

Use the plural/formal imperative: Не снима́йте перча́тки, на у́лице холодно.

Why is it перчатки (accusative) after negation and not перчаток (genitive)?

Russian allows both accusative and genitive objects under negation, but they differ in nuance. The accusative перча́тки is the neutral, most common choice for a specific, definite object (“the gloves you’re wearing”). The genitive перча́ток under negation sounds more bookish or emphasizes “not any gloves at all” (indefinite/partitive). Here, accusative is the natural choice.

Why isn’t there a possessive like твои (“your”) before перчатки?

Russian often omits possessives with body parts and clothing when ownership is obvious from context. Не снима́й перча́тки already implies “your gloves.” You’d only add твои/ваши for contrast or to avoid ambiguity.

Can I change the word order, e.g., Перчатки не снимай?

Yes. Перча́тки не снима́й is possible and adds emphasis to the object (“the gloves—don’t take them off”). The neutral order is the original, but Russian word order is flexible for emphasis.

Why is there a comma between the two parts?

Russian often uses a comma to link two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction (asyndetic coordination). The second clause gives a reason: “Don’t take off your gloves, (because) it’s cold outside.” A dash or period would also be acceptable, depending on desired emphasis.

What does на улице mean here—literally “on the street” or “outside”?

Both, but in everyday Russian на у́лице commonly just means “outside/outdoors,” not necessarily literally standing on a street.

Why is it на улице (ending -е)? Which case is that, and when would I use на улицу?

На у́лице is prepositional case, used with на to indicate location (где? where?). For motion toward a place (куда? where to?), you use the accusative: на у́лицу “to (go) outside/to the street.”

Why холодно and not an adjective like холодный/холодная?

Холо́дно is an impersonal predicative adverb meaning “it is cold.” Russian often uses this impersonal pattern for weather and sensations: На у́лице холо́дно “It’s cold outside,” Мне холо́дно “I’m cold.”

How is the sentence stressed and pronounced?

Stresses: Не снима́й перча́тки, на у́лице холо́дно. Tips:

ч = “ch,” ц = “ts.”
Unstressed о is reduced (sounds like “a/uh”), e.g., first о in холóдно is reduced.
Link words smoothly: final consonants carry over to the next word in natural speech.

Could I use a dash, colon, or a period instead of the comma?

Yes:

Dash for a more explanatory/afterthought feel: Не снима́й перча́тки — на у́лице холо́дно.
Colon to mark explicit cause/explanation: Не снима́й перча́тки: на у́лице холо́дно.
Period for two separate sentences: Не снима́й перча́тки. На у́лице холо́дно.

How can I make the command softer or more polite?

Common softeners:

Не снима́й перча́тки, пожа́луйста.
Лу́чше не снима́й перча́тки.
Не сто́ит снима́ть перча́тки.
Add a gentle particle: Не снима́й перча́тки, ла́дно?/хорошо́? For formal: Пожа́луйста, не снима́йте перча́тки.

Is there any difference between на улице холодно and холодно на улице?

Both are correct and mean the same. На у́лице холо́дно is the more typical order, but moving на у́лице to the end can slightly shift emphasis to the location.

Could I say this with an explicit “because”?

Yes:

Не снима́й перча́тки, потому́ что на у́лице холо́дно.
You can also use ведь to appeal to shared knowledge: Не снима́й перча́тки, ведь на у́лице холо́дно.

What’s the difference between перчатки, варежки, and митенки?

Перча́тки = gloves (separate fingers).
Ва́режки = mittens (thumb + one compartment).
Мите́нки = fingerless gloves/half-gloves. All can appear in the same pattern: Не снима́й ва́режки… etc.