Questions & Answers about Подойдите к кассе, пожалуйста.
What exactly does the word “кассе” refer to here— the person or the place?
It refers to the place: the checkout counter/cash register/ticket window. So к кассе means “to the checkout (counter).” If you wanted to point to the person, you’d say к кассиру (“to the cashier”).
What form is Подойдите? Who is being addressed?
Подойдите is the 2nd person plural imperative. It’s used:
- to address more than one person, or
- to address one person politely (the formal “Вы”). Informal singular would be Подойди (“Come up/Approach,” said to a friend, child, etc.).
Why is к used, and what case is кассе?
К means “to/toward” and always takes the dative case. Касса (nom.) becomes кассе (dat. sing.). So к кассе = “toward the checkout.”
Why isn’t it кассу?
Кассу is the accusative (used after many verbs/prepositions like в or на). Because the preposition here is к, you need the dative: к кассе, not к кассу.
Why use the perfective подойти in the imperative, not the imperfective?