Learn Hardcore Russian: Не говори так громко.

So Не говори так громко. literally means:
(Ты) не говори так громко. – You (informal), don’t speak so loudly.
The ты is normally dropped because the verb ending already shows the person.

How would I say this politely to a stranger or to several people?

Use the formal / plural imperative form:

Не говорите так громко. – Don’t speak so loudly (you – formal / you all).

Here говорите is imperative, 2nd person plural, used for:

talking to one person formally (вы), or
talking to more than one person, formal or informal.

Why isn’t ты written in the sentence?

Russian usually omits subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

(Ты) не говори так громко. – the -и ending in говори shows it’s ты, so ты is not needed.

Adding ты is possible but changes the tone:

Ты не говори так громко. – can sound more pointed or emotional, like stressing you specifically.

What is the difference between говори and скажи in commands?

Both can translate as “speak / say / tell”, but they’re used differently:

Говори (from говорить, imperfective) – focuses on the process / ongoing speech.
- Не говори так громко. – Don’t speak so loudly (in general / right now while you’re talking).
Скажи (from сказать, perfective) – focuses on a single act of saying / telling.
- Скажи это ещё раз. – Say it once more.
- Не скажи этого ему. – Don’t say that to him (don’t tell him that once).

In Не говори так громко, you’re correcting how someone is speaking, not forbidding one specific phrase, so говорить (imperfective) is natural.

What exactly does так mean here, and what is it modifying?

Here так is an adverb meaning “so / so much / that way / that (degree)”.

громко = loudly
так громко = so loudly / that loudly

So так modifies громко (the adverb), not the verb directly. The structure is:

не говори (как?) так громко – don’t speak (how?) so loudly.

Can I change the word order? For example Так громко не говори?

Yes, Russian word order is flexible here, and several orders are possible:

Не говори так громко. – neutral and very common.
Так громко не говори. – also correct; slightly emphasizes так громко (“so loudly”).

Other options like Не так громко говори. are also possible:

Не так громко говори. – Speak not so loudly / not that loudly.
This sounds a bit more like “less loudly” (emphasis on the degree), but in everyday speech it’s very close in meaning to the original.

However, Не говори громко так is unnatural; так normally stands before the adverb it modifies: так громко.

Why do we use не and not нет here?

Russian has two common negative words that learners mix up:

не – not, used to negate verbs, adjectives, adverbs in sentences.
- Не говори так громко. – Do not speak so loudly.
нет – no / there is not / there are not, used:
- as a short answer: — Ты здесь? — Нет. – Are you here? – No.
- in existential sentences: Здесь нет воды. – There is no water here.

In Не говори так громко, we are negating the verb, so we must use не, not нет.

Is Не говори так громко polite, or does it sound rude?

The basic imperative without anything extra is direct. How it feels depends a lot on tone of voice and situation:

Neutral / practical (e.g., classroom, rehearsal) – can sound simply like a normal instruction.
In casual conversation – can sound a bit sharp, like “Don’t talk so loud.”

To make it softer / more polite, Russians often:

add пожалуйста:
- Не говори так громко, пожалуйста. – Please don’t speak so loudly.
or rephrase less directly:
- Можно чуть потише говорить? – Could you speak a bit more quietly?
- Давай не так громко говорить. – Let’s not speak so loudly.

So as a bare command, it’s on the blunt side, but not automatically rude.

How can I make the same idea clearly softer in Russian?

Some more polite / soft alternatives:

Не говори так громко, пожалуйста.
– Just adding пожалуйста often makes it acceptable even to someone you know well.
Не могли бы вы говорить чуть тише? (formal)
– Could you speak a bit more quietly?
Very polite, typical with strangers.
Можно чуть потише говорить?
– Could we / could you speak a bit more quietly?
Soft and indirect.
Давай говорить потише.
– Let’s speak more quietly.
Inclusive and friendly (with ты).

Could I use a different verb like Не кричи так громко? What’s the difference?

Yes, but it changes the nuance:

Не говори так громко. – Don’t speak so loudly.
Implies the person is speaking, but just too loud.
Не кричи так громко. – Don’t shout so loudly.
From кричать – to shout / yell. This is stronger; it implies the person is basically shouting.

You’d choose не говори if the volume is just inappropriate; не кричи if it’s really like yelling.

Why is the verb говорить (imperfective) used here, not сказать (perfective)?

Negative commands about an ongoing / repeated action usually use the imperfective:

Не говори так громко. – don’t (keep) speaking so loudly / don’t speak that way.

Сказать (perfective) focuses on a single completed act. With сказать, you’d normally negate a specific instance of saying something:

Не скажи ему об этом. – Don’t tell him about this (even once).

But Не скажи так громко is not idiomatic; for don’t speak so loudly we think of the manner of speaking, which is naturally an ongoing process, so we use говорить.

How do I pronounce Не говори так громко? Where is the stress?

Stress and main sounds:

Не – [nye], short, unstressed.
говори – go-va-РИ
- Stress on the last syllable: го-во-РИ.
- The о in the first two syllables is unstressed, pronounced closer to “a”: [gəvɐˈrʲi].
так – [tak], short a, as in “tahk”.
громко – ГРОМ-ка
- Stress on the first syllable: ГРОМ-ко.
- The unstressed о in the second syllable sounds like “a”: [ˈgromkə] or [ˈgromkə]→[ˈgromkə]/[ˈgrɔmkə] depending on accent, but you can aim for [ˈgromkə] with reduced final vowel.

Altogether, one natural rhythm:
Не говорИ так ГРОМко.