Learn Hardcore Russian: Перед экзаменом дыши глубже.

in spatial meanings:
- перед домом – in front of the house
- перед школой – in front of the school
and in temporal meanings (as here):
- перед экзаменом – before the exam
- перед уроком – before the lesson

The noun экзамен (nom.) → экзаменом (instr. sing.).

So the form is completely regular: перед + instrumental.

What is the difference between перед экзаменом and до экзамена?

Both can be translated as “before the exam”, but there is a nuance:

до экзамена (+ genitive) – more neutral, “before the exam (at any time before it)”.
перед экзаменом (+ instrumental) – often suggests shortly before the exam, close in time, like “right before / just before the exam”.

In your sentence, перед экзаменом дыши глубже suggests “when the exam is about to start / just before going in, breathe more deeply.”

Why is there no word for “you”? Where is the subject?

Russian imperatives normally omit the subject pronoun. The subject “you” is understood from the verb form.

дыши is the 2nd person singular imperative (“you” informal, one person).
So the full idea is (ты) дыши глубже, but ты is not usually said.

If you need formal or plural “you”, you say:

Перед экзаменом дышите глубже. – “Before the exam, breathe more deeply.” (to several people, or politely to one person)

How is the form дыши formed, and what is the infinitive?

The verb is дышать – “to breathe”.

Formation:

Infinitive: дышать
1st person singular: я дышу
Imperative singular: take the stem дыш- and add -и → дыши

So:

(ты) дыши – “breathe!” (to one person, informal)
(вы) дышите – “breathe!” (to several people or politely)

Stress:

дышАть (infinitive) – stress on -ать
дышУ – stress on -у
дышИ – stress on -и

Why is it дыши, not something like дыхай?

Russian doesn’t form the imperative from дых-, because the infinitive is дышать, not дыхать.

дышать → дыши / дышите – correct
дыхать → дыхай – this verb and form don’t exist in standard Russian.

So дыши is just the regular imperative of дышать.

Why do we say глубже and not глубоко?

глубоко – “deeply”
глубже – comparative form: “more deeply / deeper”

In English, you naturally say “Breathe more deeply,” not just “Breathe deeply” when giving calming advice. Russian does the same:

Дыши глубоко. – “Breathe deeply.” (just saying how to breathe)
Дыши глубже. – “Breathe more deeply / deeper.” (change the way you’re breathing; make it deeper than it is now)

So in this sentence the comparative глубже is more natural as advice.

What is the stress pattern in перед экзаменом дыши глубже?

Stresses:

пЕред – stress on пе-
экзАмeном – stress on за: эк-зА-ме-ном
дышИ – stress on -и
глУбже – stress on глУ-

So: пЕред экзАменом дышИ глУбже.

Is перед экзаменом дыши глубже literal, or does it also mean “relax / calm down”?

It is literally “Breathe more deeply before the exam,” but this kind of phrase in Russian usually carries the same emotional function as in English:

to help someone relax
to tell them to calm down, control their anxiety

So it’s both literal (actually breathe more deeply) and a standard way to comfort / encourage someone before something stressful.

Does перед always mean “before” in time, or can it also mean “in front of”?

Перед has both meanings; the preposition itself is the same:

Spatial – “in front of”
- перед домом – in front of the house
- перед школой – in front of the school
Temporal – “before” (in time)
- перед экзаменом – before the exam
- перед ужином – before dinner

You understand which meaning is intended from context. Here, with экзаменом, it’s clearly time (“before the exam”).

Could I say Перед экзаменом дыши глубоко instead? How would that change the meaning?

You can say it; it’s perfectly grammatical:

Перед экзаменом дыши глубоко.

Nuance:

глубже – “more deeply” → suggests changing how you breathe (make it deeper than it is now).
глубоко – “deeply” → just describes the desired manner of breathing, a bit more neutral.

In advice before a stressful event, глубже sounds slightly more vivid and encouraging, but глубоко is also acceptable and natural.

Is the word order fixed? Can I say Дыши глубже перед экзаменом?

Yes, you can change the word order:

Перед экзаменом дыши глубже.
Дыши глубже перед экзаменом.

Both are correct and mean the same thing.

Differences in feel:

Starting with перед экзаменом emphasizes the situation / time (“As for before the exam, breathe more deeply”).
Starting with дыши глубже emphasizes the action / command first.

In everyday speech, both orders sound natural.

Why is the imperfective verb дышать used? Could I say подыши глубже?

дышать is imperfective, expressing ongoing, repeated, or general action, which fits well for instructions about how to breathe.

You could also say:

Перед экзаменом подыши глубже.

Here подыши is imperative of подышать (perfective). This suggests:

“Take some time to breathe more deeply,” “do some deep breathing (for a bit).”

Nuance:

дыши глубже – focus on how to breathe (breathe in a deeper way).
подыши глубже – focus on doing a short session of deep breathing.

Both are natural; the original is slightly more general advice about your breathing.

Is this sentence informal, neutral, or very strong/commanding?

Because it uses:

ты-form imperative: дыши (not дышите)
and no softening words like пожалуйста,

it is:

informal (used with friends, family, peers),
but the tone is usually caring/encouraging, not harsh, especially in this context.

If you want it more gentle, you can add a softening phrase:

Перед экзаменом, пожалуйста, дыши глубже. – “Please breathe more deeply before the exam.”