Вам пора переслать начальнице отчёт, но сначала проверьте вложение.

You should forward the report to the boss, but first check the attachment.

Breakdown of Вам пора переслать начальнице отчёт, но сначала проверьте вложение.

• но: but
• проверить: to check
• отчёт: the report
• сначала: first
• вам: you
• начальница: the boss
• пора: it’s time
• переслать: to forward
• вложение: the attachment

Questions & Answers about Вам пора переслать начальнице отчёт, но сначала проверьте вложение.

Why does the sentence start with Вам? What case is it, and why isn’t it вы?

Вам is the dative plural (or formal singular) form of вы. With expressions like пора (it’s time), Russian commonly marks the person who “should” do the action in the dative:

• Вам пора переслать… = “It’s time for you to forward…” / “You should forward…”

So вы (nominative) would not be used here.

How does пора work grammatically? Is it a verb?

Пора is not a verb; it’s a predicative word meaning it’s time. It’s often used like a sentence predicate with:

• a dative “person” (вам)
• an infinitive (переслать)

Pattern: (кому?) + пора + infinitive
Example: Мне пора идти. = “I have to go / It’s time for me to go.”

What’s the difference between пора and пора́ / по́ра in pronunciation or meaning?

In this word the stress is typically пора́. The meaning here is it’s time. (Russian stress is important, but in this case the word is straightforward: пора́.)

Why is переслать used instead of пересылать?

Переслать is perfective, focusing on completing a single action: forward it (once), send it on.
Пересылать is imperfective, focusing on process/repetition: to be forwarding / to forward regularly.

Here, the context implies a one-time completed action: “It’s time to forward the report.”

What does переслать literally mean? Is it specifically “forward” (like email)?

Переслать literally means to send again / send onward (пере- + слать). It often corresponds to “forward” in email contexts, but can also mean forwarding in general (mail, documents, messages).

Why is начальнице in the dative case?

Because it’s the recipient of the sending action: “forward (to whom?) the boss.”
Начальница (female boss) → dative singular: начальнице.

You can remember the pattern: послать/переслать кому? что?

• начальнице (to the boss)
• отчёт (the report)

What if the boss is male—what would change?

You’d use начальнику (dative of начальник):

• Вам пора переслать начальнику отчёт…

Everything else can stay the same.

Why is отчёт in that form? What case is it?

Отчёт is in the accusative singular, functioning as the direct object: “forward (what?) the report.”
For many masculine inanimate nouns, the accusative looks the same as the nominative, so отчёт stays отчёт.

Why does the sentence use проверьте and not проверь or проверяйте?

Проверьте is:

• imperative, addressed to you (plural/formal)
• typically perfective, meaning “check (and make sure it’s done / verified)”

Проверь would be informal singular (ты).
Проверяйте is usually imperfective, often meaning “check regularly / keep checking,” though it can also be used as a more process-focused command.

What exactly does вложение mean here? Is it “enclosure” or “attachment”?

In modern office/email contexts, вложение very commonly means (email) attachment.
More generally it can mean an enclosure included with something you send. In this sentence, it strongly suggests checking the email attachment before forwarding.

Why is it сначала проверьте вложение and not сначала проверьте вложение в письме (“the attachment in the email”)?

Russian often omits details that are obvious from context. If the situation is clearly about email, вложение alone is enough.
If you want to be explicit, you can add:

• …проверьте вложение в письме. = “check the attachment in the email.”

Is the word order flexible here? Could I say Проверьте сначала вложение?

Yes, word order is quite flexible. Common options include:

• …но сначала проверьте вложение. (emphasis on “first”)
• …но проверьте сначала вложение. (also fine; slightly different rhythm)
• …но проверьте вложение сначала. (a bit more marked, but possible)

The meaning stays essentially the same.

Does Вам пора… sound like a strong command?

It’s a firm, practical prompt—somewhere between “it’s time” and “you should.” It’s less blunt than a direct imperative like Перешлите отчёт (“Forward the report”), but it still implies expectation/urgency.