Не торопись: у нас ещё есть время до конца семинара.

Breakdown of Не торопись: у нас ещё есть время до конца семинара.

не
not
мы
we
время
the time
до
until
конец
the end
семинар
the seminar
ещё
still
торопиться
to rush
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Questions & Answers about Не торопись: у нас ещё есть время до конца семинара.

Why is торопись used instead of торопить or торопиться?

Because the verb here is торопиться (to hurry / to be in a hurry), and the imperative form is built from the 2nd person singular present:

  • infinitive: торопи́ться
  • imperative (ты): торопи́сь (Hurry up / Don’t rush)

Торопить is usually to hurry someone/something (up) (transitive), e.g. Не торопи меня = Don’t rush me.


How does the negative imperative work in Не торопись?

Russian commonly forms a negative command with не + imperative:

  • Торопи́сь! = Hurry up!
  • Не торопи́сь. = Don’t hurry / Don’t rush.

This is the normal, neutral way to tell someone not to rush.


Is Не торопись informal? How would I say it formally?

Yes, Не торопись is addressed to ты (informal singular).
For formal/polite or plural вы, use:

  • Не торопи́тесь.

So:

  • Не торопись = to one person you address as ты
  • Не торопитесь = to one person politely (вы) or to multiple people

What does у нас mean literally, and why is it used instead of мы?

у + Genitive literally means at (someone) / by (someone), and it often expresses possession/availability:

  • У нас есть время = We have time (literally: At us there is time)

Мы ещё есть время is not grammatical. Russian uses у + Genitive for “have” in many contexts.


Why is есть included? Can it be omitted?

есть here means there is / there exists / we have. In the present tense it’s often optional:

  • У нас ещё есть время = slightly more explicit/emphatic (we still do have time)
  • У нас ещё время = also possible, more conversational/elliptical

Including есть is common and clear, especially for learners.


What exactly does ещё mean here, and where can it go in the sentence?

Here ещё means still / yet: we still have time.

Word order is flexible, but meaning/emphasis can shift slightly:

  • У нас ещё есть время = neutral: we still have time
  • У нас есть ещё время = emphasis on time being an additional thing available
  • Ещё есть время = “There’s still time” as a standalone reassurance

Why is время in the nominative, not the accusative?

Because in у нас есть время, время is the grammatical subject of an existence/possession structure:

  • (У нас) есть (что?) времяtime exists (for us)

It behaves like There is time in English: time is not a direct object here.


Why is it до конца семинара and what cases are used?

до means until / up to, and it requires the genitive case:

  • до (чего?) конца́until the end
  • конец → genitive конца́

Then конец is specified by another genitive:

  • конца́ (чего?) семина́раthe end of the seminar
  • семинар → genitive семина́ра

So до конца семинара = until the end of the seminar.


Could I also say до окончания семинара? Is there a difference?

Yes, that’s very natural:

  • до конца семинара = until the (very) end of the seminar (common, conversational)
  • до окончания семинара = until the seminar’s ending/finish (a bit more formal/official)

Both are correct; окончание often sounds more administrative.


Why is there a colon (:) after Не торопись?

The colon introduces an explanation/reason:

  • Don’t rush: we still have time until the end of the seminar.

In Russian, a colon often connects a statement with its justification or elaboration, similar to English usage.


Is the word order fixed? Could I rearrange parts of the sentence?

You can rearrange many parts for emphasis, but some combinations are more natural than others. Common variants:

  • Не торопись: у нас ещё есть время до конца семинара. (neutral)
  • Не торопись: до конца семинара у нас ещё есть время. (emphasis on the deadline)
  • До конца семинара ещё есть время, не торопись. (deadline first, then advice)

Russian word order is flexible, but information structure (what’s “new” vs “known”) matters.


What are the stress patterns I should learn in this sentence?

Common stresses:

  • Не торопи́сь
  • у нас (usually unstressed pronouns, but нас has its normal stress)
  • ещё (stress on the second syllable)
  • есть
  • вре́мя
  • до конца́
  • семина́ра

Getting торопи́сь / конца́ / семина́ра / ещё right will make you sound much more natural.