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Не стоит говорить громко в коридоре, когда дети спят.

Не стоит говорить громко в коридоре, когда дети спят.
It’s not worth speaking loudly in the corridor when the children are sleeping.

Breakdown of Не стоит говорить громко в коридоре, когда дети спят.

говорить
to speak
в
in
не
not
когда
when
ребёнок
the child
спать
to sleep
громко
loudly
стоить
to be worth
коридор
the hallway
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Questions & Answers about Не стоит говорить громко в коридоре, когда дети спят.

What does не стоит mean here, and how is it different from не надо or нельзя?

Не стоит + infinitive is a soft recommendation: it’s not worth / you shouldn’t (really) do it. It often implies “it would be better not to.”

  • Не надо = more direct don’t / no need to.
  • Нельзя = not allowed / impossible (stronger, more like a prohibition or rule). So Не стоит говорить громко… sounds like a polite, reasonable warning rather than a strict ban.
Why is говорить in the infinitive and not a conjugated verb like не говори(те)?

Because the structure is (не) стоит + infinitive. The “main” predicate is стоит (3rd person singular), and the action you’re advising against is expressed by the infinitive: говорить.

  • Не стоит говорить… = general advice / recommendation.
  • Не говори! / Не говорите! = a direct command (informal / formal).
Who is the subject of не стоит? It looks like there isn’t one.
In Не стоит говорить…, there is no concrete subject like я/ты/мы. This is an impersonal construction: it expresses a general judgment (“it’s not advisable…”). Russian often uses impersonal phrasing where English might use you (“You shouldn’t…”).
Why is it говорить громко and not громко говорить? Does the order matter?

Both are possible. Word order mainly affects emphasis:

  • Не стоит говорить громко… emphasizes the action speaking first, then specifies loudly.
  • Не стоит громко говорить… highlights loudly a bit more (“not to speak loudly” as the key point). In this sentence, the given order is neutral and very common.
What part of speech is громко?

Громко is an adverb (“loudly”). It modifies the verb говорить. Related forms:

  • громкий (adjective): громкий голос = a loud voice
  • громко (adverb): говорить громко = to speak loudly
  • громкость (noun): loudness/volume
Why is it в коридоре (prepositional case) and not в коридор?

Because в + location (where?) takes the prepositional case:

  • где? в коридоре = in the corridor (location) If you mean motion into the corridor, you use accusative:
  • куда? в коридор = into the corridor
What does the comma do here: …, когда дети спят?

The comma separates the main clause from a subordinate time clause introduced by когда (when):

  • Main idea: Не стоит говорить громко в коридоре
  • Time condition: когда дети спят (“when the children are sleeping / asleep”) In Russian, subordinate clauses like this are normally set off with commas.
Why is it дети спят and not something like детей спят?

Дети is the subject of the verb спят, so it’s in the nominative case. детей would be used as an object (genitive/accusative depending on context), e.g.:

  • Я вижу детей. = I see the children. But here, the children are doing the action (spят), so дети.
What tense/aspect is спят? Does it mean “sleep” or “are sleeping”?

Спят is present tense, imperfective (from спать). In Russian present imperfective can mean:

  • a general fact: Children sleep (at night).
  • an action happening now: The children are sleeping (right now). In this context (with когда and the situation), it’s naturally understood as when the children are asleep/are sleeping.
Could I replace когда дети спят with пока дети спят?

Yes, often you can, but the nuance changes slightly:

  • когда дети спят = “when the children are sleeping” (time reference, fairly neutral)
  • пока дети спят = “while the children are sleeping” (emphasizes the whole duration of their sleep) Both fit, but пока stresses “during that time.”
Is Не стоит говорить громко… formal, informal, or neutral?
It’s mostly neutral and often sounds polite because it avoids direct commands. It works in both everyday and semi-formal contexts (talking to neighbors, at school, in an office).
How would this change if I wanted to address someone directly (“you shouldn’t…”)?

Russian often still uses the impersonal version, but direct options include:

  • Тебе не стоит говорить громко в коридоре… (to one person, informal)
  • Вам не стоит говорить громко в коридоре… (formal/plural) Or as an imperative:
  • Не говори громко в коридоре, когда дети спят. (informal)
  • Не говорите громко… (formal/plural)