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Пожалуйста, говорите тише в лифте, там слышно всё.

Пожалуйста, говорите тише в лифте, там слышно всё.
Please speak more quietly in the elevator; you can hear everything there.
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Questions & Answers about Пожалуйста, говорите тише в лифте, там слышно всё.

Why is говорите used here, and what does it mean grammatically?

Говорите is the imperative form of говорить (to speak) in 2nd person plural. It’s used:

  • for polite address to one person (you formal), or
  • when speaking to more than one person (you plural).

So it functions like Please speak… / Speak… (please).

Could it be говори instead of говорите?

Yes, but it changes who you’re addressing:

  • говори тише = informal you (to a friend, child, etc.)
  • говорите тише = polite/formal you or you all

In an elevator sign/request, говорите is the natural choice.

What part of speech is тише here, and why not тихий?

Тише is an adverb in the comparative degree meaning more quietly / quieter.
You use an adverb because it modifies the verb говорите (how to speak).

Тихий is an adjective (quiet as a quality of a noun), so it would not fit here.

Does говорите тише mean speak quieter or speak quietly?
Literally it’s speak quieter (comparative: quieter than you are now). In English you’d often translate it as Speak more quietly or Please keep your voice down. Russian frequently uses the comparative this way for polite softening.
Why is в лифте used (not в лифт)?

В лифте is prepositional case after в to mean in/inside (location).
В лифт would mean into the elevator (direction/motion), usually with a verb of motion (e.g., войти в лифт).

What does там add? Isn’t в лифте enough?

Там means there and refers back to в лифте. It’s common in Russian to reinforce the location:
в лифте, там… ≈ in the elevator—there…
It helps the second clause feel natural and conversational.

Why is there a comma: в лифте, там…?

The comma separates two parts: 1) Пожалуйста, говорите тише в лифте (request)
2) там слышно всё (explanation)

It’s basically: Please…, because… (even though because isn’t explicitly used).

What does слышно mean here, and why isn’t there a subject?

Слышно is an impersonal predicative meaning (it is) audible / (one can) hear.
Russian often uses impersonal constructions where English uses you/people/it:

  • там слышно всё = everything can be heard there / you can hear everything there

There is no grammatical subject; the sentence is built around the state слышно.

Why is it слышно всё and not всё слышно?

Both are possible, but the emphasis changes:

  • там слышно всё emphasizes the fact of audibility there (there, you can hear everything).
  • там всё слышно emphasizes everything (everything is audible there).

The given word order sounds very natural for giving a reason after a request.

What is всё exactly, and why is it not in a specific case?

Всё here means everything (neuter singular of весь used as a pronoun).
In impersonal слышно constructions, what is heard is typically in the nominative (it behaves like the “thing audible” rather than a direct object in the usual sense). So всё appears as всё, not an accusative form.

Could you replace там слышно всё with a more explicit because phrase?

Yes, common alternatives are:

  • …потому что там всё слышно. = …because everything can be heard there.
  • …там очень хорошая слышимость. = …the sound carries very well there.
  • …стены тонкие. = …the walls are thin. (more colloquial)

The original is concise and very typical.

Why is Пожалуйста followed by a comma?

When Пожалуйста is used as a parenthetical polite marker meaning please, it’s commonly set off by a comma:
Пожалуйста, говорите…
In informal writing the comma is sometimes omitted, but the comma is standard and clear.

Is говорите the right aspect here? Could it be скажите?

Говорите (imperfective) fits because it’s about how to speak in general/ongoing while in the elevator: keep speaking more quietly.
Скажите (perfective) would sound like a request for a single utterance: Please say (something) quietly—less appropriate for a general rule.