Эта ручка не пишет, дай мне другую.

Because ручка is a feminine noun in Russian, so the demonstrative this has to agree with it.

• masculine: этот
• feminine: эта
• neuter: это

So:

• эта ручка = this pen

Here эта ручка is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of не пишет.

Here ручка means pen.

This word can also mean other things in different contexts, such as:

• small hand
• handle
• doorknob / lever in some contexts

But in this sentence, because of не пишет (doesn’t write), it clearly means pen.

In Russian, it is completely normal to say that a pen writes or doesn’t write.

So:

• ручка пишет = the pen writes
• ручка не пишет = the pen doesn’t write / the pen won’t write

This usually means the pen is not working properly, not producing ink, or failing to write when you try to use it.

English often prefers This pen doesn’t work, but Russian very naturally uses не пишет.

Пишет is the 3rd person singular present tense of писать (to write).

So:

• я пишу = I write / I am writing
• ты пишешь = you write
• он / она пишет = he / she writes

Since ручка is grammatically singular, Russian uses пишет.

In this sentence, не пишет means doesn’t write or isn’t writing properly.

Дай is the imperative form of дать (to give), used when speaking to one person informally.

So:

• дай = give
• дай мне = give me

This is the form you would use with a friend, family member, classmate, etc.

If you were speaking politely or to more than one person, you would say:

• дайте мне другую = give me another one

Russian often uses the perfective imperative when asking for a single completed action.

• дать = perfective, to give (one completed giving)
• давать = imperfective, to give / be giving / give repeatedly

So дай мне другую means give me another one as one complete action.

This is the natural choice here, because the speaker wants one specific result: a different pen.

Мне is the dative case of я (I).

After verbs like дать (to give), Russian usually has:

• the thing given = direct object
• the person receiving it = dative

So:

• дай мне другую = give me another one
• literally: give to me another one

That is why Russian uses мне, not я.

Because it is the direct object of дай, so it must be in the accusative case.

The full phrase is understood as:

• дай мне другую ручку = give me another pen

Since ручка is feminine singular, the adjective must match it:

• nominative feminine: другая
• accusative feminine: другую

Russian often omits the noun when it is obvious from context, so другую by itself means another one, with ручку understood.

It can mean both, depending on context.

• другой / другая / другое can mean another
• it can also mean different

In this sentence, дай мне другую means give me another one / a different one. Both English translations fit the situation.

Because the noun is already clear from context.

The first clause mentions ручка, so in the second clause Russian can simply say:

• дай мне другую

and the listener automatically understands:

• другую ручку = another pen

This is very common in Russian. English does something similar with another one.

The comma separates two clauses:

• Эта ручка не пишет
• дай мне другую

It works like English:

• This pen doesn’t write, give me another one.

Russian often uses a comma to join short related clauses like this, especially in speech-like, conversational sentences.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, though the original version is the most neutral and natural here.

Neutral order:

• Эта ручка не пишет, дай мне другую.

You might also hear variations for emphasis, such as:

• Дай мне другую, эта ручка не пишет.

That puts more focus on the request first: Give me another one; this pen doesn’t write.

The grammar stays the same, but the emphasis changes.

A helpful stress pattern is:

• Э́та ру́чка не пи́шет, дай мне другу́ю.

Approximate pronunciation:

• EH-ta ROOCH-ka nyeh PEE-shet, dai mnyeh droo-GOO-yoo

A couple of useful points:

• не is pronounced roughly like nye
• мне sounds like mnye
• другую has the stress on -гу-: другу́ю