Breakdown of Пожалуйста, не ставьте манеж у батареи: там слишком жарко для ребёнка.
не
not
у
by
пожалуйста
please
для
for
Questions & Answers about Пожалуйста, не ставьте манеж у батареи: там слишком жарко для ребёнка.
Why is it не ставьте, not не ставь?
Because ставьте is the plural or polite singular imperative form of ставить.
Russian uses:
- ставь = tell one person informally
- ставьте = tell several people, or one person politely
So this sentence sounds like a polite instruction: Please don’t put the playpen by the radiator.
The ending -те is what makes it polite/plural.
Why is the verb ставьте imperfective? Would не поставьте work?
This is a very common question.
In negative commands, Russian usually prefers the imperfective:
- не ставьте = don’t put / don’t place
This sounds like a general instruction or prohibition.
If you said не поставьте, it would sound unusual here. Perfective in negative imperatives is much less common and usually has a special nuance.
So:
- не ставьте манеж у батареи = the normal, natural way to say don’t put the playpen by the radiator
The base verb is:
- ставить = to place, put down, set
What does манеж mean exactly?