Questions & Answers about Главное — не спешить и говорить спокойно.
What does главное mean here, and what part of speech is it?
Here главное means the main thing or what matters most.
It comes from the adjective главный (main, principal), but here it is being used on its own as a noun-like word. This is very common in Russian.
So:
- главный = main
- главное = the main thing / the important thing
In this sentence, Главное sets up the idea the important thing is...
Why is there a dash after Главное?
The dash is used where English would normally use is:
- Главное — не spешить и говорить спокойно.
- The main thing is not to rush and to speak calmly.
In Russian, the verb to be in the present tense is usually omitted, especially in simple statements like this. The dash helps show the link between the two parts of the sentence.
So the structure is basically:
- Главное = the main thing
- не спешить и говорить спокойно = not to rush and to speak calmly
The dash marks that relationship clearly.
Why are спешить and говорить in the infinitive?