Главное — не спешить и говорить спокойно.

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...

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.

They are in the infinitive because the sentence is talking about a general recommendation or principle:

• не спешить = not to rush
• говорить спокойно = to speak calmly

After words like главное, Russian very often uses the infinitive to mean what one should do or what is important to do.

So this pattern is very natural:

• Главное — понять. = The main thing is to understand.
• Главное — не волноваться. = The main thing is not to worry.

It sounds less like a direct command and more like calm advice.

There is no explicit subject, because Russian often leaves it understood in this kind of sentence.

The meaning is general:

• you should not rush
• one should not rush
• people should not rush

English often needs a subject, but Russian can express general advice with just the infinitive.

So the sentence is not about a specific person grammatically; it gives broad advice.

Не спеши would be a direct command to one person: Don’t rush.

But не спешить is more neutral and general: not to rush.

Compare:

• Не спеши! = Don’t rush!
  direct instruction
• Главное — не спешить. = The main thing is not to rush.
  general advice / principle

So the infinitive makes the sentence sound calmer, less personal, and more like guidance.

No, не directly goes with спешить only.

So the sentence means:

• not to rush
• and to speak calmly

It does not mean not to rush and not to speak calmly.

The second idea is positive, because говорить спокойно already expresses the desired manner of speaking.

If Russian wanted to negate both verbs, it would normally repeat не:

• не спешить и не перебивать = not to rush and not to interrupt

So in your sentence, only the first infinitive is negated.

Because спокойно is an adverb, and it modifies the verb говорить.

• спокойный = calm (adjective, describing a noun)
• спокойно = calmly (adverb, describing an action)

Here we are describing how someone should speak:

• говорить спокойно = to speak calmly

Compare:

• спокойный человек = a calm person
• говорить спокойно = to speak calmly

So спокойно is the correct form because it describes the manner of speaking.

Russian uses the imperfective here because the sentence is about general behavior, manner, or ongoing action, not a single completed event.

• спешить = to be in a hurry / to rush
• говорить = to speak

The idea is:

• don’t be hasty
• speak in a calm way

This is exactly the kind of situation where imperfective verbs are natural.

If you used perfective verbs, the meaning would shift toward a single completed action, which would sound less natural here.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, but the original version is the most neutral and natural here:

• Главное — не спешить и говорить спокойно.

You could also say:

• Не спешить и говорить спокойно — главное.

But that version sounds more emphatic or stylistically marked, as if you are especially highlighting the actions themselves.

So for a learner, the original order is the best model.

No, not exactly.

• говорить спокойно = to speak calmly
• говорить тихо = to speak quietly / softly

A person can speak calmly without speaking quietly, and vice versa.

In your sentence, спокойно focuses on emotional tone and manner, not volume.

A helpful approximation is:

• Главное → GLAHV-na-ye
• спешить → spe-SHEET'
• говорить → ga-va-REET'
• спокойно → spa-KOY-na

A few useful notes:

• Stress matters a lot in Russian.
• The stress is on:
  • гла́вное
  • спеши́ть
  • говори́ть
  • споко́йно
• Unstressed о is usually pronounced more like a.

So спокойно sounds closer to spa-KOY-na than to spo-KOY-no.

Yes. The pattern Главное — + infinitive is very common in Russian.

It is used to give advice, summarize priorities, or state what really matters.

Examples:

• Главное — не волноваться. = The main thing is not to worry.
• Главное — начать. = The main thing is to begin.
• Главное — помнить об этом. = The main thing is to remember that.

So your sentence is a very natural example of a productive pattern you can reuse.