Не выбирай ответ наугад, если можешь ещё раз спокойно перечитать задание.

Breakdown of Не выбирай ответ наугад, если можешь ещё раз спокойно перечитать задание.

не
not
если
if
ответ
the answer
спокойно
calmly
задание
the task
мочь
to be able
выбирать
to choose
перечитать
to reread
ещё раз
once more
наугад
at random

Questions & Answers about Не выбирай ответ наугад, если можешь ещё раз спокойно перечитать задание.

Why is it не выбирай, not не выбери?

Because не выбирай uses the imperfective imperative, which is very common in Russian for telling someone not to do something.

  • выбирать = imperfective, to choose / be choosing
  • выбрать = perfective, to choose / make a choice

With negative commands, Russian often prefers the imperfective:

  • Не выбирай ответ наугад = Don’t choose the answer at random

Using не выбери would sound less neutral and more like make sure you don’t accidentally choose or don’t end up choosing. In everyday instructions, не выбирай is the normal choice.

What form is выбирай exactly?

Выбирай is the singular informal imperative of выбирать.

It is used when speaking to:

  • one person
  • in an informal way
  • or in general instructions aimed at a single learner

Compare:

  • выбирай = choose / don’t choose (to one person, informal)
  • выбирайте = formal singular or plural

So if this were addressed politely or to several people, it would be:

  • Не выбирайте ответ наугад...
Why is there no ты in the sentence?

Russian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb form.

Here, выбирай already shows that the speaker is addressing you in the singular informal sense. So ты is unnecessary.

Russian does this very often:

  • Читай = Read
  • Иди сюда = Come here
  • Не выбирай = Don’t choose

Adding ты is possible, but it usually adds emphasis, contrast, or emotion.

Why is it ответ, not ответа?

Because ответ is the direct object of выбирай, so it is in the accusative case.

For inanimate masculine nouns, the accusative singular looks exactly like the nominative singular:

  • nominative: ответ
  • accusative: ответ

So:

  • выбирать ответ = to choose an answer

If it were an animate masculine noun, the accusative would usually match the genitive instead.

What does наугад mean, and why is it one word?

Наугад is an adverb meaning:

  • at random
  • by guesswork
  • without knowing
  • just guessing

It is written as one word in modern Russian: наугад.

So:

  • выбирать ответ наугад = to pick an answer at random

It functions as an adverb, describing how the answer is chosen.

Why is there a comma before если?

Because если можешь ещё раз спокойно перечитать задание is a subordinate clause introduced by если (if).

Russian normally separates this kind of clause with a comma:

  • Не выбирай ответ наугад, если можешь...

This is the standard punctuation rule for a main clause plus an if-clause.

Why is it если можешь, not если сможешь?

Both are possible in some contexts, but they are not exactly the same.

  • можешь = can / are able to
  • сможешь = will be able to / manage to

Here если можешь sounds natural because the sentence is about a present, real option available to the learner:

  • if you can reread the task once more

It suggests: if it is possible for you, do that instead of guessing.

Using если сможешь would place a bit more emphasis on whether the person will succeed in managing to do it. In this instruction, если можешь is simpler and more neutral.

Why is перечитать in the infinitive?

Because it depends on можешь.

In Russian, after verbs like мочь (can / be able to), you normally use an infinitive:

  • можешь перечитать = you can reread
  • можешь сделать = you can do
  • можешь помочь = you can help

So the structure is:

  • если можешь перечитать задание = if you can reread the task/instructions
Why is it перечитать, not just читать or прочитать?

The verb перечитать means to reread or to read through again.

It comes from:

  • читать = to read
  • прочитать = to read through / to read completely
  • перечитать = to reread

The prefix пере- often adds the idea of again.

That fits perfectly with ещё раз:

  • ещё раз перечитать задание = to reread the instructions one more time

Even though both ещё раз and пере- suggest repetition, this combination is very natural in Russian.

What does ещё раз mean here?

Ещё раз means:

  • one more time
  • again

So:

  • ещё раз перечитать задание = to reread the instructions one more time

It is a very common expression in Russian:

  • Повтори ещё раз = Repeat it once more
  • Прочитай ещё раз = Read it again
What does спокойно mean here? Does it literally mean calmly?

Yes, спокойно literally means calmly.

But in this sentence, it has a slightly broader sense. It suggests:

  • without rushing
  • carefully
  • in a calm way
  • taking your time

So спокойно перечитать задание is not only calmly reread the task, but also something like:

  • reread the instructions carefully and without panic

This is very natural in Russian learning or test situations.

Why is задание unchanged? Shouldn’t it have a different ending?

Задание is also a direct object, so it is in the accusative case after перечитать.

However, задание is a neuter inanimate noun, and in the singular its accusative form is the same as its nominative form:

  • nominative: задание
  • accusative: задание

So even though it is in the accusative, the form does not change.

Is the word order important here?

The word order is natural, but Russian word order is fairly flexible.

The sentence as written is smooth and neutral:

  • Не выбирай ответ наугад, если можешь ещё раз спокойно перечитать задание.

This order puts the main instruction first:

  • Don’t guess the answer

Then it gives the condition/reasonable alternative:

  • if you can reread the instructions again calmly

Some parts could move for emphasis, for example:

  • Если можешь, не выбирай ответ наугад, а ещё раз спокойно перечитай задание.

That version sounds a bit more explicitly contrastive. But the original is perfectly natural.

Could задание mean more than just task?

Yes. Задание can mean several related things depending on context:

  • task
  • exercise
  • assignment
  • instruction / prompt

In a test or workbook sentence like this, задание often means:

  • the exercise itself
  • the question prompt
  • the instructions for what you are supposed to do

So the exact English wording may vary depending on the situation.

What is the overall grammar structure of the sentence?

It has two main parts:

  1. Не выбирай ответ наугад
    = a negative imperative
    = Don’t choose the answer at random

  2. если можешь ещё раз спокойно перечитать задание
    = an if-clause with можешь + infinitive
    = if you can calmly reread the instructions once more

So the full structure is:

  • [Don’t do X] if [you can do Y instead].

It is a very natural instructional sentence in Russian.

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