When navigating life choices or giving advice, Russian frequently uses impersonal constructions like "it is worth doing" or "one ought to."
Is It Worth It?
To express whether an action is worthwhile, use стоит (it is worth) or не стоит (it is not worth), followed by an infinitive verb.
| It is not worth justifying such a risk. | Не стоит оправдывать такой риск. |
Ought To
To give a recommendation ("ought to" or "should"), use the impersonal verb следует. Because the structure is impersonal, the person receiving the advice takes the Dative case (e.g., вам — to you, or ему — to him), followed by the infinitive.
| You ought to consider this in order to do everything reasonably. | Вам следует учитывать это, чтобы всё сделать разумно. |
Softening the Advice
To soften a recommendation to sound more polite or hypothetical, use the conditional form следовало бы.
This pairs the past neuter form (следовало) with the conditional particle бы. The structure remains the same: Dative case + следовало бы + infinitive.
| He ought to weigh everything before it is too late. | Ему следовало бы взвесить всё, пока не поздно. |
Specifying the Subject
Like следует, стоит can also take a Dative subject to specify exactly who the advice is for.
| We should not regret this investment. | Нам не стоит сожалеть об этом вложении. |
| You ought to listen, but on the other hand I shouldn't dissuade her. | Тебе стоит прислушаться, зато мне не следует её отговаривать. |
| She ought to listen and not answer hastily. | Ей следовало бы прислушаться и не отвечать поспешно. |
