Questions & Answers about Закройте книгу, пожалуйста.
Why does the verb закройте end in -йте?
This is the formal or plural command form, which is what this lesson is all about! To tell someone respectfully (or a group of people) to do something, we add -те to the informal command. The informal command here is закрой, so adding -те makes it закройте.
How would I say this to a close friend or a child?
You would just drop the formal -те at the end of the verb. The informal command is закрой, so you would say Закрой книгу.
Why is the word for book spelled книгу instead of its dictionary form книга?
Because the book is the direct object of the sentence—it is the thing being closed. In Russian, we use the accusative case for direct objects. For feminine nouns ending in -а like книга, the ending changes to -у.
Is the й in пожалуйста actually pronounced?
No, it is usually silent! Even though it is spelled пожалуйста, native speakers almost always pronounce it as if it were written пажалста.
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