Breakdown of Повторите, пожалуйста.
повторите, пожалуйста
could you repeat that, please
Questions & Answers about Повторите, пожалуйста.
Why does повторите end in -ите instead of -йте?
The base verb is повторить (to repeat). To make a command, we look at the verb stem: повтор-. Because it ends in a consonant, we add -ите to make it polite or plural. If the stem ended in a vowel, like чита-, we would add -йте instead, like читайте.
The translation says "Could you repeat that," but where are the words for "could," "you," and "that"?
Russian doesn't typically use phrases like "could you" to be polite. Instead, it uses the direct command form of the verb, which is повторите, and softens it by adding пожалуйста (please). The word "that" is also left out because it is obvious from the context. Literally, you are just saying: Repeat, please.
If I am talking to a close friend, do I still use повторите?
No. The ending -ите is for formal situations or when talking to multiple people (the вы form). If you are talking to one friend or family member (the ты form), you just drop the -те and say Повтори, пожалуйста.
The spelling of пожалуйста looks complicated. Do I pronounce every letter?
Not quite! The letter в is completely silent. In normal, fast speech, native speakers also tend to glide over the middle vowels, so it sounds more like pa-ZHAL-sta.
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