Questions & Answers about Держите дверь, пожалуйста.
Why use Держите instead of a carrying verb like Несите from this lesson?
While нести means to carry (holding something while walking), держать means to hold in a stationary way. Since you are asking someone to keep the door open, not carry it away, you use держать.
How is the word Держите formed?
It is the imperative (command) form of the verb держать (to hold). Because you are adding пожалуйста (please), you are likely talking to a stranger, so you add the formal -те ending. If asking a close friend or family member, you would just say Держи.
Дверь is the direct object being held. Why did its ending not change for the accusative case?
You only change feminine noun endings to -у or -ю in the accusative case if they end in -а or -я in the dictionary form. Дверь is a feminine noun that ends in a soft sign (-ь). For these nouns, the accusative case looks exactly the same as the nominative (dictionary) form.
Why is an imperfective verb used for this command?
You are asking the person to maintain a continuous state (keeping the door open for you) rather than completing a finished action. Because it is an ongoing process, Russian uses the imperfective verb держать.
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