Breakdown of Тропинка очень скользкая, смотри, не упади и не ушибись!
и
and
не
not
очень
very
смотреть
to watch / to look at / make sure (in a warning)
тропинка
path
скользкий
slippery
упасть
to fall (perfective)
ушибиться
to hurt oneself
Questions & Answers about Тропинка очень скользкая, смотри, не упади и не ушибись!
Why do we use the perfective verbs упади and ушибись with не here? I thought negative commands usually take imperfective verbs.
You are right that negative commands generally use the imperfective aspect to mean 'don't do that.' However, when warning someone against an accidental or involuntary action, you use не plus the perfective imperative. This pattern means 'make sure you do not accidentally do this.'
Why is смотри used here instead of a word for 'careful'?
In warnings like this, the imperative смотри translates closer to 'watch out,' 'be careful,' or 'mind that you.' It is very commonly paired with the не plus perfective warning structure.
What is the infinitive of ушибись, and why does it end in -сь instead of -ся?
The infinitive is ушибиться (to bruise or hurt oneself). In the imperative form, the reflexive particle becomes -сь because the preceding letter is a vowel (и). If the imperative ended in a consonant, it would take -ся.
Could I say не падай instead of не упади in this exact situation?
You could, but the nuance changes. Не падай (imperfective) feels more like a general encouragement, like 'keep your balance!' Using не упади (perfective) gives a sharp, specific warning about the immediate danger of slipping on this specific path.
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