Word
Не пей эту воду, а то отравишься.
Meaning
Don't drink this water, or you'll get poisoned.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Не пей эту воду, а то отравишься.
How exactly does а то work here, and could I use или instead?
а то translates to 'otherwise' or 'or else' and is used specifically to introduce a negative consequence, warning, or threat. While you could technically use или (or), а то is much more natural and expressive when warning someone about what will happen if they ignore your advice.
The lesson also mentions не то. Could I use it in this sentence instead of а то?
Yes, absolutely! Не то and а то are completely interchangeable in this context. Saying Не пей эту воду, не то отравишься carries the exact same meaning and level of warning.
Why is the verb не пей in the imperfective aspect if I am warning them about this specific glass of water right now?
In Russian, negative commands (telling someone not to do something) almost always use the imperfective aspect, even for a one-time, specific action. If you used the perfective here (не выпей), it would change the meaning to a warning about an accidental action ('be careful not to accidentally drink this').
How does the ending -ся change the meaning of отравишься?
The base verb отравить means 'to poison' someone or something else. Adding the reflexive particle -ся makes the action happen to the subject. So отравишься literally means 'you will poison yourself,' which is the standard Russian way to express getting sick or getting poisoned by something you consumed.