Breakdown of Не пробуй эти продукты, не то отравишься.
не
not
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
продукт
product, foodstuff
пробовать
to try, to taste
отравиться
to get poisoned
не то
or else
Questions & Answers about Не пробуй эти продукты, не то отравишься.
What exactly does не то mean here, and can I use а то instead?
Не то means "otherwise" or "or else" and introduces a negative consequence. It is perfectly interchangeable with а то in this context. Both are commonly used in everyday spoken Russian for warnings or threats. If you wanted to sound more formal, you could use иначе.
Why is не пробуй in the imperfective aspect if I'm just telling someone not to taste these specific foods once?
In Russian, negative commands (telling someone not to do something) almost always take the imperfective aspect. Even though tasting these foods is a single, specific action, the strict prohibition itself requires the imperfective form не пробуй.
Does продукты mean "products" in general, like anything manufactured?
While it can mean general products, in everyday Russian продукты is the standard word for "groceries" or "food items" (it is short for продукты питания). In this context, they are clearly talking about food.
Why is the verb отравишься reflexive (ending in -ся)?
The non-reflexive verb отравить means to poison someone else. By adding the reflexive -ся, the verb means "to get poisoned" (literally, to poison oneself). It is in the perfective future tense here because it describes a one-time, completed consequence of eating the bad food.
Learn Не пробуй эти продукты, не то отравишься and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free