Breakdown of Лучше снять ремень перед досмотром.
перед
in front of / of (with fear) / before (in time)
лучше
better
снять
to relieve, to take off
досмотр
the inspection
ремень
the belt
Questions & Answers about Лучше снять ремень перед досмотром.
Why is the perfective verb снять used here instead of the imperfective снимать?
You are talking about a single, specific, completed action—taking the belt off right now before going through this particular security check. If you were stating a general rule like "One should always take off their belt before an inspection," you would use the imperfective снимать.
The word for inspection here is досмотр. How is this different from осмотр?
Досмотр specifically refers to an official search or security screening, like at an airport, customs, or a police checkpoint. Осмотр is a more general visual inspection or medical examination, such as looking at a house to buy or a doctor examining a patient.
If I wanted to apply this lesson's topic and say "Take off everything with the exception of the belt," how would I use за исключением?
You would say Снимите всё, за исключением ремня. The compound preposition за исключением requires the Genitive case. Notice that ремень loses its second -е- when it declines (ремня); this is a "fleeting vowel" that frequently drops out in the oblique cases of Russian masculine nouns.
Could I use the word пояс instead of ремень for "belt"?
In the context of a typical clothing belt made of leather or webbing with a buckle, ремень is the most precise word. Пояс usually refers to a softer, tied belt, a sash, or the waist itself. Airport and security guards will specifically ask you to remove your ремень.
Learn Лучше снять ремень перед досмотром 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