Breakdown of Осторожно, не допусти наихудшего исхода!
не
not
осторожно
cautiously, with care
исход
outcome
допустить
to allow (let happen) / to tolerate
наихудший
absolute worst
Questions & Answers about Осторожно, не допусти наихудшего исхода!
How does the prefix наи- change the meaning of the adjective in наихудшего?
The prefix наи- is added to comparative or superlative adjectives to express the absolute extreme degree of a quality. Here, it attaches to худший (worse/worst) to create наихудший — "the absolute worst" or "the very worst." It declines exactly like a standard adjective.
Why do we use the perfective imperative допусти after не, instead of an imperfective verb?
While negative commands typically take the imperfective aspect for general rules ("don't do that"), a negated perfective imperative is used for warnings against accidental or undesirable outcomes. Не допусти means "watch out so you don't accidentally let this happen," which ties perfectly into the warning word осторожно (careful).
Why is the phrase наихудшего исхода in the genitive case here?
The verb допустить (to allow) frequently requires the genitive case when its object is an abstract concept, especially an undesirable one like an error or a bad outcome. Furthermore, the presence of the negative particle не makes the genitive case even more natural for abstract nouns.
What is the literal meaning of исход?
While it translates to "outcome" or "result" in this sentence, исход literally means a "going out" or "departure" (from the prefix ис- meaning "out" and the root ход meaning "movement/walk"). It is a slightly formal word, often used for the final result of a critical situation, an illness, or a battle.
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