Breakdown of Не звони ему ночью, тем более в воскресенье.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
звонить
to call
ночью
at night
воскресенье
Sunday
тем более
all the more so, especially
Questions & Answers about Не звони ему ночью, тем более в воскресенье.
Why does this command use the imperfective verb звони instead of the perfective позвони?
In Russian, negative imperatives (telling someone not to do something) almost always take the imperfective aspect, even for a single, specific event. Using the perfective не позвони would change the meaning to a warning about accidentally doing it, like 'make sure you do not accidentally call him.'
How does тем более function here, and does it relate to particles like всё-таки?
Тем более translates to 'especially' or 'all the more so.' While particles from this lesson like всё-таки express contrast or concession, тем более amplifies and reinforces the previous statement. It shows that whatever applies to the first condition (do not call at night) applies even more strongly to the second (on a Sunday).
Why is the word for night (ночь) in the instrumental case (ночью)?
The instrumental case is often used with parts of the day and seasons to create an adverb of time that answers the question 'when?'. Just as утром means 'in the morning,' ночью means 'at night.'
Which case is used for в воскресенье (on Sunday)?
To say 'on a certain day of the week', Russian uses the preposition в followed by the accusative case. Because воскресенье is a neuter inanimate noun, its accusative form looks exactly the same as its nominative dictionary form.
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