How to say in Russian ‘If I were you…’

July 9, 2023 | Tags: Russian expressions

Please do not translate the expression “If I were you…” into Russian literally and do not say “Если бы я был тобой, я бы…”. It sounds unnatural and strange. Instead, you can use a translation of another English expression: “На твоём месте я бы…” (= “In your place, I would…”). This is a shorter version of the conditional sentence (“Если бы я был на твоем месте, я бы…”), which has become a set expression.

Of course, depending on the context, the form of the possessive pronoun can change or even be replaced by a noun in the genitive case: на вашем месте, на его месте, на месте Ивана, на месте сестры

Check some examples below and use the expressions correctly!

  • На твоём месте я бы не звонил им ночью. = If I were you, I wouldn’t call them at night.
  • На её месте я бы попробовала ещё раз. = If I were her, I’d try again.
  • На месте Маши я бы сначала посоветовалась с коллегами. = If I were Masha, I would first consult with colleagues.

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