Russian Imperfective Imperative

Asked by John Albasiny on December 10, 2018

Question

I'm under the impression that it is polite to use the imperfective imperative when inviting someone to do something; is it therefore more polite to say раздевайтесь rather than разденьтесь when asking someone to take their coat off?

Answer

Hello John!

Yes, that is correct. In fact, раздевайтесь is the imperfective imperative and it is used here because it sounds more polite.

Some other verbs that work this way are: одевайтесь, садитесь, вставайте, ложитесь, наливайте, накладывайте, etc.

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