Diverse meanings of ‘давай’

It is interesting that an imperative form of the verb ‘давать’ in everyday conversations is used mostly not in its literal meaning – to give. 

For example, sports fans chant ‘Давай!’ to encourage their favorite players and sportsmen. Here ‘давай’ can be translated as ‘come on’.

Apart from that, ‘давай’ or ‘давайте’ is used to offer something. In this case it should be translated as ‘let’s …’. Look at the examples below. 

Давай ездить в школу вместе! = Let’s ride to school together!

Давай вечером посмотрим сериал. = Let’s watch a tv show tonight. 

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Finally, ‘давай’ used to finish a conversation together with goodbye. In this context, in fact, ‘давай’ doesn’t have a particular meaning, but it is very common to say ‘Ну всё, давай, пока’, especially at the end of a phone conversation. 

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