Послушай меня
The English phrase 'listen to me' is translated into Russian as Послушай меня.
Послушай меня is used to tell someone to listen to you in an informal context. If you want to say 'Listen, please' in a polite and formal way to capture someone's attention, use Послушайте, пожалуйста. Additionally, the single word Слушай can be used informally to mean 'Listen'.
Which one should you use?
While Послушай меня (perfective) is used as a command to pay attention to a specific point or instruction, the alternative Слушай меня (imperfective) implies the ongoing act of listening or following a continuous stream of speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun меня is the accusative case of я (I). This case is required because the verb послушать governs the accusative case for the person being listened to. Furthermore, the imperative form changes from the informal Послушай меня to the formal or plural Послушайте меня when addressing someone with respect or a group of people.
Did you know?
- The word слушать can also mean to 'obey' or 'follow orders' in many contexts, not just to perceive sound. If a parent tells a child Слушай меня, they are often telling the child to 'obey me' as much as to 'listen to me'.
- The word слушать shares the same root as слух, meaning 'hearing', and случай, meaning 'case' or 'incident', as the latter originally referred to something that one 'hears' about.
- The phrase Слушай-ка adds the particle -ка to the end, which softens the command and makes it sound more like a curious suggestion than a direct order.
Examples in context
- А теперь послушай меня.Now listen to me.Tatoeba #3952735 by sharptoothed, translation #3392944 by CK
- Успокойся и послушай меня.Be quiet and listen to me.Tatoeba #1883695 by marafon, translation #272038 by CK
- Просто сядь и послушай меня.Just sit down and listen to me.Tatoeba #5764185 by odexed, translation #3115710 by CK
- Слушай, Мария, у меня есть важная новостьListen, Maria, I have important news
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alexander is trying to give Olga advice about her career.
- Александр AleksandrПослушай меня, это очень важно.Poslushay menya, eto ochen' vazhno.Listen to me, this is very important.
- Ольга OlgaЯ слушаю тебя, Александр.Ya slushayu tebya, Aleksandr.I am listening to you, Alexander.
- Александр AleksandrТебе нужно сменить работу.Tebe nuzhno smenit' rabotu.You need to change jobs.
- Ольга OlgaВозможно, ты прав.Vozmozno, ty prav.Perhaps you are right.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
