отставить
otstávitʹ[ɐt͡sˈstavʲɪtʲ]
To stand down in Russian, use отставить (otstávitʹ).
The word отставить is used as a command to tell someone to stop an action or to disregard and cancel a previous instruction.
Which one should you use?
While отставить is a command to cancel an order, you might use Отстань to informally tell someone to back off. For the concept of retiring or stepping down from a position, use the formal phrase Уйти на покой.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
отставить is used in formal or military contexts to command someone to cease an action. In contrast, Отстань is an informal way to say stand down or back off.
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form отставить is the infinitive, but when used in a command context, it functions as an imperative to halt an action.
How do you pronounce it?
otstávitʹ
Did you know?
- While отставить is used for commands, the phrase уйти на покой literally means 'to go to peace' when referring to retiring from a position.
- In Russian, the command to 'stop panicking' is often expressed as отставить панику, which literally tells the panic to 'be set aside'.
- The command отставить functions as an imperative even though it is written in the infinitive form, which is a specific quirk of Russian military terminology.
Example conversation
Alexander and Olga are organizing a workspace.
- Александр AleksandrОльга, переставь этот стол в угол.Ol'ga, perestav' etot stol v ugol.Olga, move this table to the corner.
- Ольга OlgaХорошо, я сейчас его передвину.Khorosho, ya seychas yego peredvinu.Okay, I will move it now.
- Александр AleksandrНет, отставить! Оставь его здесь.Net, otstavit'! Ostav' yego zdes'.No, stand down! Leave it here.
- Ольга OlgaПоняла, оставляю на месте.Ponyala, ostavlyayu na meste.Understood, I'm leaving it where it is.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry отставить, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
