Significado
Suggesting a joint action.
Contexto cultural
The 'Goodbye' use of 'Давай' is so common that foreigners often think Russians are asking them to 'give' something as they leave. It's actually a shortened version of 'Давай, счастливо' (Let it be happy/lucky). At football matches or hockey games, 'Давай-давай!' is the most common chant. It's rhythmic and high-energy, used to push the team forward. In modern Russian startups, 'Давайте' is used to flatten hierarchy. Even if the CEO is older, using 'Давайте' instead of formal 'Предлагаю' creates a team-oriented atmosphere. In texting, 'Давай' is often abbreviated or used with many exclamation marks to show excitement for a plan.
The 'Bye' Trick
If you're on the phone with a Russian and don't know how to end it, just say 'Ну, давай!' It works every time and sounds very natural.
Watch the Aspect
Never use a perfective infinitive after 'Давай'. It's either 'Давай + imperfective infinitive' or 'Давай + future perfective'.
Significado
Suggesting a joint action.
The 'Bye' Trick
If you're on the phone with a Russian and don't know how to end it, just say 'Ну, давай!' It works every time and sounds very natural.
Watch the Aspect
Never use a perfective infinitive after 'Давай'. It's either 'Давай + imperfective infinitive' or 'Давай + future perfective'.
Cheering
When cheering, repeat it twice: 'Давай, давай!' for extra emphasis.
Ponte a prueba
Choose the correct form to use with your Russian professor.
_______ начнём лекцию.
With a professor, you must use the formal 'Вы' form, which is 'Давайте'.
Complete the suggestion using the correct form of the verb 'пойти' (to go).
Давай _______ в кино сегодня вечером.
After 'Давай', the future perfective 'пойдём' is the most natural way to suggest a specific trip.
Match the 'Давай' usage to the situation.
Situation: You are hanging up the phone with your best friend.
'Ну, давай!' is the standard informal way to end a phone call.
Fill in the missing word in this casual dialogue.
— Я не могу решить эту задачу. — _______, ты сможешь! Попробуй ещё раз.
In this context, 'Давай' is used for encouragement ('Come on!').
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Ayudas visuales
The 3 Faces of Давай
Suggestion
- • Давай пойдём
- • Давай поедим
Encouragement
- • Давай, ты сможешь!
- • Давай-давай!
Farewell
- • Ну, давай!
- • Пока, давай!
Banco de ejercicios
4 ejercicios_______ начнём лекцию.
With a professor, you must use the formal 'Вы' form, which is 'Давайте'.
Давай _______ в кино сегодня вечером.
After 'Давай', the future perfective 'пойдём' is the most natural way to suggest a specific trip.
Situation: You are hanging up the phone with your best friend.
'Ну, давай!' is the standard informal way to end a phone call.
— Я не могу решить эту задачу. — _______, ты сможешь! Попробуй ещё раз.
In this context, 'Давай' is used for encouragement ('Come on!').
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Preguntas frecuentes
10 preguntasOnly if used with someone you should address formally (like a boss). With friends, it's perfectly polite and warm.
Yes, but it's very informal. 'Дай' is the standard short form for 'give'.
It's a shortened form of 'Let everything be good' or 'Let's keep in touch'. It's the standard casual 'bye'.
'Давай' is for one person (informal). 'Давайте' is for multiple people or for formal 'you'.
Yes! This is a very common colloquial way to say 'Let's go right now'.
Yes, but usually in the form 'Давайте' to suggest ideas or next steps.
Yes, 'Давай я помогу' means 'Let me help'.
It can mean 'Well, okay then' or 'Come on, do it already'.
Yes, it's used frequently in dialogue to show character dynamics.
Use 'Давай не...' followed by the verb. E.g., 'Давай не пойдём'.
Frases relacionadas
Пошли
similarLet's go (literally 'we went')
Пусть
similarLet (him/her/it)
Ладно
similarOkay / Fine
Вперёд
similarForward!
