оставлять vs оставить

ostavlyat vs ostavit — leave regularly/in progress vs leave once

What it really means

Оставля́ть is imperfective for leaving something somewhere, leaving a message, or abandoning something as a repeated or ongoing action. Оста́вить is perfective for leaving it behind or making that arrangement once. It can also mean leave someone alone or leave a tip.

Examples in natural speech

Я обычно оставляю машину здесь.
I usually leave the car here.
Не оставляй дверь открытой.
Do not leave the door open.
Я оставил документы дома.
I left the documents at home.
Оставьте сообщение после сигнала.
Leave a message after the beep.
Она оставила чаевые.
She left a tip.

Common mistakes

Do not confuse оставить with уходить. Оставить means leave something or someone behind; уйти means leave a place yourself. For “leave me alone,” use оставь меня в покое.

Memory tip

Оставлять focuses on what remains behind; оставить completes one act of leaving it.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say leave it here?

Say Оставь это здесь. Perfective оставить asks for one completed placement.

Does оставить mean go away?

Not by itself. It means leave something behind. To say that a person goes away, use уйти or уходить.

What does оставить сообщение mean?

It means leave a message, for example on voicemail or with another person.

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