советовать vs посоветовать
sovetovat' vs posovetovat' — advise generally vs give one piece of advice
Register: neutral
What it really means
Советовать is imperfective for regularly advising or recommending. Посоветовать is perfective for giving a particular recommendation on one occasion.
A person advised is dative; an action can be expressed with an infinitive.
Examples in natural speech
Он часто советует хорошие фильмы.
He often recommends good films.
Что вы советуете почитать?
What do you recommend reading?
Врач советует больше отдыхать.
The doctor advises resting more.
Посоветуй мне хороший словарь.
Recommend a good dictionary to me.
Она посоветовала нам взять такси.
She advised us to take a taxi.
Common mistakes
Do not use accusative for the recipient: советовать мне, not советовать меня. Use посоветуй for one concrete recommendation.
Memory tip
Советовать is ongoing expertise; посоветовать is one useful suggestion.
Frequently asked questions
What case is the person after советовать?
Dative: советовать другу.
Can it mean recommend?
Yes, especially books, films, and places.
Which form suits “recommend me a film”?
Посоветуй мне фильм.
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