пожалуйста

The word пожалуйста serves several primary functions in Russian:

1. Polite Requests: It softens commands. Without it, an imperative sounds like a blunt order. Example: Дайте, пожалуйста, соль. (Please give me the salt.)
2. Polite Questions: It is commonly used to soften questions when asking for information or directions. Example: Скажите, пожалуйста, где метро? (Could you tell me where the subway is, please?)
3. Responding to Thanks: It is the standard way to say 'You are welcome' after someone says спасибо (another common alternative is не за что, meaning 'not at all').
4. Responding to Apologies: It is a standard, polite response to minor apologies (for example, if someone bumps into you and says 'Извините'). It is also used when an apology functions as a request for permission or attention. Example: — Извините, можно пройти? — Пожалуйста. (— Excuse me, may I pass? — Go ahead.)
5. Accepting an Offer: Use it to say 'Yes, please' when someone offers you something. Example: — Хотите чаю? — Да, пожалуйста. (— Would you like some tea? — Yes, please.)
6. Handing Over Objects: When you give someone a ticket or a gift, you say пожалуйста to mean 'Here you go.'
7. Granting Permission: It can mean 'Go ahead' or 'After you' when gesturing for someone to enter a room.
8. Surprise or Indignation: In phrases like 'и вот, пожалуйста' (and there you go), it expresses irony when something unexpected happens. Notice the difference in punctuation and meaning: Скажите, пожалуйста, где метро? is a polite request, but idioms like Скажите пожалуйста! or Здравствуйте пожалуйста! (without internal commas) mean 'Well, I never!' or 'Look at that!' to express surprise or indignation.
9. Pleading or Begging: In conversation, adding the particle 'ну' creates a strong plea. Example: Ну пожалуйста! (Oh, please! / Pretty please!)

Word Order and Punctuation: The word пожалуйста is highly flexible. In polite requests, it acts as a parenthetical word (вводное слово) and is set off by commas. However, when granting permission, expressing surprise, or showing consent, it can act as a particle or interjection. It is usually separated by commas, but there are important exceptions: it lacks commas inside idioms like Скажите пожалуйста! or Здравствуйте пожалуйста! (though if the idiom appears in the middle of a sentence, the phrase as a whole is set off by commas, e.g., Явился, здравствуйте пожалуйста, на нашу голову!), or when it acts as a particle of consent attached to a specific word (e.g., Завтра пожалуйста, а сегодня помочь не могу). Additionally, no comma is used when it forms a unified phrase expressing emotion, resentment, or logical emphasis (e.g., Ну и пожалуйста!, Да и пожалуйста!, or А пожалуйста!). Finally, when пожалуйста immediately follows a coordinating conjunction (а, и, но) at the beginning of a sentence, the comma between the conjunction and the word is dropped (e.g., Но пожалуйста, не опаздывай.).

Pronunciation Note: According to standard Russian pronunciation, the 'й' is always silent in all contexts. Pronouncing it is considered an error. In careful speech, the 'у' is pronounced, but in fast or casual speech, it is often dropped, making it sound like 'пажалста'. This fast-speech pronunciation is frequently reflected in informal text messaging as пжалста or пожалста.