Thank you!

"Уж и так читаю, читаю" means that he already reads a lot.

I m wondering if it's ok for the beginning: "You could read something"

Welcome dear :)

Tatiana, as a suggestion you could say "Perhaps you could read something"

Thank you, Uly and Olga!

Anytime, sweetie.

Yet, isn't "suggest" a little bit more formal? Couldn't we replace it with "offer"? So "I suggest" is more iduomatic?

No, you SUGGEST that someone do something, and you OFFER a noun: I was going to OFFER you a piece of cake, but I SUGGEST you take a walk instead. You're too fat!

It's been clear to me for long but then all those English teachers on TV made me mix them up.

Ok kids, I found the official translation online. It's from a book by Bulgakov called Heart of a Dog:

"You really ought to read something," he said, "or else, don't you know..."
"I do read, I read a lot,"

Is it perfect?

English teachers and English textbooks (yes, including dictionaries) are the English language's worst enemies )

You tell me if it's perfect. You know better than me with the Russian means.

Ha-ha. The learners of English would readily agree with you. But for some other reason than you mean.

hahaha

Excellent book, Uly.
You should read it!
And regarding the translation of the part - а то, знаете ли... , I think the Aleh La variant "cause if you don't, you know..." is the best.

Hm, this "or else, don't you know" is total crap, I think. It's a direct translation. Makes no sense to me.

"а то" has approximately the same meaning as "а иначе" = otherwise or something like that

Ought has always been considered as the verb meaning strong(?) obligation. And in this case there's an advice/ a suggestion.

"or else, don't you know" is very good too.

How is it good, Maksim?

It makes sense to me. It basically means "because if you don't read, well, I don't need to tell you - you just said something stupid yourself...!"

Perhaps if you read the whole passage, it'll make more sense...

"I won't go to the theatre," snarled Sharikov with animosity and made the sign of the cross over his mouth.
"Belching at table spoils other people's appetite," remarked Bormental automatically. "But forgive me ... why, in fact, do you dislike the theatre?"
Sharikov put his empty vodka glass to his eye as though it were a pair of binoculars, thought and pouted.
"Well, it's all a lot of playing the fool... talk, talk, talk ... pure counter- revolution."
Philip Philipovich tilted back his gothic chair and laughed so much that the golden stockade in his mouth gleamed and sparkled. Bormental only shook his head.
"You really ought to read something," he said, "or else, don't you know..."
"I do read, I read a lot," replied Sharikov and suddenly, with predatory speed poured himself half a glass of vodka.

"а то, знаете ли.".. - is the open-ended phrase. It can mean anything (that) you can imagine.) So, basically, you can translate it the way YOU imagine it. It will be correct anyway.

but in English, if you stress the YOU, it means something like ну, уж ты-то знаешь, (ты ведь только что сказал эту глупость)

Such expressions as "а то" do not have an independent meaning in themselves, they just stress the significanse of another expressions.
In this case "а то" stresses need for every human to read at least something.

(I hope that makes sense...)

Aleh La, yes, it can mean anything (that) you can imagine, but not anything good, only anything bad:) Do you agree with me?

It warns against the consequences of not reading.

In this concrete case it means "cause if you don't / otherwise / or else, don't you know (...it can end up with anything bad)". The statement in parentheses is implied, although it is not pronounced here aloud.

Yes, you have understood rightly! It warns against the consequences of not reading.

For example. Former USSR 90-s, average city or town. You have come by accident to another hood where dwellers don't like the garment of your style. And one of guys from there have step up to you and says: "Шел бы ты отсюда, а то, знаешь, мало ли что может с тобой случиться!"

Do you understand this phrase?

Not one word)

Aleh La, if you is still here, be so kind, translate it for Uly!

To Maksim: I agree with you.
And I got lost in this discussion... ))

"Шел бы ты отсюда, а то, знаешь, мало ли что может с тобой случиться!" - You'd better get out from here, 'cause God knows what can happen to you!

Thank you!

You really ought to to go from here, or else, don't you know, you never know what can happen to you! Something like that. This phrase is threat in its essence.

I've lost in this discussion too ))

hahaha

In any way, "а то" in most of cases implies a threat or warning of bad consequences of doing something / not doing something

Have a good night, Maksim. Thank you for all your help :-)

"Знаете ли" is NOT "don't you know", guys! It's a parenthetic phrase. It's equal to "you know".
Just think about it: "Я, знаете ли, больше люблю пешие прогулки". How can you fit "don't you know" here? It makes no sense.
Also this phrase "а то, знаете ли..." is incomplete. It's an incomplete thought and it can be completed with something like "а то, знаете ли, вы несёте полную чушь" or "а то, знаете ли, вы так и останетесь невеждой".

Thank you for clearing that up, Olga. I think we overthought something very simple. Good one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3ydjOWQLIY

"Знаете ли" is frequently being translated as "you know". But it hasn't strictly the same meaning as "you know" has. When it is used not in the literal sense, including the cases in which it has no independent meaning in itself, "Знаете ли" means something in between of "you know" and "don't you know".

Got it

"Знаете ли" as it is used here (and in the same cases) means something like the following: "Do not you know, no, you probably know, but you do not know until the end".
And, as I've written already here, this expression in this concrete case means "don't you know (...it can end up with anything bad)". The statement in parentheses is implied, although it is not pronounced here aloud.

Ok, so it means more or less the same in English, as Olga pointed out. Thank you.

Likewise, Maksim!

You see, "А то" and "Знаете ли" are the examples of Ambiguity of the Russian language.

That's for sure! There are a lot of them.

In any way, it is possible to speak Russian without using of "Знаете ли".

I'll keep that in mind)

You should remember that Bulgakov is the successor of Russian classical literature of the 19th century, that's why he likes to use such expressions. Nowadays it's very hard to hear such expression as "Знаете ли" in real talk by ordinary people.

And in the book "Heart of a Dog" Bulgakov wants to show controversy between the Russian intelligentsia of the 19th century and the new soviet people, communists.

That's why the Professor Philip Philipovich and Bormental use such kind of words and expressions.

That's very interesting. I'm reading it now.

I understand. Thank you for your insights.

It would seem so. Not a good time to be a Russian.

Thank you for your interest to Bulgakov!

He's fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

I've actually read it. It was my first Russian book.

I read the English version first.

Sorry Maxim, I'm at my mother's house having Sunday lunch. I'll comment later.