Russian Grammar Lesson 2: Formality in Russian: Вы and Ты
- The Russian word for ‘you’ (the second person) depends on who is being addressed.
- вы is used when addressing someone formally or politely.
- Ты is used when talking to friends and family.
- Grammatically вы behaves just like the second person plural (‘you guys’, ‘ya’ll’).
- So when first using вы imagine you are talking to two people.
EXAMPLES:
Ты учитель? (Are you (informal) a teacher?)
[ты is the informal ‘you’.]
Ты уже здесь? (Are you (informal) here yet?)
[ты is the informal ‘you’; уже means ‘yet’ or ‘already’.]
Вы профессор? (Are you (formal) a/the professor?)
[вы is the formal ‘you’.]
Вы русский? (Are you (formal) Russian (male)?)
[вы is the formal ‘you’; русский is the male adjective for ‘Russian’.]
Когда вы дома? (When are you (formal) at home?)
[вы is the formal ‘you’; когда means ‘when’.]
Вы всегда дома. (You (formal) are always at home.)
[вы is the formal ‘you’; всегда means ‘always’.]
Когда ты здесь? (When are you (informal) here?)
[ты is the informal ‘you’; когда means ‘when’.]
Ты никогда здесь. (You (informal) are never here.)
[ты is the informal ‘you’; никогда means ‘never’.]
Почему ты здесь? (Why are you (informal) here?)
[ты is the informal ‘you’; почему means ‘why’.]
Вы иногда там? (Are you (formal) sometimes there?)
[вы is the formal ‘you’; иногда means ‘sometimes’.]
Вы часто там? (Are you often there?)
[вы is the formal ‘you’; часто means ‘often’.]