When do you use “ты” or “вы” in Russian?
Практика диалога на русском: а ты? а вы?
A1 Russian listening practice · Standard Russian · Curated for beginners
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а ты? / а вы? (a ty? / a vy?)
Russian informal vs. formal "you"
“and you?” — ты for friends, вы for strangers and elders
Russian has two words for “you.” Ты is for friends, family, children and pets; вы is for strangers, older people, anyone at work you don’t know well, and for any group. So the quick “and you?” comes in two versions: а ты? to a friend, а вы? to the shop assistant. Picking the wrong one can sound overfamiliar or cold.
The choice ripples through the sentence: как тебя зовут? vs как вас зовут?, тебе нравится? vs вам нравится?. Switching from вы to ты is a small social event, often proposed with давай на ты, “let’s say ты.” The clip practises every line both ways: а тебя? а вас?
From Maria Petrova↗ on YouTube.Watch original
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