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- <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" version="-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"><head xmlns:h="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" profile=""><title>When to use Вы and Ты</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.79.2"/></head><body><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h1 class="title"><a id="d0e9732" shape="rect"/>When to use Вы and Ты</h1></div></div></div><p>Russian, unlike English, has two different forms of the second person singular pronoun
- "you": <span class="bold"><strong>вы</strong></span> and <span class="bold"><strong>ты</strong></span>. Compare
- these to the French <span class="bold"><strong>Vous</strong></span> and <span class="bold"><strong>tu</strong></span> or the German <span class="bold"><strong>Sie</strong></span> and <span class="bold"><strong>du</strong></span>. The <span class="bold"><strong>вы</strong></span> form is also the second person
- plural.</p><p><span class="bold"><strong>Вы</strong></span> is used in formal situations, work settings, when
- speaking to a superior or to someone older, to whom you wish to show a degree of respect.
- <span class="bold"><strong>Вы</strong></span> indicates distance (emotional, social or
- chronological).</p><p><span class="bold"><strong>Ты</strong></span> is used in informal situations, family relationships
- (between spouses, parents and children, between siblings and with other relatives), when
- speaking to someone younger than you. <span class="bold"><strong>Ты</strong></span> indicates closeness
- (in age or in terms of friendship and intimacy).</p><p><span class="bold"><strong>Вы</strong></span>-forms of address can be full first name plus
- patronymic, full first name minus patronymic, or shortened first name only. <span class="bold"><strong>Ты</strong></span>-forms of address will be first name only, either full or
- shortened.</p><p><span class="bold"><strong>Ты</strong></span> is always used when addressing God, speaking to
- children (your own or anyone's) and calling your cat or dog.</p><p>When they first meet, adults will usually begin by addressing each other as <span class="bold"><strong>Вы</strong></span>. At some point in time in the relationship, one may suggest to the
- other that they change to <span class="bold"><strong>ты</strong></span> by saying: <span class="bold"><strong>Давайте перейдём на ты;</strong></span> ог <span class="bold"><strong>Можно на ты?</strong></span> If this
- is mutually agreeable, the relationship passes onto a new level; some people even make a
- ritual of it by drinking <span class="bold"><strong>"брудершафт"</strong></span>.</p></div></body></html>
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