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- <title>3. When to use Вы and Ты</title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="html.css"><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.79.1"><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="The RUSSIAN Fast Course"><link rel="up" href="ch03.html" title="Chapter 3. Lesson 3"><link rel="prev" href="ch03s02.html" title="2. Russian names"><link rel="next" href="ch03s04.html" title="4. Addressing friends and acquaintances in Russian"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">3. When to use Вы and Ты</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="ch03s02.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">Chapter 3. Lesson 3</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch03s04.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="d0e9213"></a>3. When to use Вы and Ты</h2></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><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="ch03s02.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="ch03.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="ch03s04.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">2. Russian names </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> 4. Addressing friends and acquaintances in Russian</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
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