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- "Вы где?"
218 Comments
One could argue that ты is more appropriate, especially since you're speaking to a dog.
ты: you (singular, with someone you know/someone of less social status than you)
вы: you (plural like you all, or with person(s) you don't know/are of more status than you)
Think tu and vous in French or du and Sie in German.
1119
I believe you meant "it is not formal at all". In Brazil, "tu" and "você" are both quite informal.
why are you trying to translate russian ы to english 'y' or 'i'... as there is no actual translation into english of 'ы'... so why are you doing it here... its misrepresentative... also its 'Scooby doo, Ты где'... and also Ты is singular, while 'Вы' is plural(or polite) but besides that ты is used only if its family, someone you personally know, or a pet... so if you see anyone else use Вы...
77
"ты is used only if its family, someone you personally know, or a pet..." Well, Scooby-doo IS a pet.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanization_of_Russian#Transliteration_table
It would be silly not to transliterate ы, and the sound (/ɨ/) is close enough to /y/.
77
Like a walk in the park up a steep hill through deep snowdrifts with a heavy pack on my back. But I struggle on.
609
Oh yes, I cannot imagine to reach the first checkpoint ever. Reading and writing is one difficulty, but understanding what was said nearly impossible.
Drinking vodka (or any strong alcohol) to keep yourself warm is actually a very bad idea. You only feel warmer, but you're not helping your organism coping with the cold, you're actually making it worse. Alcohol causes a blood rush to the surface vessels (vasodilation) which increases heat radiation. You're feeling warmer but you're getting colder.
The more you know...
This is still very early in the program, but I wouldn't recommend using ты until you are familiar enough with Russian to understand the difference. Hopefully they explain it later. Its similar to using sir and ma'am instead of you, but its more important that you get it right than in English. Usually someone will tell you when its ok to switch to ты.
In a face to face situation in a foreign land, deltaray3's advice is good to follow, but in this forum that duolingo provides, I think learners have some freedom to be bold with their learning approach. After all, some of the best ways to learn something is to make a mistake and have someone correct you. Whether done with respect or without, you tend to remember it. Nevertheless, let's all encourage respectful, constructive criticism, whether it be here at duolingo or elsewhere. And on that note, I'll close with one of my favorite Russian proverbs:
Не ошиба́ется тот, кто ничего́ не де́лает.
From the sound of your post, it just might be one of your favorites, too.
I wrote "you are where?" and was given this message (and told I was wrong): The object(in this case you) should not be placed in front of the predicate and the subject in English.
Don't worry. They make up for it with the number of ways you can say a word like "my". http://masterrussian.com/vocabulary/moy_my_mine.htm
Here is very good dictionary with word forms too https://www.lingvolive.com/ru-ru/translate/ru-en/%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B9
You can use both "Где вы?" and "Вы где?". The difference between the sentences is so small that even native Russians often can't explain what's the difference! :D
Well, if somebody calls me while I'm walking with my dog, he/she will use "Где вы?" (or "Где ты?" if the person is my friend). And if I'm going to any meeting and am already late, the waiting person will call me with the question "Вы где?!" (or "Ты где?!"), so it's more emotional, more impatient.
In English I would say "Where are you?" if it is a casual question and "You're where?" if I just found out for example that my child has climbed half way up the outside of a skyscraper, or is in jail, or some other unexpected place which requires further explanation. Is it similar with "Где вы?" and "Вы где?"?
For Ы listen to the file https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D0%BF%D0%BB%D1%8B%D1%82%D1%8C
Ы should sound a bit similar to И, but more rude and sad. Smile as wide as you can while saying И and then put down the corners of your mouth
Ь has NO sound. It only means that you should pronounce previous consonant softly.
55
How does that differ in meaning in Russian? In "standard" English "you all" can be used in the same way as "you" when reffering to multiple people.
The German course accepts "y'all" as a translation for "ihr", which is the German equivalent of вы (second person plural / first person singular formal), as it rightly should. "Y'all" may not be used in all dialects of English, but other Duolingo courses strive to accommodate all varieties of English use (or at least all the major ones). I think that this Russian course ought to follow suit with that.
And QuackSack is right. The usage of "you all" and "y'all" do not strictly have to be comitative (all-encompassing of all entities), they can also be used as a simple, generic, second person plural, and I daresay that this usage is the more common one.
But "Вы" doesn't mean "they". "They" is "Они".
Try this for a handy summary table! http://www.russianlessons.net/grammar/pronouns.php
470
Ukrainian and Russian are both languages of the Slavic group, many words are the same, some have common roots.
470
if you are talking to a stranger or a boss, say ВЫ. if you are talking to a friend or a child, say ТЫ. If you find it difficult, say ВЫ
55
From my basics in Russian some 20+ years ago, I remember that in this specific word it was spelled "kdie" but here I hear "gdie". Any hint, please?
"You are" and "are you" are the same two words but by reversing the usual order you suggest a question, and possibly doubt, surprise, incredulity! Just put the two in the same sentence and you get, "You are - are you!" This sentence has a definite hint of polite sarcasm. More than "are you sure", more like "I don't believe it". In English and other languages the last word of the sentence is given importance in grammar and because the listener tends to remember the last word. So if you are selling and you ask, "peas or beans?" you usually get the reply "beans". To persuade or sell up, the sales person will ask, "the bargain or the luxury item?" If you want to sell the luxury item; you put the one you are promoting in second place or last. "Where are you?" is the usual phrase construction. If you repeat the phrase because you are astonished, can't hear, or don't believe it, you indicate this by changing the order. When repeating the sentence immediately in the unusual construction it take on a new implication: "Where are you - you are WHERE!" The implication is that the other speaker trying to answer is mistaken, stupid, lost, miles away from the expected route, or doing something politically incorrect.
Dialects of English encode the difference between "Ты" and "Вы" by using "y'all", "youse", "you'uns", "yins", "you guys" or other plural forms for the latter. These should be accepted as answers and even encouraged, so that English speakers familiar with these plural forms can make a direct connection to the plural form in Russian.