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вы

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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See also: Вы, вы-, вꙑ, and Appendix:Variations of "bi"

Belarusian

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle Belarusian вы (vy), from Old East Slavic вы (vy), from Proto-Slavic *vy.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [vɨ]
  • Audio:(file)

Pronoun

вы • (vy)

  1. you (plural or formal)

Declension

More information singular, plural ...
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Carpathian Rusyn

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *vy, from Proto-Indo-European *yúHs.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈvɤ]
  • Rhymes: -ɤ
  • Syllabification: вы

Pronoun

вы • (vŷ)

  1. second-person singular formal, as well as second-person plural, nominative case:you
    Як ся Вы сам чуєте в ролї учітеля материньского языка? ― Jak sja Vŷ sam čujete v rolji učitelja materynʹskoho jazŷka? ― How do you feel in the role of a teacher of your native language?

Further reading

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Kabardian

Etymology

Compare Adyghe цу (cʷu).

Pronunciation

Noun

вы • (və)

  1. ox
  2. bull (Animal)

Declension

More information case, singular ...

Russian

Alternative forms

  • Вы (Vy) — alternative capitalisation in formal writing

Etymology

From Old East Slavic вꙑ (vy), from Proto-Slavic *vy, from Proto-Indo-European *yúHs. Cognate with Sanskrit यूयम् (yūyam) and English you.

Use of Вы as a formal singular is attested in East Slavic literature from the 11th-16th century, under influence of Byzantine speech. It started becoming widespread in Russian society during the rule of Peter the Great, under French and German influence, and became ingrained by the 19th century.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

вы • (vy)

  1. you (plural or formal singular)
    • 1869, Лев Толстой [Leo Tolstoy], “Том 2, Часть четвёртая, VIII”, in Война и мир; English translation from Aylmer and Louise Maude, transl., War and Peace, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1922–1923:
      Она́ упрека́ла себя́ за то, но не могла́ не ворча́ть, не придира́ться к Со́не, ча́сто без причи́ны остана́вливая её, называ́я её «вы», и «моя́ ми́лая».
      Oná uprekála sebjá za to, no ne moglá ne vorčátʹ, ne pridirátʹsja k Sóne, částo bez pričíny ostanávlivaja jejó, nazyvája jejó «vy», i «mojá mílaja».
      Though she blamed herself for it, she could not refrain from grumbling at and worrying Sónya, often pulling her up without reason, addressing her stiffly as “my dear,” and using the formal “you” instead of the intimate “thou” in speaking to her.

Usage notes

The personal pronoun вы is comparable to French vous, German Sie, Italian Voi, Spanish usted, Portuguese vós, and is used not only in the plural sense, but also as the formal singular. The formal вы is appropriate with strangers, business contacts, neighbors, and friends. (The informal ты (ty) should only be used with family and friends. Even then, a speaker may suddenly switch to вы in order to broach an especially serious topic, or to indicate displeasure or anger.) For more information, see Appendix:Russian pronouns

Declension

More information singular, plural ...
  1. Archaic feminine form: оне́ (oné).
  2. The letter г (g) in the genitive/accusative case ending is pronounced as /v/.
  3. The alternative forms starting with н- (n-) are used after a preposition.
  4. Archaic forms: ея́ (jejá), нея́ (nejá).
  5. Instrumental forms ending in -ю (-ju) are either dated, poetic, or dialectal.
  6. The prepositional case is never used without a preposition.
More information singular, plural ...
  1. Letter г (g) in the genitive/accusative case ending is pronounced as /v/.
  2. The alternative forms starting with н- (n-) are used after a preposition.
  3. Archaic forms: ея́ (jejá), нея́ (nejá).
  4. Instrumental forms ending in -ю (-ju) are either dated, poetic, or dialectal.
  5. The prepositional case is never used without a preposition.
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