Agreement with Polite вы

Level 2Sounds Like vetlívae Vy: uzgadnenne

When you say вы politely to one person, the verb is still plural: Вы ведаеце?, Вы былі ў Гродне? A noun describing that one person stays singular: Вы доктар?

How It Works

1. Verbs are always plural. Use the вы endings in the present: Вы ведаеце, дзе пошта? (Do you know where the post office is?). The past takes the plural -лі whatever the person's gender: Вы былі ў Гродне?, Вы нам вельмі дапамаглі (You helped us a lot).

2. Commands add -це. A polite request uses the -це imperative: Сядайце, калі ласка (Please sit down), Скажыце, калі ласка... (Please tell me...).

3. Short forms are plural. Вы павінны, Вы гатовы? (Are you ready?), Вы рады? (see short adjectives).

4. Nouns and full adjectives match the person. A noun stays singular: Вы доктар? (Are you a doctor?), Вы наш новы настаўнік? A full adjective shows the person's gender: Вы вельмі добрая (said to a woman).

5. Capital В. In letters and official messages to one person, the 2008 spelling rules write Вы with a capital letter: Дзякую Вам за ліст. In ordinary text it is lowercase. With вы you often use спадар and спадарыня.

Examples (6)

  1. Вы ведаеце, дзе пошта?

    Do you know where the post office is?

    Plural ведаеце, even for one person.

  2. Спадарыня Ганна, вы былі ў Гродне?

    Ms. Hanna, have you been to Hrodna?

    Past tense with polite вы is plural: былі.

  3. Прабачце, вы доктар?

    Excuse me, are you a doctor?

    The noun stays singular.

  4. Вы гатовы?

    Are you ready?

    A short form after вы is plural.

  5. Сядайце, калі ласка.

    Please sit down.

    A polite command takes -це.

  6. Дзякую, Вы нам вельмі дапамаглі.

    Thank you, you helped us a lot.

    In a letter, polite Вы is capitalized; the past verb is plural.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a singular verb with polite вы.

    Вы ведаеш, дзе пошта?
    Вы ведаеце, дзе пошта?

    Polite вы always takes the plural verb, even when you speak to one person.

  • Using a singular past form with polite вы.

    Спадар Іван, вы быў у Гродне?
    Спадар Іван, вы былі ў Гродне?

    In the past tense, вы always takes -лі, whatever the person's gender.

  • Making the noun plural when asking one person politely.

    Вы доктары?
    Вы доктар?

    Only the verb and short forms become plural. A noun describing one person stays singular.

How It Connects

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Agreement with Polite выLevel 2

Learn This First

Agreement with Вы needs вы verb forms and past plurals.

Words in This Pattern

вы