вы + -ете/-ите

In Russian, the second-person plural form serves two functions: addressing a group of people and addressing one person with respect (the 'polite you'). These conjugation rules apply to both the present tense (for imperfective verbs) and the simple future tense (for perfective verbs).

1. Conjugation Types:

• First Conjugation (Type I): Most verbs ending in -ать, -еть, -овать, -уть (e.g., отдохнуть → вы отдохнёте), -ыть (e.g., мыть → вы моете), as well as consonant stem verbs ending in -ти (e.g., идти), -чь (e.g., мочь), -сть (e.g., класть → вы кладёте), and -зть (e.g., лезть → вы лезете), take the ending -ете. If the ending is stressed, it becomes -ёте (see the letter ё).
  Important Rules & Exceptions: For verbs ending in -овать or -евать, the -ова-/-ева- changes to -у- or -ю- before adding the ending (e.g., танцевать → вы танцуете). Note that verbs like здороваться are regular -ать verbs, so they follow the standard pattern (вы здороваетесь). Verbs where -ва- is a suffix (ending in -авать) drop the -ва- in the present tense (e.g., давать → вы даёте), but not if 'в' is part of the root (e.g., плавать → вы плаваете). A few monosyllabic verbs ending in -ить (like жить, пить, бить, лить) are exceptions that follow Type I (e.g., вы живёте, вы пьёте). The verbs брить (to shave) and стелить (to spread) end in -ить but follow this pattern: вы бреете, вы стелете.
  Example: читать (to read) → вы читаете.
• Second Conjugation (Type II): Most verbs ending in -ить take the ending -ите. Note on stress: In many Type II verbs, the stress shifts backward to the stem in the вы form, even if the infinitive and 'я' forms are stressed on the ending (e.g., любить → я люблю, вы любите).
  Important Exceptions: There are 11 common verbs that belong here despite not ending in -ить. These include 7 verbs in -еть: смотреть (to look), видеть (to see), ненавидеть (to hate), терпеть (to endure), обидеть (to offend), вертеть (to twirl), зависеть (to depend); and 4 verbs in -ать: слышать (to hear), дышать (to breathe), держать (to hold), гнать (to drive/chase).
  Example: говорить (to speak) → вы говорите.
• Irregular and Mixed Verbs: Some highly common verbs have irregular or mixed conjugations. You should memorize their вы forms: хотеть (to want) → вы хотите, бежать (to run) → вы бежите, есть (to eat) → вы едите, and дать (to give) → вы дадите.
• Reflexive Verbs: When conjugating reflexive verbs in the вы form, the reflexive particle -сь is added to the vowel of the -ете/-ите endings, resulting in -етесь/-итесь. For example: вы одеваетесь, вы учитесь.

2. Social Context:
Use this form when speaking to a teacher, a boss, a stranger, or anyone you are not on intimate terms with. Using the informal ты form with a stranger can be seen as very rude. In formal written correspondence (like emails), Вы is often capitalized to show respect, but only when addressing one person. When addressing a group, вы always stays lowercase.

3. Agreement:
When using the polite Вы agreement, the verb is always plural. This applies to the past tense as well, which always takes the plural ending -ли (see past tense plural agreement), even when addressing one person: Вы читали? (Did you read?). However, adjectives and nouns behave differently:

• Long-form adjectives agree with the number of people: Вы добрый (You are kind - to one man) vs. Вы добрые (You are kind - to a group).
• Short-form adjectives are always plural in polite address, even for one person: Вы добры (You are kind).
• Nouns referring to a single person addressed with вы remain in the singular form: Вы хороший врач (You are a good doctor).

4. Polite Commands (Imperative):
When giving commands or making requests politely or to a group, the imperative form is created by adding -те to the singular imperative (e.g., читай → читайте, говори → говорите).
Important Warning: For Type I verbs, be careful not to confuse the present tense indicative ending -ете with the imperative ending -ите. They often differ in spelling and stress. For example, вы пишете (you are writing - present tense) vs. пишите! (write! - command).