ти / ви
Informal and Polite You
Serbian uses ти (informal "you") for friends, family, children, and peers, while ви (polite "you") is used to address strangers, elders, officials, and teachers respectfully, or to address any group of two or more people.
How It Works
In Serbian, choosing between ти and ви is an essential social and grammatical distinction known as social register (being on informal terms is called бити на „ти“, while polite address is called персирање or бити на „ви“).
1. When to use each pronoun:
- ти: Used for family members, friends, colleagues of similar rank, children, and peers.
- ви: Used for adult strangers, doctors, professors, clients, older individuals, and any group of multiple people.
Serbian speakers generally transition to informal ти faster than speakers of languages like German or French, but you should never assume informal address with an elder, teacher, or professional without mutual agreement (прелазак на „ти“).
2. Grammatical Agreement:
Verbs must strictly match the pronoun's grammatical number:
- Present tense with ти uses singular endings: Ти читаш (You read).
- Present tense with ви uses plural endings: Ви читате (You read / You all read).
In compound tenses like the past tense (перфекат), polite ви addressing a single person requires the masculine plural active participle (ending in -ли), regardless of whether the person is a man or a woman: Госпођо, да ли сте чули? (Ma'am, did you hear?).
When using predicates with polite ви addressed to one person, note that predicate adjectives follow plural agreement (Ви сте љубазни — You are kind), whereas predicate nouns remain singular to reflect the person's real identity (Ви сте лекар — You are a doctor; Ви сте професорка — You are a professor).
3. Capitalization Conventions:
- In formal letters and business correspondence, capitalizing polite singular Ви and its possessive forms (Ваш, Вама) is an established courtesy convention (куртоазно писање) to show personal respect and distinguish singular address from a genuine plural. However, according to standard orthography, writing them in lowercase (ви, ваш) is also entirely permissible and not considered an error.
- When addressing multiple people (plural "you all"), or in standard narrative text, dialogue, and media subtitles, ви is always written in lowercase.
Examples (5)
- Марко, где ти живиш?
Marko, where do you live?
Word by Word: Marko, where you live?
Informal address to a friend using the singular pronoun 'ти' and the singular verb form 'живиш'.
- Професоре, да ли ви радите данас?
Professor, do you work today?
Word by Word: Professor, whether you work today?
Polite address to a teacher using 'ви' with the 2nd person plural verb 'радите'.
- Госпођо Петровић, да ли сте спремни?
Mrs. Petrović, are you ready?
Word by Word: Mrs. Petrović, whether are [you-plural] ready [masculine plural]?
Polite singular address to a woman uses the plural verb 'сте' and plural adjective agreement 'спремни'.
- Поштовани директоре, хвала Вам на помоћи.
Dear Director, thank you for your help.
Word by Word: Respected director, thanks to-You on help.
In direct formal correspondence to a single person, polite 'Вам' is capitalized.
- Децо, да ли ви разумете задатак?
Children, do you understand the assignment?
Word by Word: Children, whether you understand [plural] assignment?
Plural address to multiple individuals always takes 'ви' and a plural verb, written in lowercase.
Common Mistakes
Using a feminine singular past participle when addressing a woman politely.
Госпођо, да ли сте чула вест?Госпођо, да ли сте чули вест?Standard Serbian requires the generic masculine plural participle (-ли) for polite singular 'ви', even when speaking to a woman. Singular agreement like 'сте чула' is non-standard.
Capitalizing 'Ви' when writing to a group of people.
Драге колеге, обавештавам Вас о састанку.Драге колеге, обавештавам вас о састанку.Capitalized 'Ви' / 'Вас' is reserved solely for polite address to one person in personal letters. Group plural address must remain lowercase 'вас'.
Mixing singular pronouns with plural verb forms.
Ти радите овде.Ти радиш овде.The pronoun 'ти' always demands 2nd person singular verb forms ('радиш'). Plural verbs ('радите') pair strictly with 'ви'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the distinction between informal 'ти' and polite 'ви', you must first know the nominative personal pronouns and how they agree with basic verbs like 'бити' in the second person singular and plural.
- Subject Pronouns
Learners need to know the basic subject pronouns first, specifically ти (2nd person singular) and ви (2nd person plural), before understanding their sociolinguistic register distinction.
Level 1 - битиPresent Forms of Be
Understanding that polite 'Ви' triggers plural verbal agreement (e.g., Ви сте) requires knowledge of basic present tense verb forms like 'бити'.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- Regular Present Tense
Verbs conjugate into distinct 2nd person singular (-ш) and plural (-те) endings corresponding to 'ти' and 'ви'.
Level 1 - хвала / молим / извинитеPolite Everyday Phrases
Polite greetings and courtesy expressions often adopt the plural imperative forms associated with polite 'ви' (e.g., 'извините' vs. 'извини').
Level 1 - наш / вашOur and Your
'Ваш' is the possessive counterpart to polite 'ви', also capitalized when addressing one individual in formal writing.
Level 1 - Polite You in the Past
Explores in depth how compound past tense verbs agree with polite 'ви'.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice ти / ви in Bubblegum
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