Polite vy in the Past

Level 3

When you address one person politely with vy, the verb is plural, even in the past. Words that describe the person stay singular.

How It Works

The verb is plural. With polite vy, every verb form is the plural one: Máte čas? Budete doma? Mohli by ste mi pomôcť? Posaďte sa.

In the past, the l-form ends in -li, whether you speak to a man or a woman (see l-form agreement):

  • Pán Novák, kde ste boli?
  • Pani Nováková, kde ste boli?

Describing words stay singular. Adjectives, passive participles and nouns describe the one real person, so they keep that person's gender and number:

  • to a man: Boli ste spokojný? Ste unavený? Ste učiteľ?
  • to a woman: Boli ste spokojná? Ste unavená? Ste učiteľka? Boli ste pozvaná?

More than one person. When vy really means several people, everything is plural: Boli ste spokojní? (a group that includes a man) or Boli ste spokojné? (a group of women).

Examples (6)

  1. Pán Horváth, boli ste spokojný?

    Mr Horváth, were you satisfied?

    Word by Word: Mr Horváth, were-PL you satisfied-SG?

  2. Pani Nováková, boli ste spokojná s izbou?

    Mrs Nováková, were you happy with the room?

    Word by Word: Mrs Nováková, were-PL you satisfied-SG-F with room?

  3. Kde ste boli včera, pani doktorka?

    Where were you yesterday, doctor?

    Word by Word: Where you-are were-PL yesterday, madam doctor?

    The l-form is plural even though you are speaking to one woman.

  4. Ste unavený? Môžete si sadnúť.

    Are you tired? You can sit down.

    Word by Word: You-are tired-SG-M? You-can yourself sit-down.

  5. Boli ste už niekedy v Tatrách?

    Have you ever been to the Tatras?

    Word by Word: Were-PL you already ever in Tatras?

  6. Boli ste pozvaná aj vy?

    Were you invited too?

    Word by Word: Were-PL you invited-SG-F also you?

    Spoken to one woman.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a singular l-form with vy.

    Pani Nováková, vy ste bola doma?
    Pani Nováková, vy ste boli doma?

    With polite vy, the l-form is always plural: boli, prišli, mali.

  • Making the adjective plural when you speak to one person.

    Pán Novák, boli ste spokojní?
    Pán Novák, boli ste spokojný?

    Spokojný describes one man, so it stays singular and masculine.

  • Making a noun plural when you speak to one person.

    Pani Horváthová, ste učitelia?
    Pani Horváthová, ste učiteľka?

    The noun names what the one person is, so it stays singular and matches her gender.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Polite vy in the PastLevel 3

Learn This First

Before Polite vy in the Past, learn Informal ty and Polite vy and Past Forms by Gender and Number. vy is used for polite address. The past tense l-form shows the agreement.

Words in This Pattern

vykať