Appendix:Russian pronouns

• Russian is subject to T-V distinction. The respectful form of the singular you is the same as the plural form, sometimes capitalised: Вы, Вас, Вам, etc. Compare the distinction between du, sie and Sie in German.
• When a preposition is used directly before a 3rd-person pronoun, н- is prefixed: у него, с ней, etc. Because the prepositional case always occurs after a preposition, the third person prepositional always starts with an н-.

In Russian, there are two second-person pronouns: ты (singular) and вы (plural). When referring to more than one person, “вы” is always used. When referring to one person, either of the two pronouns may be used, depending on the relationships between the speaker and the person referred to. “Вы” is formal, while “ты” is informal. It is impossible to define a complete set of rules for all situations, but below are some rules that usually apply:

• Adults:
  • Relatives, step-relatives, spouses, sex partners call each other “ты”. This rule has higher priority than the others.
  • Close friends call each other “ты”, as do boyfriends and girlfriends. It is not always clear at which moment of time the friendship becomes close enough. Often, at some point of time it is explicitly proposed to start calling each other “ты” (“дава́йте перейдём на ты”).
  • Adults who are not relatives or close friends usually call each other “вы”, except in the specific cases described below.
• Young people:
  • School-age (k12) and younger children are called “ты”, with some exceptions for official situations, especially for teenagers aged 16 or older. Children also call each other “ты”. Children call adults “Вы”.
  • At schools, students are called “ты” and call each other “ты”. They call teachers and staff “вы”.
    • The same applies to other institutions for school-age and younger children (summer camps, children’s hospitals, kindergartens, etc.)
  • At institutions of higher education, students are called “вы” (even if under 16) and they call their teachers and staff “вы”. Students mostly call each other “ты”.
• On-line:
  • In Russian FidoNet, all users call each other “ты”. This rule does not apply to the Internet.
  • On Wikipedia/Wiktionary, some Russian-speaking users declare how they want to be addressed. If in doubt, a user should be called “вы”.
  • In some forums, all users call each other “ты”, while in others they call each other “вы” (unless close friends or relatives).
• Non-human beings:
  • Animals are called “ты”. In fairy tales, animation movies, etc., animals and monsters call everybody “ты”.
  • In prayers, God, angels, and other supernatural beings are called “ты”.

If a person is called “ты” instead of “вы”, they might be offended. In the opposite case, offense is unlikely.

If a person who always calls you “ты” suddenly starts calling you “вы”, this may be a sign that they do not consider you their friend anymore.

“Вы” referring to a single person requires verbs in plural form. Even without “ты” or “вы”, verbs should be in the plural whenever the person would be called “вы”. Talking to somebody using singular/plural verb forms is equivalent to calling them “ты”/“вы”.

• Заче́м вы это сде́лали?
• Скажи́те, пожа́луйста, кото́рый час?

Related nouns and adjectives should always be in the singular:

• Вы транзи́тный пассажи́р?

“Вы” referring to a single person should be capitalized in official letters, and can be capitalized as a sign of extraordinary respect. Example:

• Во избежа́ние штрафны́х са́нкций Вам сле́дует погаси́ть задо́лженность до 15 сентября́ 2010 го́да.

  To avoid penalties, you must repay the debt before September 15, 2010.

• Дава́йте перейдём на ты — “Let us switch to (addressing one another as) ‘ты’” (e.g. when a friendship becomes sufficiently close).
• Мы с ва́ми на брудерша́фт не пи́ли — An irritated reminder to somebody to stop calling you “ты”.
• ты́кать (slang) — To call somebody “ты” (inappropriately). (The verb “тыкать” also means “to poke”, “to jab” and, colloquially, “to have sex”). For example:
  • Переста́ньте мне ты́кать! — Don’t be so familiar with me! Stop calling me “ты”!
• вы́кать (slang) — To call somebody “вы”.