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Ты and Вы: What's the Difference? 5 Tips When to Use which Format

Ты and Вы: What's the Difference? 5 Tips When to Use which Format

Dear friends,

Happy New Year to everyone!

This year I made a resolution to start Как это будет по-русски or Say it in Russian video channel which will help my international friends learn more about Russian language and culture. And here is my first video.

These are a companion video episode and a post for my Personal Pronouns mini-project dedicated to the issue which both important and challenging – the ты and Вы format of addressing people.

One of my international friends wrote me that the colleague whose desk is to the right of hers says ты to her, while the colleague whose desk is to the left says Вы to her. And they are all of more or less the same age and status / background. So she is quite puzzled. Have you had similar situations?

Here is the video about how to choose the appropriate format and below you can see the 5 tips summarized.

Tip 1

Let the native speaker take the initiative and listen carefully to what (s)he says. Did you hear 'Рад(а) с Вами познакомиться' or 'Рад(а) с тобой познакомиться'? If you heard Вы, use Вы-format (unless you are talking to a kid or a teenager), if you heard ты, then ты should be ok (exception – people way older than you).

Tip 2

If you hesitate, say Вы. It is better to sound a bit too polite than a bit too impolite. And if ты is ok, you are most likely to be offered to switch the format.

Tip 3

Use ты when talking to:

- Kids and teenagers (I think Вы starts from the age of 17 or 18)

- Friends + your boyfriend / girlfriend

- School, college and university mates

- Family: parents, spouse, children, grandparents, siblings, cousins

- If agreed upon

Phrases to offer to say ты to each other instead of Вы:

Давайте перейдём на ты.

Давайте будем на ты.

Перейдём на ты?

Будем на ты.

Давай на ты.

Tip 4

Use Вы to talk to:

- People you meet for the first time or don't know really well

- People way older than you

- Officials: bank clerks, teachers, lawyers, doctors etc.

- People providing services: waiters / waitresses, porters, shop-assistants, even a pizza guy :-)

- In the family aunts, uncles, parents-in-law, god father / god mother (here it can be different from family to family, of course)

- Boss (in most companies and institutions you are expected to say Вы to your boss)

- Colleagues (here it depends on a person, see the tips 1 and 2)

Tip 5

We often use ты and Вы format talking to the same person depending on either the situation is formal or informal. So if your good friend is also your colleague, be ready to hear Вы at a company meeting in front of a big audience, even though you normally say ты to each other.

What about you? Have you ever had any difficulties choosing between ты and Вы? Please, leave your comments below. I am looking forward to answering all your questions including the daring ones, the obvious ones and the uncomfortable/awkward ones :-) So feel free to ask whatever you would like to know to be able to say t in Russian!

Thank you for being with me! Спасибо, что Вы со мной!