ты русский?
ty russkiy?
The phrase "are you russian?" in Russian is translated as ты русский? (ty russkiy?)
This phrase is a question used to ask if someone is of Russian nationality or ethnicity. Note that the word русский specifically refers to an ethnic Russian, whereas the word россиянин is used to refer to a citizen of the Russian Federation regardless of their ethnicity.
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on the gender of the person being addressed and the level of formality. Use русский when referring to a male and русская when referring to a female. For groups of people, the plural form вы русские? should be used.
How does it change in a sentence?
Gender and number must be adjusted to match the subject. If you are asking a woman, you must use the feminine form ты русская? or Вы русская? instead of the masculine forms. If you are asking a group of people if they are Russian, use the plural form вы русские?
How do you pronounce it?
ty russkiy?
Did you know?
- The pronoun ты is a distant relative of the English word 'thee', as both descend from the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root.
- While русский describes ethnicity, the word for a citizen of Russia, россиянин, is shared by over 190 different ethnic groups living within the country.
- The word русский functions as both a noun and an adjective, meaning it can mean both 'a Russian person' and 'Russian' as in 'Russian tea'.
Examples in context
- Вы русский, если я не ошибаюсь?Are you Russian, if I'm not mistaken?
- Ты русская? Я тоже!Are you Russian? Me too!
- Ты русский?Ty russkiy?Are you Russian?
- Прости, ты русский?Prosti, ty russkiy?Excuse me, are you Russian?
Example conversation
Two people meeting at an international event.
- Александр AleksandrПривет! Ты русский?Privet! Ty russkiy?Hi! Are you Russian?
- Ольга OlgaНет, я из Украины.Net, ya iz Ukrainy.No, I am from Ukraine.
- Александр AleksandrПонятно. А как тебя зовут?Ponyatno. A kak tebya zovut?I see. And what is your name?
- Ольга OlgaМеня зовут Ольга.Menya zovut Ol'ga.My name is Olga.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries русский, ты, CC BY-SA 4.0.
