а ты
a ty[ə tɨ]word by word
The English phrase "how about you" is translated into Russian as а ты (a ty).
A question used to ask the same thing back to the person who just asked you.
Which one should you use?
Use а вы instead of а ты when speaking to someone formally or to a group of people. The phrase А у тебя? is a casual way to ask how about you suitable for friends or people of the same age group. The phrase А у вас? is a shorter and more direct formal way to ask how about you. The informal phrase Как сам/сама? can be used to ask how about you in a friendly manner to mean "How about yourself?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The form а ты must change its case to а тебя if the preceding question uses a verb or preposition that requires the accusative or genitive case.
How do you pronounce it?
a ty
Did you know?
- The word ты is a direct descendant of the Proto-Indo-European root *túh₂, making it a distant linguistic cousin to the English word 'thou'.
- Using а ты when а вы is expected can be interpreted as a deliberate insult or an attempt to establish dominance over the other person.
- In very close friendships, using the formal а вы instead of а ты can be used as a joke to mock someone for acting too posh or arrogant.
Examples in context
- Я голоден. А ты?I'm hungry. How about you?This sentence shows how to use а ты to return a question about a state of being.Tatoeba #4973351 by Karok, translation #2354171 by Hybrid
- Я русский, а ты?I'm Russian, how about you?This sentence demonstrates using а ты to return a question about identity.Tatoeba #5760074 by odexed, translation #13485998 by rul
- Я не против, а ты?I'm not against it, how about you?This sentence illustrates using а ты to return a question about an opinion.Tatoeba #12385962 by marafon, translation #13584693 by Native77
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Olga and Alexander are talking about their weekend plans.
- Ольга OlgaЯ пойду в кино. А ты?Ya poydu v kino. A ty?I'm going to the cinema. How about you?
- Александр AleksandrЯ останусь дома и буду читать.Ya ostanus' doma i budu chitat'.I'll stay home and read.
- Ольга OlgaЗвучит очень спокойно.Zvuchit ochen' spokoyno.That sounds very peaceful.
- Александр AleksandrДа, я очень устал на этой неделе.Da, ya ochen' ustal na etoy nedele.Yes, I'm very tired this week.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (а, ты) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries а, ты, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
