кто ты?
kto ty?[kto tɨ]word by word
The English phrase "who are you?" is translated into Russian as кто ты? (kto ty?) or Кто вы?
This phrase is a direct question used to ask for a person's identity. In Russian, the verb "to be" (am/is/are) is omitted in the present tense, so the phrase literally translates to "who you?"
Which one should you use?
The form кто ты? is used for children, close friends or in very informal settings, whereas Кто вы? is the polite or plural version.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form кто вы? is used when addressing a single person formally or when addressing a group of people (plural).
How do you pronounce it?
kto ty?
Did you know?
- While кто ты? asks for identity, Russians often use the phrase вы кто? (flipping the word order) to express a sense of 'Who do you think you are?' when someone is overstepping their bounds.
- The word ты is a cognate with the English word 'thee', reflecting a shared ancient ancestor in the Proto-Indo-European language family.
- When asking for a person's role or profession, Russians might use кто вы? where English speakers would prefer 'What do you do?'
Examples in context
- Здравствуйте, кто вы?Hello, who are you?
- Прости, кто ты?Prosti, kto ty?Sorry, who are you?
- Скажи мне, кто ты?Skazhi mne, kto ty?Tell me, who are you?
Example conversation
Two strangers meet at a youth hostel.
- Мария MariaПривет! Кто ты?Privet! Kto ty?Hi! Who are you?
- Александр AleksandrЯ Александр, новый сосед.Ya Aleksandr, novyy sosed.I'm Aleksandr, the new roommate.
- Мария MariaА я Мария. Приятно познакомиться!A ya Mariya. Priyatno poznakomitsya!And I'm Maria. Nice to meet you!
- Александр AleksandrМне тоже, Мария.Mne tozhe, Mariya.Me too, Maria.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (кто, ты) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries кто, ты, CC BY-SA 4.0.
