Thread: Speaking Politely in Plural

Quiz Question: How difficult is russian language?
Anwer: You cannot imagine.

Yesterday I have a serious argument with both my teacher and the director of the Russian Institute in Cyprus for the following sentence:

"В основании данных которые у меня имеются я сделал следующие выводы: После аварии оценщик написал в официальном отчете что по его-мнение в аварии виноваты Вы (I refer to only one woman)"

When you speak politely in complicated languages (German, Russian, Greek) we use plural in verbs:
1. I would like that you answer today, Sir! - Ya xotel by chtoby vy otvetili segodnya gospodin.

In adjectives in Greek and German the mestoimenie changes in plural but the adjective remains in the gender and number of the co-speaker
1. You are a very beautiful woman - Vy ochen krasivaya zhenshina.

Yesterday I learned that in the Russian language when we use kratkuiu formu of the adjective and the adjective changes into plural form:
- You are very beautiful (refer to one woman) = Vy ochen krasyvy

Honestly!!?!!!


P.S. This post is here to discourage those that came in this forum to learn Russian in six months. Seriously guys ... go and find a real hobby.

Hmm, don't see any real problem here.

Вы очень красива - Вы очень красивы.

The first one doesn't sound all incorrect to me. Anyway, I agree that saying вы очень красивы is at least a bit better.

But I see what it is all about:

виноват вы - виноваты вы.

Yes, виноват вы is not what you use there

By the way:

На основании данных - That's a set phrase. Also it's better to say: На основании имеющихся у меня данных

Originally Posted by iCake

The first one doesn't sound all incorrect to me. Anyway, I agree that saying вы очень красивы is at least a bit better.

It probably doesn't sound incorrect, but, according to current grammar rules, it is.


Antonio1986, let me blow your brain a bit more. If you want to ask a woman, whether she's the only one, who wants an ice cream, you would say:
"Вы одна (!) хотите (!!!) мороженое?"

Originally Posted by Suobig

It probably doesn't sound incorrect, but, according to current grammar rules, it is.


Antonio1986, let me blow your brain a bit more. If you want to ask a woman, whether she's the only one, who wants an ice cream, you would say:
"Вы одна (!) хотите (!!!) мороженое?"

No difficult. The same structure in Greek Thanks God!!!

Originally Posted by Antonio1986

No difficult. The same structure in Greek Thanks God!!!

Yes, but "одна" is singular and "хотите" is plural. Is it the same way in Greek?

I think одна doesn't matter there as the verb responds to the plural вы and not to the singular одна

Originally Posted by iCake

I think одна doesn't matter there as the verb responds to the plural вы and not to the singular одна

Yes, but there's no logical way to understand why there is an agreement between "вы" and "хотите", but no agreement between "вы" и "одна" in one sentence.