Pronouns such as “I,” “she,” or “we” are called personal pronouns. In Russian, personal pronouns change according to case. When used in the Nominative case, personal pronouns act as subjects of the sentence.

Table 3-1 Russian personal pronouns in Nominative

I	ia
you (singular/informal)	ty
he	on
she	ona
it (neuter)	ono
we	my
you (plural and/or formal)	vy
they	oni

In Russian there are two ways to say “you.” When you address a single person, use ty. When you address a group of people, use vy. Vy is also the correct way to address someone you are on formal terms with. Ty is reserved for family, friends, and children.

Exercise 1: How to Address?

Choose whether to use ty or vy when addressing these people.

1. your mother 2. a group of your colleagues 3. one of your colleagues 4. your cousin 5. a waiter 6. your grandmother 7. a doctor 8. your friend

Exercise 2: Rewriting Sentences

Rewrite each sentence. Replace each subject noun with an appropriate personal pronoun.

1. Ivan rabotaet v redaktsii.

2. Moi roditeli zhivut v Moskve.

3. Eto kafe nazyvaetsia “Skazka.”

4. Moj drug i ia sobiraemsia poiti v kino.

5. Natasha igraet na skripke.

6. Ty i tvoia sobaka vchera byli v parke?

7. Moskovskoe metro zakryvaetsia v chas nochi.

8. Eti konfety ochen' sladkie.

Exercise 3: Completing the Sentences

TRACK 18

Listen to the speaker. Complete the following sentences, replacing the nouns read by the speaker with appropriate pronouns.

1. poshiol domoj.

2. pozvonila pozdno.

3. prigotovleno iz ryby.

4. pribyli v gostinitsu.

5. pojdiom v kino.

6. budete na vecherinke?

7. uekhali v otpusk.

8. rabotaet na pochte.