Как Вы называете этот знак?

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• Как — literally how, but in this kind of question it corresponds to English what ... called
• Вы — you (formal singular or plural)
• называете — call / name; this is the present-tense form of называть
• этот — this
• знак — sign / symbol / mark

So the structure is literally close to How do you call this sign?, even though natural English says What do you call this sign?

This is one of the most common points of confusion for English speakers.

In Russian, when asking for the name of something, как is often used where English uses what:

• Как это называется? — What is this called?
• Как Вы называете этот знак? — What do you call this sign?

So although как usually means how, in naming questions it often works like what ... called in English.

Называете is:

• from the verb называть — to call / to name
• imperfective
• present tense
• 2nd person plural

That means it can refer either to:

• you (plural) call
• or you (formal singular) call

Because the sentence has Вы, here it is probably the polite/formal you.

Capital Вы is a politeness convention in writing.

Russian distinguishes between:

• ты — informal you (singular)
• вы — plural you, and also formal/polite singular you

When addressing one person politely in writing, people often write Вы with a capital letter. So here it shows respectful address.

If it were lowercase вы, the sentence could still be understood, but the capital letter makes the politeness especially clear.

Because этот знак is the direct object of называете.

The verb называть takes a direct object: you call something by a certain name. Here, the thing being referred to is этот знак.

For masculine singular inanimate nouns, the accusative is the same as the nominative:

• nominative: этот знак
• accusative: этот знак

So even though it is the object, the form stays этот знак.

Yes. It is the direct object, so grammatically it is in the accusative.

But because знак is:

• masculine
• singular
• inanimate

its accusative form looks exactly like its nominative form.

Compare:

• nominative: этот знак
• accusative: вижу этот знак / называете этот знак

So the case is accusative, even though the form does not change.

Yes. Russian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral order here is:

• Как Вы называете этот знак?

But you might also see or hear variants such as:

• Как этот знак Вы называете?
• Этот знак как Вы называете?

These versions may shift emphasis slightly, but the basic meaning stays the same.

For learners, the given order is a good standard pattern.

It is correct and understandable, especially in a formal context.

However, Russian often prefers an impersonal/passive-style version:

• Как называется этот знак? — What is this sign called?

That version is often more natural in everyday usage when you simply want to know the name of the sign or symbol.

The difference is:

• Как Вы называете этот знак? focuses on what you call it
• Как называется этот знак? focuses on what it is called

Both are correct, but the second is often more common.

Usually, называете is the better choice here.

Both verbs can sometimes translate as call, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

• называть is the normal verb for naming / calling something by a term
• звать is often used for calling someone, inviting, or being named, especially with people

For example:

• Как вас зовут? — What is your name?
• Я называю это ошибкой. — I call this a mistake.

With этот знак, называете sounds natural. Как Вы зовёте этот знак? would sound odd to most speakers.

A helpful stressed version is:

Как Вы называ́ете э́тот знак?

Main stresses:

• называ́ете
• э́тот
• знак is one syllable, so it carries its own stress automatically

A rough English approximation would be:

• kak vy nazy-VA-ye-tye EH-tat znak

A few pronunciation notes:

• Вы sounds like vï; there is no exact English equivalent of ы
• его/ого issues do not apply here, so the spelling is close to the pronunciation
• что is not in the sentence, so there are no irregular reductions to worry about

Знак is a broad word. Depending on context, it can mean:

• a sign
• a symbol
• a mark
• sometimes even a character or signifier

So in this sentence, it could refer to something like:

• a punctuation mark
• a road sign
• a mathematical symbol
• some other visual sign

The exact English translation depends on context, but sign or symbol is often the safest general choice.

Russian uses the imperfective называть because the question is about a general naming habit or current way of referring to something.

• Как Вы называете этот знак? = What do you call this sign?

If you used a perfective form like назовёте, the meaning would shift toward a future or one-time result:

• Как Вы назовёте этот знак? = What will you call this sign? / What name will you give this sign?

So the imperfective is the natural choice when asking for the usual name of something.