Breakdown of Если Вы с коллегой слушаете друг друга внимательно, Вам легче договориться.
с
with
слушать
to listen
если
if
вы
you
Questions & Answers about Если Вы с коллегой слушаете друг друга внимательно, Вам легче договориться.
Why is Вы capitalized here?
Capitalized Вы is a polite written convention in Russian when addressing one person respectfully, similar to writing a very formal you.
So here Вы means formal singular you, not necessarily plural you all.
That said, in this sentence the phrase Вы с коллегой means you and your colleague, so the overall meaning involves two people.
What exactly does Вы с коллегой mean? Why not just say a normal plural subject?
Вы с коллегой literally means you with a colleague, but in natural English it corresponds to you and your colleague.
Russian often uses this pattern:
- я с братом = my brother and I
- ты с подругой = you and your friend
- Вы с коллегой = you and your colleague
It is a very natural way to express a joint subject.
Why is it с коллегой and not с коллега?