Subject pronouns (я, ты, он...)

New Letters

  • Щщ: Sounds like a soft, long "sh" (like sheep).
  • Фф: Sounds like the "f" in fox.
  • Ъъ: The hard sign. It makes no sound of its own but acts as a separator between a consonant and a vowel, keeping the preceding consonant "hard".

Asking Questions and Making Contrasts

To ask about a person, use кто (who). You will also see а (and/but), which is used to contrast things or switch topics (like "And what about...?").

Who is this?
Кто это?
And who is there?
А кто там?

I and You (Singular)

Use я (I) and ты (you). Note that ты is singular and informal, used with friends, family, and children.

I am at home.
Я дома.
Where are you, brother?
Где ты, брат?

We, You (Plural), and They

For groups and formal situations, use these pronouns:

  • мы (we)
  • вы (you, plural). This is also the formal "you" when addressing a single person respectfully.
  • они (they)
We are at home, and the cat is there.
Мы дома, а кот там.
Are you here?
Вы здесь?
Where are mom and brother? They are at home.
Где мама и брат? Они дома.

He, She, and It (он, она, оно)

In Russian, every noun has a grammatical gender, and the pronoun used to replace it must match. This means он (he/it) and она (she/it) are used for both people and inanimate objects.

  • он (he/it) replaces masculine nouns.
  • она (she/it) replaces feminine nouns.
  • оно (it) replaces neuter nouns.
Where is the dictionary? It is here.
Где словарь? Он здесь.
Where is the notebook? It is there.
Где тетрадь? Она там.
Where is the apple? It is there.
Где яблоко? Оно там.
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