Questions & Answers about А где вы?
Why does the translation say "you all" when вы means "you"?
In Russian, вы is specifically the plural "you" (meaning "you all" or "you guys") when talking to more than one person. It is also used as a polite, formal "you" when speaking to one person, like a stranger or a teacher.
Where is the word for "are" in this sentence?
Russian almost always leaves out the verb "to be" (am, is, are) in the present tense. So instead of saying "Where are you?", you simply ask "Where you?".
Why use А for "And" here instead of И?
Both can mean "and", but А is used for a slight contrast or to change the subject. It is perfect for bouncing a question back at someone. If you just said where you are, you would use А где вы? to mean "And (what about you), where are you?".
Could I change the order and say А вы где?
Yes, you can! Russian word order is quite flexible. Both А где вы? and А вы где? are correct and common. The word placed at the end just gets a little extra emphasis.
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