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Questions & Answers about Вы учитель?
Why is there no word for "are" in this sentence?
In Russian, the verb "to be" (am, is, are) is almost always skipped in the present tense. Instead of saying "Are you a teacher?", Russian literally just says "You teacher?".
If the words are just "You teacher", how do we know it's a yes/no question?
Through your tone of voice! To turn a statement into a question in Russian without changing the word order, you simply raise the pitch of your voice on the core word you are asking about. Here, your voice should go up on учитель.
Where is the word for "a" before "teacher"?
Russian does not have articles like "a", "an", or "the". The word учитель translates to "a teacher" or "the teacher" automatically based on the context of the conversation.
Why does the sentence use Вы instead of ты for "you"?
Вы is the formal and polite way to say "you" to a single person, often used with strangers, elders, or professionals like a teacher. It is also the plural "you" for addressing a group of people. If you were asking a close friend or a child, you would use the informal ты.