Questions & Answers about Вы спрашиваете, а я отвечаю.
Why does the verb спрашивать end in -ете here?
Because it goes with вы (you, plural or formal). For most verbs that end in -ать (first conjugation), you drop the -ть from the dictionary form and add -ете when the subject is вы, giving us спрашиваете.
The English translation says 'and', so why is the Russian word а instead of и?
In Russian, а is used to show a slight contrast or a shift in focus from one person or thing to another. Here, the focus switches from what you are doing (вы спрашиваете) to what I am doing (я отвечаю). Even though we often say 'and' in English for this, using и here would sound unnatural to a Russian speaker.
Why does отвечаю end in -ю instead of a plural ending?
Because its subject is я (I). Even though this lesson focuses on plural forms, sentences often mix singular and plural subjects. For я, first conjugation verbs drop the -ть from their dictionary form (отвечать) and add -ю.
Can спрашиваете mean 'you are asking' as well as 'you ask'?
Yes! Russian does not have a separate 'am/is/are doing' tense like English does. Вы спрашиваете translates to both 'you ask' and 'you are asking' depending on what makes sense in the conversation.