Breakdown of Вы едете на автобусе?
вы
you (plural)
на
on, at / by (transport) / to (a place) / to (in answer to)
ехать
to go (by vehicle)
автобус
bus
Questions & Answers about Вы едете на автобусе?
Why is the verb едете used here instead of идёте?
Russian has different verbs for going on foot versus going by transport. Едете comes from ехать, which means to go by vehicle. If you were asking if someone is walking, you would use идёте (from идти).
Does this sentence mean they are taking the bus right now?
Yes! Because ехать is a unidirectional verb, it describes a single trip happening in one direction right now. It can also be used to talk about a specific, planned trip in the near future.
Why do we say на автобусе instead of just автобус?
In Russian, to say you travel by a type of transport, you use the preposition на (which usually means 'on') followed by the Prepositional case. The dictionary word is автобус, and adding the -е to the end makes it на автобусе.
The English translation says 'you all'. Can вы едете also be used for just one person?
Yes. Вы is the plural 'you' (you all), but it is also the formal 'you' for a single person. You would say вы едете to a group of friends, or to a single person if you are being polite (like a stranger or your boss).
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