Questions & Answers about Почему вы смеётесь?
Why does the verb смеётесь end in -сь instead of -ся?
In Russian, reflexive verbs use -сь after vowels and -ся after consonants. Since the standard formal or plural 'you' ending is -те, which ends in the vowel е, we attach -сь to the very end.
The dictionary form of 'to laugh' is смеяться. Why is there a ё in смеётесь?
Смеяться is a verb that changes its stem slightly in the present tense. The я from the infinitive changes to ё for most of the present tense forms, like я смеюсь (I laugh) and вы смеётесь (you laugh).
Reflexive verbs usually mean doing an action to yourself. Does смеётесь mean 'laughing at yourself'?
No, this is a great exception to know! While many verbs with -ся or -сь are truly reflexive, some Russian verbs just permanently have this ending without meaning 'to oneself'. Смеяться is one of those verbs that always requires the reflexive ending.
How do we know this means 'are laughing' right now instead of just 'laugh'?
Russian does not have a separate continuous tense like the English 'are doing'. The present tense verb смеётесь covers both 'you laugh' and 'you are laughing'. The context of asking Почему (Why) makes it clear they are doing it right now.
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