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Questions & Answers about Добрый вечер! Вы дома?
Why is there no word for "are" in Вы дома?
In Russian, the present tense of the verb to be (am, is, are) is usually skipped entirely. So, Вы дома? literally translates to You at home? You just raise your tone of voice at the end of the sentence to show it is a question.
Why does дом change to дома here?
The word дом is a noun that means a house or a building. When you want to say that someone is located inside their own home, you use the special location word дома (at home).
Could I say Ты дома? instead of Вы дома?
Yes! Вы is the formal or plural form of you. You use it when speaking to multiple people or respectfully to one person you do not know well. If you are asking a close friend or a family member, you would use the informal you and ask Ты дома?.
Why does it say Добрый here, but Доброе in Доброе утро (Good morning)?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. The word вечер (evening) ends in a consonant, which makes it a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine adjective Добрый. The word утро (morning) ends in an -о, making it neuter, so it takes the neuter adjective Доброе.