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Questions & Answers about Почему ты грустный?
Where is the word "are" in this sentence?
In Russian, the verb "to be" (am, is, are) is almost always skipped in the present tense. Instead of saying "Why are you sad?", Russian just says "Why you sad?" (Почему ты грустный?).
Why does грустный end in -ый?
How would this sentence change if I were asking a female?
If you were talking to a woman or a girl, you would change the masculine ending -ый to the feminine ending -ая. The sentence becomes Почему ты грустная?.
Can I use this exact sentence to ask a group of friends why they are sad?
No. Ты is strictly for one person you are close to (informal singular). To ask a group, you must use вы (plural "you"). You also have to change the adjective to its plural form (грустные). So, to a group, you would ask: Почему вы грустные?.