Breakdown of Тёть, ты можешь перезвонить Диме? Он ждёт.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
ты
you (singular)
тётя
aunt
мочь
to be able to
ждать
to wait (imperfective)
Дима
Dima
перезвонить
to call back (pf)
Questions & Answers about Тёть, ты можешь перезвонить Диме? Он ждёт.
How is the word тёть formed here, and when is it appropriate to use?
Тёть is the colloquial truncated vocative of тётя (aunt). To form this short vocative, you drop the final vowel to get someone's attention quickly. It is highly informal, so you should only use it with family members or people you are close enough to address with ты.
When we drop the final vowel from тётя, why does it become тёть with a soft sign instead of just тёт?
The vowel я in тётя indicates that the preceding consonant т is soft. When you drop the vowel to form the truncated vocative, you still need to preserve that soft pronunciation. The soft sign (ь) is added to show that the final т remains soft.
Why is Dima's name in the dative case (Диме) instead of the accusative?
Unlike in English where you call someone as a direct object, Russian verbs for telephoning like звонить and перезвонить require the dative case. You are essentially directing the call to him. Since Дима is a masculine name ending in -а, it declines like a feminine noun, making its dative form Диме.
Could I use the imperfective verb перезванивать here instead of the perfective перезвонить?
Not in this context. The speaker is asking the aunt to perform a single, specific, completed action (calling Dima back right now because he is waiting). You would only use the imperfective перезванивать if you were asking about a general habit or repeated action.
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