Personal Pronouns and the Verb БЫТЬ
The foundations of a Russian sentence: who speaks, and where the verb "to be" goes
⚡Key points
The seven personal pronouns
Russian has seven personal pronouns. The most important distinction for an English speaker is ты (informal "you", singular) vs вы (formal or plural "you"). In the plural, они́ covers both they (masculine) and they (feminine) without distinction.
The seven personal pronouns
| 1st person singular | я | I |
| 2nd person singular (informal) | ты | you |
| 3rd person masculine | он | he |
| 3rd person feminine | она́ | she |
| 1st person plural | мы | we |
| 2nd person plural or formal singular | вы | you |
| 3rd person plural | они́ | they |
💡 Mnemonics
2nd person singular (informal) ты : With friends, family, children
2nd person plural or formal singular вы : With strangers, superiors, or multiple people
3rd person plural они́ : No gender distinction in the plural
When to use ты or вы
ты — close or informal relationship
With a friend, family member, child.
Between colleagues of the same age in a relaxed setting.
On social media, between young users.
вы — formal relationship or multiple people
With a stranger, a superior, an elderly person.
At work, in a shop, at the administration.
In the plural, regardless of familiarity.
Dialogue: first meeting
Andrey: Hi! I’m Andrey. And you? — Maria: Hello! I’m Maria. — Andrey: Nice to meet you. Are you a student? — Maria: Yes, I’m a student. And you? — Andrey: I’m a student too.
The verb БЫТЬ in the present: it disappears
In modern Russian, the verb БЫТЬ (to be) is not expressed in the present tense. The sentence "I am a student" is built literally as "I student": Я студе́нт. The verb "to be" returns in the past and future — but in the present, you omit it.
Building present-tense sentences (without "to be")
With a profession
Я врач. (I am a doctor.)
Она́ учи́тельница. (She is a teacher.)
Мы студе́нты. (We are students.)
With a nationality
Я америка́нец. (I am American.)
Она́ ру́сская. (She is Russian.)
Вы англича́нин ? (Are you English?)
With a location
Я дома. (I am at home.)
Он в Москве́. (He is in Moscow.)
Мы здесь. (We are here.)
With a predicate adjective
Она́ краси́вая. (She is beautiful.)
Он у́мный. (He is smart.)
Вы пра́вы. (You are right.)
💡⚠️ The pronoun alone is not enough: you need a predicate
Dialogue: brief introduction
Svetlana: Hello! I’m Svetlana. I’m a teacher. — John: Nice to meet you. I’m John. I’m American. — Svetlana: Have you been here long? — John: No, I’m here for two weeks. I’m a tourist.
БЫТЬ in the past: mandatory gender agreement
In the past tense, the verb БЫТЬ reappears. And it agrees in gender and number with the subject — a rule that can surprise an English speaker used to "was" / "were" being gender-neutral.
БЫТЬ in the past
| Masculine singular subject | был | I/you/he was |
| Feminine singular subject | была | I/you/she was |
| Neuter singular subject | было | it was (neuter) |
| Plural subject (all genders) | были | we/you/they were |
💡⚠️ A man says был, a woman says была
Dialogue: recalling a memory
Anna: Where were you yesterday? I called you. — Maria: I was at the cinema. And you? — Anna: I was at home. My brother was also at home. — Maria: And your parents? — Anna: They were at the dacha (country house).
БЫТЬ in the future: regular conjugation
In the future, БЫТЬ conjugates normally, like a regular verb. No gender agreement this time — just person and number.
БЫТЬ in the future
| я | буду | I will be |
| ты | будешь | you will be |
| он / она́ | будет | he / she will be |
| мы | будем | we will be |
| вы | будете | you will be |
| они́ | будут | they will be |
Dialogue: plans for tomorrow
Ivan: Tomorrow I’ll be in St. Petersburg. And you? — Olga: I’ll be at work. We’ll be preparing a report. — Ivan: And Masha and Sergey? — Olga: They’ll be at home. They have a day off.
Gender in professions and nationalities
Many words for professions or nationalities have a masculine and a feminine form. You agree with the subject — this is what makes gender visible when the verb "to be" is absent.
- студе́нт (male student) → студе́нтка (female student)
- учи́тель (male teacher) → учи́тельница (female teacher)
- актёр (actor) → актриса (actress)
- америка́нец (American man) → американка (American woman)
- ру́сский (Russian, m.) → ру́сская (Russian, f.)
- Some nouns stay invariable: врач (doctor), инжене́р (engineer), профе́ссор (professor). For these, the pronoun (он / она́) carries the gender information.
Recap dialogue: present, past, future
Journalist: Hello! What is your profession? — Elena: I am a journalist. Before, I was a teacher. — Journalist: And your husband? — Elena: He is a doctor. Tomorrow he will be on a business trip in Moscow. — Journalist: Thank you very much for the interview!