quick question

[lifelessnbroken.livejournal.com]

okie this is probably stupid but why is it when you tell someone your name and you say 'а тебя?' but when someone asks how you are and you say fine, and then to ask them how they are u say 'а у тебя?' is it just a formal difference?

or maybe i just have this all wrong. Я очень устала. (is that how you say im very tired?)

thanks

Comments

[virtualsushi.livejournal.com]

I suppose you are over-reacting. It's just about that crazy thing that Russian always have fun about: in English the question "how are you?" does not demand an immediate explanations on how you are. In Russian, it is normal if you describe your life, at least in a couple of words. So, it is NOT just a formal difference, say something, of course if you feel like doing that.

The joke you have stumbled upon is about the same thing... Do I make myself enough clear?;)

[lifelessnbroken.livejournal.com]

actually what i meant was this: i just wanted to know if there was any reason why you say 'a tebya' when asking someone their name and 'a oo tebya' when asking someone how they are. that's all.

sorry for lack of cyrillic, i'm lazy lol

[virtualsushi.livejournal.com]

Aha, now I see.
Yes, it depends on what they mean.
"A tebya" is about your name.
"A u tebya" means how your things are.

[socialsodomy.livejournal.com]

Ok. This makes more sense with the questions involved.

Как тебя зовут?

This is literally asking you, "What do they call you" where тебя is the accusative case of Ты (you).

Как у тебя дела?

Is vaguely like, "Whats happening by you" where у тебя is a phrase meaning "by you" and тебя is the genetive case of ты as required by the preposition "у".

Does that explain it?

[-alex-dee-.livejournal.com]

> when you tell someone your name and you say 'а тебя?'
привет, меня зовут алекс. а тебя ?? 'а тебя' in context: what's your name ??

> then to ask them how they are u say 'а у тебя?'
у меня все хорошо. а у тебя ??
i'm fine. and what's about you ?? *something like this*

>Я очень устала. (is that how you say im very tired?)
yes, but it can be Я очень устал (для мужского рода)

)))

[mr-yogurt.livejournal.com]

It's simple. Compare:

- Как тебя зовут?
- Коля. А [как зовут] тебя?

- Как у тебя дела?
- Хорошо! А [как дела] у тебя?

The second question in both dialogues is just like first, but some words are not spoken.

[socialsodomy.livejournal.com]

Yea, that is a much simpler way to explain it than I did! (See above, for more confusion).

[nongrata.livejournal.com]

'What is your name?' is "Как тебя зовут?" which translates to 'What do they cal you?'. So the "А тебя?" ('And you?') is logical.

'How are you?' in Russian would be "Как у тебя дела?" which can be loosely translated as 'How are things with you?'. Thus, you reply with the question "А у тебя?"
Because "у" is a preposition that does not exist in English in this sense, it might be a little difficult to understand the difference.

Note that people tend to omit "у тебя" and just say "Как дела?", but it is the complete version I mentioned above that implies the question.