Where have you been?

[slovami.livejournal.com]

When you want to ask someone where they disappeared to (literally or figuratively), which usage is more standard?:

1. Куда ты пропал?
2. Где ты пропал?

The first one makes more sense to me, since пропасть is a motion verb and should require куда. But I think I hear the second one more.

Also, do people use the imperfective пропадал or the perfective пропал? Or does it depend on context?

Comments

[daskalidi.livejournal.com]

Где ты пропадал is correct. Пропал is impossible.

[oiseau-russe.livejournal.com]

It is possible, but definitely not correct :)

[alexzk.livejournal.com]

yeap...russian sounds in Ukrain as "куда ты пропал" more often )

[sithoid.livejournal.com]

Куда ты пропал is also correct, though.

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

but another meaning

[iamphet.livejournal.com]

#2 would make sense with imperfective "где ты пропадал"

[kolomi9.livejournal.com]

Куда запропастился.
Сколько лет сколько зим.
Где шляешься. или шлялся
Ну как ты бродяга?

Это все о том же но другими словами))).

[slovami.livejournal.com]

Nice, thanks! :)

[oiseau-russe.livejournal.com]

You can say Куда ты пропал? Or Где ты пропадал? Both are used, but the meaning is not quite the same. The second is more "Where have you been so long?" when the first is more "where are you?"

[malim-praedari.livejournal.com]

+1

[slovami.livejournal.com]

Ok, thanks, that's exactly the kind of explanation I was looking for! :)

[oiseau-russe.livejournal.com]

:)

[therox.livejournal.com]

"Где пропадал" in an informal conversation

[cartesienne.livejournal.com]

It surely depends on the context, as it would with English. When you say Где ты пропадал? Where were you hiding yourself? - it means that the person you are speaking to is now safe n' sound n' present in front of you for you to question. If you say Куда ты пропал? *Where have you disappeared? it more or less implies you are writing an e-mail or at least giving a phone call, contact-establishing phrase, as the guy's probably still there... Those two seem best examples, at least to me, though in colloquial speech everything is possible :)

[agorbylev.livejournal.com]

Чисто разговорные варианты ещё:
- Ну как? Где (ты) пропадал(а)?
- Что случилось? Чего так долго тебя не было (видно / слышно)?