Category: "Vot"

Вот (часть первая)

by Don  

The word вот means ‘here’ in the sense of “here it is” or “here they are.” Very often you find it used in very short sentences:

— Где моя книга?
— Вот она.
“Where is my book?”
“Here it is.”
— Где моя сестра?
— Вот она.
“Where is my sister?”
“Here she is.”
— Где мой журнал?
— Вот он.
“Where is my magazine?”
“Here it is.”
— Где мои туфли?
— Вот они.
“Where are my shoes?”
“Here they are.”

Of course, it's possible to add modifiers and clauses to make the sentences longer:

— Вот фотография девушки, которая будет моей женой.
— Это не Скарлетт Йоханссон? Я думал, что она замужем.
— Да, за Райаном Рейнольдсом, но я её уведу от него.
“Here's a picture of the woman who will be my wife.”
“Isn't that Scarlett Johansson? I thought she was married.”
“Yes, to Ryan Reynolds, but I'll snatch her away from him.”
— Вот книжка, в которой записаны все мои пароли.
— Не боишься её потерять?
— Ну, да, поэтому я сделал с неё три копии.
— А где остальные?
— Бог его знает. Я их потерял.
“Here's the book in which all my passwords are recorded.”
“Aren't you afraid of losing it?”
“Well, yes, that's why I made three copies of it.”
“And where are there others?”
“God only knows. I lost them.”

Beginners are sometimes confused about when to use вот and when to use здесь/тут. The primary difference is that вот is only used when you are actively pointing out something or someone; in other words, you are usually either gesturing with your hand or nodding toward the item with your head or glancing toward it with your eyes. Тут and здесь can be used without actually pointing out the item. Thus if you are asking the question whether an item is currently present, you use тут/здесь, not вот:

— Папа здесь?
— Да, он здесь.
“Is Dad here?”
“Yes, he is here.”
— Твой брат тут?
— Нет, он ещё на работе.
“Is your brother here?”
“No, he is still at work.”

Of course, if you point out the person in your answer, you can use вот in the answer, but you still won't use it in the question:

— Папа здесь?
— Да, вот он.
“Is Dad here?”
“Yes, here he is.”