вий

See also: виј, вій, and вії

Bulgarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [vij]

• Audio:

  (file)

Pronoun

вий • (vij) (personal)

1. (regional, nonstandard or poetic) Alternative form of вие (vie) (the second-person plural pronoun in the nominative case, used as the subject of a verb); you

   Вий двамата сте по-високи от мен.

   Vij dvamata ste po-visoki ot men.

   Both of you are taller than me.

   • 1872-73, Hristo Botev, In the Tavern, Nezavisimost (newspaper):

     […] а вий... вий сте идиоти!

     […] a vij... vij ste idioti!

     […] and you... you are idiots!

   • 1895, Aleko Konstantinov, Baj Ganjo Visits Jireček:

     Вий нали бяхте министър в София?

     Vij nali bjahte ministǎr v Sofija?

     You were a minister in Sofia, right?

Usage notes

Вий and ний are used in the Eastern Bulgarian dialects and are not considered standard. They can also be found in poetry (see quotations) where the number of syllables is important and these pronouns are one syllable shorter than their corresponding standard forms.

Related terms

Bulgarian personal pronouns

Number	Person	Gender	Nominative (subject)	Accusative (direct complement)		Dative (indirect complement)		Prepositional
				Full	Short	Full	Short
Singular	First	—	аз (az)	мен (men) ме́не (méne)	ме (me)	ме́не (méne)	ми (mi)	мен (men) ме́не (méne)
	Second	Informal	ти (ti)	теб (teb) те́бе (tébe)	те (te)	те́бе (tébe)	ти (ti)	теб (teb) те́бе (tébe)
		Formal	Ви́е (Víe)	Вас (Vas)	Ви (Vi)	Вам (Vam)	Ви (Vi)	Вас (Vas)
	Third	Masculine	той (toj)	не́го (négo)	го (go)	не́му (nému)	му (mu)	не́го (négo)
		Feminine	тя (tja)	не́я (néja)	я (ja)	ней (nej)	ѝ (ì)	не́я (néja)
		Neuter	то (to)	не́го (négo)	го (go)	не́му (nému)	му (mu)	не́го (négo)
Plural	First	—	ни́е (níe) ний (nij)	нас (nas)	ни (ni)	нам (nam)	ни (ni)	нас (nas)
	Second	Informal	ви́е (víe) вий (vij)	вас (vas)	ви (vi)	вам (vam)	ви (vi)	вас (vas)
		Formal	Ви́е (Víe)	Вас (Vas)	Ви (Vi)	Вам (Vam)	Ви (Vi)	Вас (Vas)
	Third	—	те (te)	тях (tjah)	ги (gi)	тям (tjam)	им (im)	тях (tjah)

Mongolian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈw̜iː/
• Syllabification: вий (1 syllable)

Particle

вий • (vii)

1. in case; lest; might

   хүмүүс сонсчих вий

   xümüüs sonsčix vii

   people might hear; in case people hear

   хортой байх вий

   xortoj bajx vii

   in case it's poisoned

Synonyms

• -уузай (-uuzaj)

Russian

Viy commands "open my eyelids, I can't see"

Etymology

Borrowed from Ukrainian вій (vij).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [vʲij]

Noun

вий • (vij) m anim (genitive ви́я, nominative plural ви́и, genitive plural ви́ев)

1. (mythology) "viy" (a creature with gigantic eyelids and eyelashes from hell who kills by looking at people)

Declension

Declension of вий (anim masc-form i-stem accent-a) 

	singular	plural
nominative	ви́й víj	ви́и víi
genitive	ви́я víja	ви́ев víjev
dative	ви́ю víju	ви́ям víjam
accusative	ви́я víja	ви́ев víjev
instrumental	ви́ем víjem	ви́ями víjami
prepositional	ви́и víi	ви́ях víjax

Ukrainian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *vyjь or *vъjь; see the verb *vyti. Cognate to Russian вой (voj), Macedonian виј (vij).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʋɪi̯]

Noun

вий • (vyj) m inan (genitive ви́я, nominative plural ви́ї, genitive plural ви́їв)

1. howling

   Synonym: виття́ (vyttjá)

Declension

Declension of вий (inan sg-only j-stem masc-form accent-a)

	singular
nominative	вий vyj
genitive	ви́ю výju
dative	ви́ю, ви́єві výju, výjevi
accusative	вий vyj
instrumental	ви́єм výjem
locative	ви́ю, ви́ї výju, výji
vocative	ви́ю výju

Related terms

• ви́ти (výty)
• виття́ (vyttjá)

Further reading

• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “вий”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• “вий”, in Горох – Словозміна [Horokh – Inflection] (in Ukrainian)
• “вий”, in Kyiv Dictionary (in English)
• “вий”, in Словник.ua [Slovnyk.ua] (in Ukrainian)