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А чего это мы такие ворчливые?
I just received an IM from my girlfriend, in which she used the pronoun "мы" (jokingly, I suppose) although it was I alone who was grumbling about something in a previous message.
I wonder if this is an equivalent of "Aren't we grumpy today?" in English and "On est ronchon, hein ?" in French? English and French use the pronouns "we/on" to indirectly refer to "you/tu" respectively.
In this particular case it means "Why are you grumpy today"? So, "we" means "you" in this sentence.
This form is often used when talking to children and emphasizes jocular tone.
Yes, in sentences like this “мы” can in fact be a 2nd person pronoun.
Also observe that this can apply to imperative mood as well. “Проходим, не задерживаемся!”
The usage of мы instead of ты/вы in colloquial speech is wide enough. The explorers call it 'sympathetically intimate', 'solidary', 'doctorate / parental' or 'inclusive'. Such a usage of мы is considered neutral when it emphasizes a definitely higher situational status of the speaker, e. g. in a pair like doctor-to-patient (Как мы себя чувствуем?), parent-to-child (Что это мы тут плачем?), policeman-to-suspect (Будем сознаваться или будем играть в молчанку!?), etc. A comical effect only appears if it's spoken by someone 'out of proper status'.
(В. З. Санников, Русский язык в зеркале языковой игры)
I wonder if this is an equivalent of "Aren't we grumpy today?" in English.
I think this is exact equivalent.
