From Middle English you, yow, ȝow (object case of ye), from Old English ēow (“you”, dative case of ġē), from Proto-West Germanic *iwwi (“you”, dative case of *jiʀ), from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz (“you”, dative case of *jīz), the Western form of Proto-Germanic *izwiz (“you”, dative case of *jūz), from Proto-Indo-European *yúHs (“you”, plural). Cognate with Scots you (“you”), Saterland Frisian jou (“you”), West Frisian jo (“you”), Low German jo, joe and oe (“you”), Dutch jou and u (“you”), German euch (“you”), Middle High German eu, iu (“you”, object pronoun), Latin vōs (“you”), Avestan 𐬬𐬋 (vō, “you”), Ashkun yë̃ (“you”), Kamkata-viri šo (“you”), Sanskrit यूयम् (yūyám, “you”). See usage notes. Ye, you and your are cognate with Dutch jij/je, jou, jouw; Low German ji, jo/ju, jug and German ihr, euch and euer respectively. Ye is also cognate with Danish I and archaic Swedish I. Compare the shift to the second-person singular informal Spanish vos, historically a formal pronoun.
And Ioſeph ſaid vnto them, That is it that I ſpake vnto you, ſaying, Ye are ſpies.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 42:14, column 1:
If I may counsaile you, some day or two / Your Highnesse shall repose you at the Tower [...].c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis XIX::
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'Draw near, and wash you in the living flames, and take their virtue into your poor frames in all its virgin strength[.]'1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
‘Pull you up a chair,’ she offered.1970, Donald Harington, Lightning Bug:
You'd better get you a gun and kill him before he kills you or somebody.1975, Joseph Nazel, Death for Hire:
3
Nominative, Objective, Second person The person spoken to or written to, as an object. (Replacing thee; originally as a mark of respect.)
I charge you, as ye woll have my love, that ye warne your kynnesmen that ye woll beare that day the slyve of golde uppon your helmet.c. 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VIII:
4
Nominative, Objective, Pronoun, Second person, Subjective The people spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Replacing ye.)
You are all supposed to do as I tell you.
Are you excited? ― Yes, I am excited!2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
5
Nominative, Objective, Pronoun, Second person, Subjective The person spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Originally as a mark of respect.)
You are right, Fanny, to protest against such an office, but you need not be afraid.1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter IX, in Mansfield Park: […], volume II, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 208:
I get that you're from Southeast Michigan, but I'm still surprised that you're a Detroit Lions fan. You have been on the receiving end of losing seasons for a while now.
7
Indefinite, Nominative, Objective, Personal, Pronoun, Second person Anyone, one; an unspecified individual or group of individuals (as subject or object).
The ascent is precipitous, but the path is cut into continual and short windings, which enable you to surmount the perpendicularity of the mountain.1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter II, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume II, London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC, page 18:
You can't choose your family, your lovers are difficult and volatile, but, oh, you can choose your friends - so doesn't it make much more sense to live and holiday with them instead?2001 May 5, Polly Vernon, The Guardian:
8
Indefinite, Nominative, Objective, Personal, Pronoun, Second person A dummy pronoun used in certain constructions, usually with verbs of receiving (such as get or find) or sensing (such as see or hear), typically stating the existence or typicality of something.
You get a lot of rude people in London.
It was one of those small-town dive bars you often read about.
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You find a lot of 'life' in the city but much of it is an act people are putting on.1973, Soldiers:
You get some terrible bullies in Spanish villages too , and they'll doubtless grow up to be complete oafs.2018 October 4, Javier Marías, Berta Isla, Penguin UK, →ISBN:
You often hear about athletes having the jitters before a game, or having butterflies in their stomach.2018 January 16, Rick Wolff, Secrets of Sports Psychology Revealed: Proven Techniques to Elevate Your Performance, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
56 termsIme, me, myselfmemysen, mine, mymineme, we, us, ourselvesourselfoursen, oursourn, our, yourselfyoursen, yoursyourn, your, thou, thee, thyselftheeselfthysen, thine, thythine, youye, yourselves, you ally'all you guys yous, y'allselves, all yours y'all's you guys' your guys', all your y'all's your all's you guys' your guys', he, him, himselfhisselfhissen, hishisn, his, she, her, herselfhersen, hershern, ithit, itselfhitself, itshis, itshishits, they, them, themself, themselves, theirs, their, one, oneself, –, one's, themhem, 'em, themselvestheirsen, theirstheirn, The following table shows a list of English personal pronoun, including archaic and dialectal forms. Dialectal and obsolete, archaic forms are in italics. 1 See Appendix:English third-person singular pronouns for attested neopronoun., Appendix:English personal pronouns, :Category:English second person pronouns
From Middle English you, yow, ȝow (object case of ye), from Old English ēow (“you”, dative case of ġē), from Proto-West Germanic *iwwi (“you”, dative case of *jiʀ), from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz (“you”, dative case of *jīz), the Western form of Proto-Germanic *izwiz (“you”, dative case of *jūz), from Proto-Indo-European *yúHs (“you”, plural). Cognate with Scots you (“you”), Saterland Frisian jou (“you”), West Frisian jo (“you”), Low German jo, joe and oe (“you”), Dutch jou and u (“you”), German euch (“you”), Middle High German eu, iu (“you”, object pronoun), Latin vōs (“you”), Avestan 𐬬𐬋 (vō, “you”), Ashkun yë̃ (“you”), Kamkata-viri šo (“you”), Sanskrit यूयम् (yūyám, “you”). See usage notes. Ye, you and your are cognate with Dutch jij/je, jou, jouw; Low German ji, jo/ju, jug and German ihr, euch and euer respectively. Ye is also cognate with Danish I and archaic Swedish I. Compare the shift to the second-person singular informal Spanish vos, historically a formal pronoun.
1
The individual or group spoken or written to.
Have you gentlemen come to see the lady who fell backwards off a bus?
2
Used before epithets, describing the person being addressed, for emphasis.
You idiot!
'You genius!' I shouted in Aretta's ear. 'You absolute genius! Why didn't you tell us you were so good?'2015, Judi Curtin, Only Eva, The O'Brien Press, →ISBN:
Tell me about ’e barber who shaved you hair so close,—was he kind to you?1899 August, E[lizabeth] Stuart Phelps [Ward], “Loveliness: A Story”, in The Atlantic Monthly, volume LXXXIV, number DII, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 Mar 2026, page 228, column 2:
“No. I need a ride into Buenos Aires. You remember what we arranged?” “You wife’s a-gonna give a-birt?” “That’s right. Are you free?”2002 [1997], Pablo Urbanyi, translated by Hugh Hazelton, “Entry 21: The Longest Day of the Year Begins”, in Sunset, Fredericton, N.B.: Broken Jaw Press, →ISBN, page 72:
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“You oyster gravy, Massa Sam,” said Ella, ladling a couple of spoonfuls over the rice.2014 September 5, Arthur Hamilton, “Margaret Rose McAllister”, in Jonathan’s Journey, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN:
you
verb
Etymology
From Middle English you, yow, ȝow (object case of ye), from Old English ēow (“you”, dative case of ġē), from Proto-West Germanic *iwwi (“you”, dative case of *jiʀ), from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz (“you”, dative case of *jīz), the Western form of Proto-Germanic *izwiz (“you”, dative case of *jūz), from Proto-Indo-European *yúHs (“you”, plural). Cognate with Scots you (“you”), Saterland Frisian jou (“you”), West Frisian jo (“you”), Low German jo, joe and oe (“you”), Dutch jou and u (“you”), German euch (“you”), Middle High German eu, iu (“you”, object pronoun), Latin vōs (“you”), Avestan 𐬬𐬋 (vō, “you”), Ashkun yë̃ (“you”), Kamkata-viri šo (“you”), Sanskrit यूयम् (yūyám, “you”). See usage notes. Ye, you and your are cognate with Dutch jij/je, jou, jouw; Low German ji, jo/ju, jug and German ihr, euch and euer respectively. Ye is also cognate with Danish I and archaic Swedish I. Compare the shift to the second-person singular informal Spanish vos, historically a formal pronoun.
1
To address (a person) using the pronoun you (in the past, especially to use you rather than thou, when you was considered more formal).
Youing consists in relating everything in the conversation to the person you wish to flatter, and introducing the word “you” into your speech as often as possible.1930, Barrington Hall, Modern Conversation, Brewer & Warren, page 239:
Now even Princess Anne had dropped it. Sarah had heard her youing away on television the other night just like the inhabitants of her mother’s dominions beyond the seas.1992, Barbara Anderson, Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Victoria University Press, page 272:
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But even having my very own personal pronoun was risky, because it’s pretty tough to keep stopped-hope stopped up when you are getting all youed up, when someone you really like keeps promising you scary, fun, exciting stuff—and even tougher for the^([sic]) of that moment to remain securely devoid of hope, to make smart, self-denying decisions with Dad youing me—the long ooo of it broad and extended, like a hand.2004, Ellen Miller, “Practicing”, in Brooklyn Noir, Akashic Books:
you
noun
1
The name of the Latin script letter U/u.
‘Eff. You. En,’ said Mr Banstead. ‘Fun![…]’1969, Michael Feld, The Sabbatical Year, London: Alan Ross Ltd, page 301:
It said, in a whispering, buzzing voice, "Gee-you-ess-ess-ay-dash-em-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-em-eye-en-gee-oh-dash-pee-eye-pee-dash-pee-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-pee-eye-en-gee-oh."2004, Will Rogers, The Stonking Steps, page 170:
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‘S-S-C…sitting on a tree…eff-you-cee-kay-i-en-ji.’2019, Anand Ranganathan, Chitra Subramaniam, The Rat Eater, Bloomsbury India, →ISBN:
Honorific Honorific alternative letter-case form of you, sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context.