ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sie

pron.
C2 Proficiency US //ˈsi// sie Archaic Dialect

pron. a gender-neutral way to refer to a person in the third person singular. You use this instead of 'he' or 'she' for someone who does not identify as male or female.

pron. a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun used as an alternative to 'he' or 'she'. Often used by non-binary individuals or in contexts where gender is unknown or irrelevant.


SIMPLE

Sie is a talented artist who loves painting landscapes.

CONTEXTUAL

When the new manager arrives, sie will be responsible for overseeing the entire department's budget and hiring process.

COMPLEX

The author requested that reviewers use sie and hir when referring to the protagonist to respect the character's non-binary identity throughout the literary analysis.

Origin

From Middle English sien, from Old English sīgan (“to sink, descend”), from Proto-Germanic sīganą, sīhwaną (“to strain, drop”), from Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ- (“to pour, strain”). Cognate with Dutch zijgen (“to filter”), German seihen (“to strain, sieve”), Icelandic síga (“to lower”).

Usage

Used as a subject pronoun; typically pairs with singular verb forms in modern usage, though some speakers may use plural agreement.

Pitfall

Sie are my friend.Sie is my friend.Unlike the singular 'they', 'sie' is traditionally treated as a singular pronoun and takes a singular verb.

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