1. (me and others) the word you use to talk about yourself and one or more other people together. 2. (people in general) people in general, including the speaker and the listener. 3. (me) a casual way to say 'me' in some parts of the UK. 4. (we as a group) used before a noun to describe a group that the speaker belongs to. 5. (our relationship) the romantic connection or bond between two people.

Is it correct to say "He gave the books to we."?

No — say "He gave the books to us.". Use 'us' after a preposition or as the object of a verb, not 'we'.

us

pron. · det. · n.

1 me and others (pron.)
A1 Beginner

the word you use to talk about yourself and one or more other people together.

the objective case of the first-person plural pronoun 'we', used as the direct or indirect object of a verb or the object of a preposition.

Example

The teacher asked us to sit down and open our books.

Example

The manager invited us to participate in the strategy meeting, ensuring that our department's concerns were heard by the executive board.
- them
Pitfall

He gave the books to we.

He gave the books to us.

Use 'us' after a preposition or as the object of a verb, not 'we'.
2 people in general (pron.)
B1 Intermediate

people in general, including the speaker and the listener.

used to refer to humanity or a general group of people with whom the speaker identifies.

Example

Nature provides us with everything we need to survive.

Example

History teaches us that economic cycles are inevitable, yet each generation believes it can avoid the mistakes of the past.
- people
- everyone

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3 me (pron.)
C1 Advanced British English Dialect Informal

a casual way to say 'me' in some parts of the UK.

used as a first-person singular object pronoun in place of 'me'.

Example

Give us a look at that newspaper when you're finished.

Example

He leaned over the counter and whispered, 'Pass us the keys before anyone notices they're missing.'
- me
4 we as a group (det.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

used before a noun to describe a group that the speaker belongs to.

functions as a determiner to specify a group that includes the speaker, typically in the objective case.

Example

It is a difficult time for us students during exam week.

Example

The new policy has caused significant concern among us residents who have lived in the neighborhood for decades.
5 our relationship (n.)
C1 Advanced Informal

the romantic connection or bond between two people.

the abstract concept of a shared identity or relationship between the speaker and another person.

Example

I don't want to argue; I just want to focus on us.

Example

After years of prioritizing their careers, they finally decided to take a sabbatical to work on the 'us' part of their lives.
- relationship
- bond

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European n̥smé ("us"), altered to n̥swé, then through Proto-Germanic uns to Proto-West Germanic uns and into Old English as ūs, dative of the first-person plural pronoun. The word carried its length through Middle English, where unstressed use eroded the compensatory lengthening and left us with the clipped modern form.

Cognates follow the Germanic and Latin branches: Saterland Frisian uus, West Frisian us and ús, Low German uns and us, Dutch ons, German uns, Danish os, and Latin nōs.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.