Definition
pron. the person or people that the speaker is talking to. It can be used for one person or for a group.
pron. The second-person pronoun, referring to the person or people being addressed. It serves as both the subject and object form and can be used impersonally to mean 'one' or 'people in general'.
Examples
“You are a good friend.”
“When you finish your homework, you can watch television.”
“You learn from experience that it's often better to listen first and speak second.”
Examples
simple
“You are a good friend.”
contextual
“When you finish your homework, you can watch television.”
complex
“You learn from experience that it's often better to listen first and speak second.”
Usage
Functions as both the subject and object form of the second-person pronoun. It is used for both singular and plural referents.
Pitfall
Your welcome
You're welcome
Learners often confuse the possessive determiner 'your' with the contraction 'you're' (you are).
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
PRONOUN
Related words
Grammar
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/you
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0