You: meaning, definitions and examples

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you

[ juː ]

^{Context #1}

subject pronoun

Used to refer to the person or people that the speaker is addressing.

Synonyms

thee, thou, thou art, thou art thou, ye

Examples of usage

I knew you would come.
Are you ready?
You are my best friend.

^{Context #2}

informal usage

A person or people in general.

Synonyms

folks, individuals, one's, people

Examples of usage

You can never have too much of a good thing.
You win some, you lose some.
It takes all sorts to make a world.

^{Context #3}

informal usage

To address someone using the pronoun 'you'.

Synonyms

address, call, speak to, talk to

Examples of usage

She you-ed me in front of everyone.
I don't appreciate being you-ed like that.

Translations

Translations of the word "you" in other languages:

🇵🇹 você

🇮🇳 तुम

🇩🇪 du

🇮🇩 kamu

🇺🇦 ти

🇵🇱 ty

🇯🇵 あなた

🇫🇷 tu

🇪🇸 tú

🇹🇷 sen

🇰🇷 너

🇸🇦 أنتَ

🇨🇿 ty

🇸🇰 ty

🇨🇳 你

🇸🇮 ti

🇮🇸 þú

🇰🇿 сен

🇬🇪 შენ

🇦🇿 sən

🇲🇽 tú

Word origin

The word 'you' originated from Old English 'ēow', which was used as the accusative and dative form of 'ye'. Over time, 'you' became the standard second person pronoun in English. It has evolved to be a versatile word that can function as both a subject pronoun and an object pronoun. The informal usage of 'you' as a noun and verb developed as a way to refer to people in a general sense, adding flexibility to its usage.