pronoun

you

yoo

pronoun

The person or people being spoken or written to.

"Can you help me carry this box?"

"You all did a great job today."

Used informally to mean "anyone" or "one" in general statements.

"You can't always get what you want."

"In this job, you learn to expect the unexpected."

How to Use You

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe word for the person (or people) someone is talking to.

Memory tip

Modern English uses "you" for both one person and many people — older English used "thou" for one and "ye"/"you" for more than one.

Trace the full origin ↓

Common pairings

you and I thank you you know

youed past tense, yourselves plural, ye plural, ye plural, yous plural, ye plural, Yous plural, yourself singular, yous singular

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Can you complete this real example?

Can _____ help me carry this box?

From Old English ēow, the object form of "ye," tracing back through Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "you" (plural).

yer thee ye to you to thee to ye to you all thou all y'all allyou oonuh wunna

thou yes thee ye yer

ou fou sou IOU Lou kou mou Zou Vou Hou thou chou

yer thee ye to you to thee to ye to you all thou all y'all allyou oonuh wunna