Did English ever have a plural you?
In Modern English, you is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers.
What is the plural for you?
Some examples include ‘you all’ (also abbreviated to y’all), ‘you guys’ and other variations in distinguish the plural from the singular. In other dialects, the word ‘you’ continues to be used both in singular and plural instances.
What was you in Old English?
The word thou /ðaʊ/ is a second-person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in most contexts by the word you.
Is it yous or you’s?
So youse (or yous) is simply a regular “add an ‘s’” plural, y’all is a contraction of the phrase you all, and yinz appears to be a contraction of you ones. In some places the phrasal you(s) guys is used, and in Kriol, an Aboriginal language of the Northern Territory, the plural yumob comes from you mob.
When was singular you first used?
seventeenth century
They clearly forgot that singular you was a plural pronoun that had become singular as well. You functioned as a polite singular for centuries, but in the seventeenth century, singular you started appearing in all contexts, replacing thou, thee, and thy, except for some dialect use.
Why do we say you are instead of you is?
The simplest is that “are” is the form of “to be” used for first person plural, third person plural, and both plural and singular in second person (with you). Thus, “are” with a singular “you” is also singular. It just looks exactly like the plural form.
Is we a singular or plural?
plural
In Modern English, we is a plural, first-person pronoun.
Is ye still used?
“Ye” is still commonly used as an informal plural in Hiberno‐English and Newfoundland English. Both dialects also use variants of “ye” for alternative cases, such as “yeer” (your), “yeers” (yours), and “yeerselves” (yourselves).
Is it OK to say yous?
Meaning of yous in English used to mean “you”, when addressing a group of people that you are speaking to: See yous later.
How do you use yous?
used to mean “you,” when addressing a group of people that you are speaking to: See yous later.
Is ye plural or singular?
Regarding the UT inscription, ye was the subject form of the second person plural and you was the object form. Eventually you became used for subject and object, singular and plural. The singular subject form was thou and the singular object form was thee.