Is it actually not right any more to refer to more than one person as 'YOU'? At least 5 times now in the last few months I've referred to more than one person as you and had a blank look and the reply "who are you talking to?" Is it not clear from the context?
YOU is no longer correct???????!!!!
It's very uncommon to use "you" as a plural pronoun in conversation, so it's quite natural that most people won't understand you if you do so.
The matter is that in very many dialects, at least within North American English, "you" really is not plural anymore outside of formal speech; rather, second person plural pronouns such as "you guys" and "y'all" are used to explicitly express such, with "you" being left as singular.
You is usad as a neutral/impersonal pronoun:
old usage: One can go to Tahiti to enjoy the wonderful climate.
new usage: You can go to Tahiti to enjoy the wonderful climate.
old usage: One can go to Tahiti to enjoy the wonderful climate.
new usage: You can go to Tahiti to enjoy the wonderful climate.
"you guys" for YOU plural is sexist not just primitive.
This proves that Modern English is still a Vulgar language that lacks a proper grammar, equipped with an irrational spelling.
There's no other language like English: 30% French 30% Latin words, Greek, Germanic and other. These ingredients never matured, resulting a poor grammar, irregular verbs, and nightmare spellings.
This proves that Modern English is still a Vulgar language that lacks a proper grammar, equipped with an irrational spelling.
There's no other language like English: 30% French 30% Latin words, Greek, Germanic and other. These ingredients never matured, resulting a poor grammar, irregular verbs, and nightmare spellings.
Guy can be said to a girl too.
A girl can tell her girlfriends*:come on guys, let's go
(instead of come on girls, let's go
she's not a lesboan*)
A girl can tell her girlfriends*:come on guys, let's go
(instead of come on girls, let's go
she's not a lesboan*)
>>"you guys" for YOU plural is sexist not just primitive.<<
At least around here, "you guys", and actually "guys" by itself as well, is not gendered (even though the singular "guy" is)...
At least around here, "you guys", and actually "guys" by itself as well, is not gendered (even though the singular "guy" is)...
"This proves that Modern English is still a Vulgar language that lacks a proper grammar, equipped with an irrational spelling."
Oh brother...
Oh brother...
"you" is the 2nd person plural pronoun.
Sometimes it is not clear, so people say "you all", but "you" is definitely correct.
English also uses the word "you" in the sense that Spanish and Romanian use "se" and French uses "on". It means "a generic person" in those cases.
Sometimes it is not clear, so people say "you all", but "you" is definitely correct.
English also uses the word "you" in the sense that Spanish and Romanian use "se" and French uses "on". It means "a generic person" in those cases.
I say ya'll. Like, "Ya'll come back now, ya hear?". Sometimes ya'll can be singular too but most folks use it plurally.
>>"you" is the 2nd person plural pronoun.<<
In the formal literary language, that is. In many dialects, though, "you" has shifted to being purely singular unless used with another noun which is plural, and in normal usage one uses something like "you guys" or "y'all" for the second person plural.
In the formal literary language, that is. In many dialects, though, "you" has shifted to being purely singular unless used with another noun which is plural, and in normal usage one uses something like "you guys" or "y'all" for the second person plural.
In ALL dialects of the US "you" has shifted to either "ya'll" "you guys" or "youse" .... Or "yinz" I suppose...
"You" in the plural is pretty much solely reserved for the written language, though if you were to say it you would probably be understood.
"You" in the plural is pretty much solely reserved for the written language, though if you were to say it you would probably be understood.