Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for You for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "You" — pronoun, pronounced /juː/, with the stress on "you".
Narrator: You is the pronoun used for the person or people being spoken or written to.
Narrator: In plain English, you means the listener.
Narrator: It comes from Old English ēow, once the plural form.
Narrator: A common collocation is "thank you", which describes showing thanks.
Narrator: It differs from "thou", an old singular form now only in poems and prayers.
Narrator: In a second sense, "you" can mean people in general, as in "you never know".
Narrator: Every area of English relies on the word.
Narrator: So remember: you is for your listener, one or many.
Speaker A: Is "you" singular or plural?
Speaker B: Both! YOU comes from Old English ēow.
Speaker A: Confusing?
Speaker B: Context tells you.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Thank you for coming", manners. "You never know", general truth. "Are you all ready?", a group.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Do not write "u" for you in formal writing.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Thou is its cousin, you lot its twin, and yourselves an alternative — yet you keeps its friendly charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "you" in AI prompts — useful for UX writing and tone.
Speaker A: How for UX?
Speaker B: Direct voice.
Prompt: Rewrite these instructions to speak directly to the user using you.
Speaker A: And tone?
Speaker B: Warmth.
Prompt: Make this privacy notice friendlier by addressing the reader as you.
Speaker A: Could it help grammar?
Speaker B: Yes, for learners.
Prompt: Explain the generic you with five examples.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Localisation.
Prompt: Explain how formal and informal you differ in French and German.
You — meaning in Arabic & definition More Y courses GL Dictionary