this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2025
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We’ve been doing it for hundreds of years. If you really want to fix something then come up with a plural for “you”; that would be far more helpful.
You may not notice those times you say “they” like in the examples I already gave, but you do say it, and the only thing tripping you up is that you’re thinking about it. It’s like breathing, it’s weird when you’re paying attention but it’s not wrong and you’ve always done it.
"You" is the plural of "thou". It even has plural grammar ("you are", not "you is")
I thought you was the more respectful form of thou in singular, and "ye" was the plural form of that. In Ireland you still hear ye used for plural you sometimes.
By more respectful i mean similar to usted in Spanish or vous in French
Originally the difference between ġē→ye→ye and ēow→yow→you wasn't one of number, but of case: you'd use "ye" for the subject, "you" for the subject, regardless of being a plural or a respectful singular. Much like "I" vs. "me". Eventually however "you" displaced "ye" even for the subject role, in most varieties; what you see in Hiberno English is also an innovation, but a different one.