. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English we , from Old English wē ( “ we ” ) , from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ , from Proto-Germanic *wīz , *wiz ( “ we ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *wéy ( “ we (plural) ” ) . Cognate with Scots wee , we ( “ we ” ) , North Frisian we ( “ we ” ) , West Frisian wy ( “ we ” ) , Low German wi ( “ we ” ) , Dutch we , wij ( “ we ” ) , German wir ( “ we ” ) , Danish , Swedish and Norwegian vi ( “ we ” ) , Icelandic vér , við ( “ we ” ) , Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬨 ( vaēm ) , Sanskrit वयम् ( vayám ) .
Pronunciation
Pronoun
we (first-person plural nominative case , objective case us , possessive determiner our , possessive pronoun ours , reflexive ourselves , reflexive singular ourself )
( personal ) The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person (not the person being addressed). ( This is the exclusive we . )
2017 February 20, Paul Mason, “Climate scepticism is a far-right badge of honour – even in sweltering Australia”, in the Guardian :It’s time to overcome queasiness and restraint. We , the liberal and progressive people of the world, are at war with the far right to save the earth.
( personal ) The speaker(s)/writer(s) and the person(s) being addressed. ( This is the inclusive we . )
( personal ) The institution which the speaker/writer is acting for. ( This is the editorial we , used by writers and others when speaking with the authority of their publication or organisation. )
2021 , Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, “Paper No. CMAB C4/9/1”, in Documents of the Hong Kong Legislative Council , page 1:In light of the promulgation of the aforementioned laws and decisions, we (the administration) propose to make the following amendments to local legislation to implement the relevant requirements on oath taking by public officers.
( personal, royal ) The sovereign alone in their capacity as monarch . ( This is the royal we . The reflexive case of this sense of we is ourself . )
( personal ) The plural form of you , including everyone being addressed.
How are we all tonight?
( personal, often considered patronising ) A second- or third-person pronoun for a person in the speaker's care.
How are we feeling this morning?
1836 , “Boz” [pseudonym; Charles Dickens ], “The Boarding-House”, in Sketches by “Boz,” Illustrative of Every-day Life, and Every-day People. , volume I, London: John Macrone, , →OCLC , chapter II, page 204 :“Well, my dear ma’am, and how are we ?” inquired Wosky in a soothing tone. / “Very ill, doctor—very ill,” said Mrs. Bloss in a whisper.
2008 May 13, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):Are we ready to go to bed, sweetie?
( colloquial ) The speaker themselves, used to imply connection between the speaker's experiences and a group of listeners . ( Compare the plural of modesty . )
Hey guys, how's it going? Today we are going to be playing a new game.
2021 January 6, 3:38:03 from the start, in Rally on Electoral College Vote Certification (television broadcast), spoken by Donald Trump, Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN):All Vice President [Mike] Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify and we become president and you are the happiest people.
2021 June 24, “Far from Home” (3:07 from the start), in Alone , season 9, episode 4 (televison production), spoken by Theresa Emmerich Kamper, via HISTORY Channel:[Today is] not a day to think about fishing so we will get back to working on the shelter. [cut in video] Cool, so I guess the best analogy for this, then, is that we' ve basically framed the house, and now we get to shingle.
2022 October 25, 32:11 from the start, Vote 2022, in Joseph Camp, director, PBS NewsHour (television production), spoken by John Fetterman, via Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), archived from the original on 2022-10-25 :The elephant in the room, you know, we had a stroke back in May.
( West Country , archaic ) Us .
( bridge ) The side which is keeping score .
Antonym: they
Derived terms
Descendants
Jamaican Creole: wi
Sranan Tongo: wi
Translations
generic we (the speaker and at least one other person, regardless of whether it's the person being addressed)
Abinomn: awp
Abkhaz: ҳара ( ḥara )
Abom: neː
Afar: nanu
Afrikaans: ons (af)
Aghwan: 𐔷𐔰𐕎 ( žan )
Akan: yɛn
Albanian: ne (sq)
Alviri-Vidari: جیمه ( jime )
American Sign Language: 1^o-f@IpsiChest-FingerBack RoundHoriz 1^o-f@ContraChest-FingerBack (also inclusive and exclusive forms (not listed), as well as numeral incorporation)
Amharic: እኛ ( ʾəña )
Arabic: نَحْنُ (ar) pl ( naḥnu )
Egyptian Arabic: احنا ( ʔíḥna )
North Levantine Arabic: نحنا pl ( niḥna )
South Levantine: إحنا pl ( ʔíḥna )
Tunisian Arabic: أَحْنَا m pl or f pl ( ʔaḥnā )
Aragonese: nusatros m pl , nusatras f pl
Aramaic:
Hebrew: אֲנַחְנָא ( ʾănaḥnā ) , אֲנַן ( ʾănan )
Syriac: ܐ̄ܢܲܚܢܲܢ ( naḥnan ) , ܚ̱ܢܲܢ ( ḥənan )
Armenian: մենք (hy) ( menkʻ )
Old Armenian: մեք ( mekʻ )
Aromanian: noi
Assamese: আমি ( ami )
Asturian: nosotros (ast) m pl , nosotras (ast) f pl
Avestan: 𐬬𐬁 du ( vā ) , 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬨 pl ( vaēm )
Azerbaijani: biz (az)
Bakhtiari: ایما ( imâ )
Bambara: an
Bashkir: беҙ ( beź )
Basque: gu (eu)
Bavarian: mia
Beja: hinin
Belarusian: мы (be) ( my )
Bengali: আমরা (bn) ( amra )
Breton: ni (br)
Bulgarian: ни́е (bg) ( níe )
Burmese: ကျုပ်တို့ ( kyuptui. ) , တို့ (my) ( tui. ) , ကျွန်တော်တို့ ( kywantautui. ) ( male speaker ) , ကျွန်မတို့ ( kywanma.tui. ) ( female speaker ) , ငါတို့ ( ngatui. ) ( informal )
Burushaski: mî
Buryat: бидэ ( bide )
Carpathian Rusyn: мы ( mŷ )
Catalan: nosaltres (ca)
Chamicuro: a'ti
Chichewa: ife
Chinese:
Dungan: вәму ( vəmu )
Eastern Min: 我各儂 / 我各侬 ( nguāi-gáuk-nè̤ng )
Gan: 我個俚 / 我个俚 ( ngo3 go li ) , 我等 ( ngo3 diin )
Hakka: 𠊎兜 ( ngài-têu ) , 𠊎等 ( ngài-tén, ngài-tên, ngài-nên ) , 𠊎等人 ( ngai2 dên1 ngin2 / ngai2 dên3 ngin2 ) ( Meixian )
Jin: 我們 / 我们 ( ghe2 me ) , 俺們 / 俺们 ( ghan2 me / gha2 me )
Mandarin: 我們 / 我们 (zh) ( wǒmen ) ( generic in most dialects, but exclusive in some ) , 俺們 / 俺们 (zh) ( ǎnmen ) ( dialectal, Northern China )
Northern Min: 我人 ( uòi-nêng )
Wu: 阿拉 , 伲
Xiang: 我們 / 我们 ( ngo3 men )
Chukchi: моргынан ( morgynan )
Chuvash: эпир ( ep̬ir )
Classical Nahuatl: tehhuān , tehhuāntin
Czech: my (cs)
Dalmatian: nu
Danish: vi (da)
Dutch: wij (nl) , we (nl)
Dyirbal: ŋaliɖi du , ŋanaɖi pl
Edo: ìmà ( emphatic ) , mà ( regular )
Efik: nnyin
Esperanto: ni (eo)
Estonian: meie (et) , me (et)
Even: бу ( ʙu )
Evenki: бу ( bu )
Extremaduran: nusotrus
Finnish: me (fi) , myö (fi) ( dialectal )
French: nous (fr) ( formal ) , on (fr) ( informal )
Old French: nos
Friulian: nô , noaltris
Galician: nós (gl) m pl or f pl
Georgian: ჩვენ ( čven )
German: wir (de)
Alemannic German: mir
Greek: εμείς (el) ( emeís )
Ancient: νώ du ( nṓ ) , ἡμεῖς pl ( hēmeîs )
Gurani: ئێمە ( ême )
Haitian Creole: nou
Hausa: ( independent form ) (please verify ) múu , ( perfective 1 ) (please verify ) mún , ( perfective 2 ) (please verify ) múkà , ( neg. perfective ) (please verify ) bàmù...bá , ( future ) (please verify ) záamù , ( predictive ) (please verify ) mâa , ( habitual ) (please verify ) múkàn , ( subjunctive ) (please verify ) mù (ha) , ( continuous 1 ) (please verify ) múnàa , ( continuous 2 ) (please verify ) múkè(e) , ( neg. continuous ) (please verify ) báamàa
Hebrew: אֲנַחְנוּ (he) ( anákhnu ) , אָנוּ (he) ( ánu )
Hindi: हम (hi) ( ham )
Hopi: itam
Hungarian: mi (hu) , ( usually indicated by the suffix only ) -unk , -ünk
Icelandic: við (is)
Ido: ni (io)
Igala: àwa ( emphatic ) , à
Igbo: ànyị (ig)
Indonesian: kita (id) ( informal )
Ingrian: möö
Interlingua: nos (ia)
Irish: muid ( conjunctive ) , sinn ( disjunctive ) , muidne , sinne ( emphatic )
Old Irish: sní
Istriot: nu
Italian: noi (it) , noialtri
Izon: wó ( short form ) , wónì ( regular form ) , wómịnị̀ ( emphatic form )
Japanese: 私達 (ja) ( わたしたち, watashitachi ) , 我ら ( われら, warera ) , 我々 (ja) ( われわれ, wareware ) , 僕ら ( ぼくら, bokura ) , ( mainly vulgar, informal ) 俺達 ( おれたち, oretachi ) , ( dialect ) 俺等 ( おいら, oira ) , うち (ja) ( uchi ) , 僕達 ( ぼくたち, bokutachi ) , 私ども ( わたしども, watashidomo )
Jeju: 우리 ( uri )
Kabuverdianu: anos , nu
Kalmyk: бид ( bid ) , бидн ( bidn )
Kannada: ನಾವು (kn) ( nāvu )
Kashubian: më
Kazakh: біз (kk) ( bız )
Khmer: យើង (km) ( yəəng )
Kikuyu: ithuĩ
Korean: 우리 (ko) ( uri ) , 저희 (ko) ( jeohui ) ( humble )
Kumyk: биз ( biz )
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: em (ku) , me (ku)
Kyrgyz: биз (ky) ( biz )
Ladino: mozotros , מוזוטרוס , mozós
Lao: ພວກເຮົາ ( phūak hao ) , ເຮົາ ( hao ) , ຮາ ( hā ) ( poetic ) , ຕູ ( tū ) ( colloquial; I, we ) , ເຜືອ ( phư̄a ) ( archaic ) , ເຜືອຂ້ອຽ ( phư̄ak ʼīa ) ( archaic )
Latgalian: mes
Latin: nōs (la)
Latvian: mēs (lv)
Lithuanian: mes (lt)
Livonian: mēg
Lombard: nun (lmo)
Louisiana Creole French: nouzòt , nou , no
Low German: wi (nds)
Lü: ᦣᧁ ( haw ) ( inclusive ) , ᦎᦴ ( ṫuu ) ( exclusive ) , ᦎᦴᦃᦾᧉ ( ṫuuẋoay² ) ( exclusive, deferential ) , ᦕᦴᧉᦃᦱᧉᦎᦴ ( ṗhuu²ẋaa²ṫuu ) ( exclusive ) , ᦎᦴᦃᦱᧉ ( ṫuuẋaa² ) ( exclusive, deferential ) , ᦣᦱᦎᦴ ( haaṫuu ) ( exclusive )
Macedonian: ние ( nie )
Manx: mayd , shin , ( emphatic ) shinyn
Mauritian Creole: nou
Mazanderani: اما ( amâ )
Middle English: we
Middle Korean: 우리 ( wuli )
Mòcheno: biar
Mon: ပိုဲ (mnw) ( poi )
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: бид (mn) ( bid )
Nanai: буэ ( bue )
Navajo: nihí du , danihí pl
Neapolitan: nuje
Nepali: हामी (ne) ( hāmī )
Ngarrindjeri: ngurn
Nheengatu: yandé
Northern Sami: (please verify ) moai du , (please verify ) mii pl
Norwegian:
Bokmål: vi (no)
Nynorsk: me (nn) , vi
Occitan: nos (oc) , nosautres (oc)
Old Church Slavonic:
Cyrillic: мꙑ pl ( my ) , вѣ du ( vě )
Old East Slavic: мꙑ ( my )
Old English: wit (ang) du , wē (ang) pl
Old Korean: 吾里 ( *WUli )
Old Turkic: 𐰋𐰃𐰕 ( b²iz /biz/ )
Oromo: nuyi
Ossetian: мах ( max )
Pannonian Rusyn: ми ( mi )
Papiamentu: nos
Pashto: موږ ( muẓ̌ ) , مونږ ( mung )
Persian:
Dari: مَا (fa) ( mā )
Iranian Persian: ما (fa) ( mâ )
Piedmontese: noi
Pipil: tejemet , tehemet
Polish: my (pl)
Portuguese: nós (pt) , a gente (pt) ( informal )
Prakrit: 𑀅𑀁𑀳𑁂 ( aṃhe ) , 𑀯𑀬𑀁 ( vayaṃ )
Romanian: noi (ro)
Romansch: nus , nous
Russian: мы (ru) ( my )
Sardinian: nois , noso , nosu
Scottish Gaelic: sinn ( nonemphatic ) , sinne ( emphatic )
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ми̑
Latin: mȋ
Sicilian: nuàutri (scn) , nui (scn)
Sidamo: ninke
Sindhi: اسين
Sinhalese: අපි (si) ( api )
Slovak: my
Slovene: mí (sl) m pl , mé (sl) f pl or n pl
Somali: innaga
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: my
Southern Altai: бис ( bis )
Southern Sami: mijjieh
Spanish: nosotros (es) m pl , nosotras (es) f pl
Sranan Tongo: wi
Svan: please add this translation if you can
Swahili: sisi
Swedish: vi (sv)
Tajik: мо (tg) ( mo )
Talysh: əmə
Taos: ną
Tat: umu
Tatar: без (tt) ( bez )
Tedim Chin: ei
Ternate: ngomi
Thai: เรา (th) ( rao )
Tibetan: ང་ཐསོ ( nga thso )
Tigrinya: ንሕና ( nəḥna )
Tlingit: uháan
Tocharian B: wene du , wes pl
Turkish: biz (tr)
Turkmen: biz (tk)
Tuvan: бис ( bis )
Udi: йан ( jan )
Ukrainian: ми (uk) ( my )
Urdu: ہَم (ur) ( ham )
Uyghur: بىز (ug) ( biz )
Uzbek: biz (uz)
Venetan: noaltri (vec) , noantri , nualtri , naltri
Volapük: obs (vo)
Walloon: nos (wa) , nozôtes (wa)
Welsh: ni , ( emphatic ) ninnau
West Frisian: wy (fy)
Wolof: nun
Yagnobi: мох ( mox )
Yakut: биһиги ( bihigi )
Yámana: xan
Yiddish: מיר ( mir )
Yoruba: àwa ( emphatic ) , a ( regular )
Zande: ani
Zazaki: ma (diq)
Zealandic: oôns , wulder , ( unemphatic ) me
Zou: ei
Zulu: thina
ǃXóõ: īh , ( emphatic ) īhʻī , īsî , ( emphatic ) īsîʻī
exclusive we (the speaker and at least one other person, but excluding the person(s) being addressed)
Aklanon: kami
Avar: ниж ( niž )
Aymara: nanaka
Bikol Central: kami (bcl)
Bislama: ( dual ) mitufala du , ( trial ) mitrifala , ( plural ) mifala pl
Chechen: вай ( vaj )
Chinese:
Cantonese: 我哋 (yue) ( ngo5 dei6 ) , 我們 / 我们 (yue) ( ngo5 mun4 ) ( formal )
Hokkien: 阮 (zh-min-nan) ( góan, gún )
Mandarin: 我們 / 我们 (zh) ( wǒmen ) ( generic in most dialects, but exclusive in some )
Teochew: 阮 ( ng2 )
Fijian: keirau du , keitou ( paucal ) , keimami pl
Guaraní: ore
Gujarati: અમે ( ame )
Hadza: ôbee f , ûbii m
Hawaiian: māua du , mākou pl
Hiligaynon: kami
Hiri Motu: ai
Indonesian: kami (id)
Ingush: вай ( vaj )
Laboya: nami
Malay: kami (ms)
Malayalam: ഞങ്ങൾ (ml) ( ñaṅṅaḷ )
Manchu: ᠪᡝ ( be )
Mansaka: kami
Maori: māua du , mātou pl
Maranao: kami
Marathi: आम्ही ( āmhī )
Mbyá Guaraní: ore
Mori Bawah: kami
Motu: ai
Niuean: maua du , mautolu pl
Ojibwe: niinawind
Old Tupi: oré
Pijin: mifala
Quechua: ñuqayku (qu) , ñogaiku , nogakuna
Rapa Nui: maua du , matou pl
Samoan: please add this translation if you can
Tagalog: kami (tl)
Tamil: நாங்கள் (ta) ( nāṅkaḷ )
Tausug: kami
Telugu: మేము (te) ( mēmu )
Tetum: ami
Tok Pisin: mipela (tpi) , mitupela (tpi) du
Tokelauan: māua du , mātou pl
Udihe: бу ( bu )
Vietnamese: chúng tôi (vi)
Zhuang: dou
inclusive we (the speaker and the person(s) being addressed, and possibly others)
Aklanon: kita
Avar: нилъ ( nilˢ )
Aymara: jiwasa (ay) , jiwasanaka
Bikol Central: kita (bcl)
Bislama: (please verify ) yumi , ( dual ) (please verify ) yumitupela du , ( trial ) (please verify ) yumitripela , (please verify ) yumipela pl
Chechen: тхо ( txo )
Chinese:
Cantonese: 你我 ( nei5 ngo5 )
Hokkien: 咱 (zh-min-nan) ( lán ) , 咱人 (zh-min-nan) ( lán-lâng )
Mandarin: 咱們 / 咱们 (zh) ( zánmen ) , 咱 (zh) ( zán ) ( dialectal ) , 你我 (zh) ( nǐwǒ )
Teochew: 俺 ( nang2 )
Fijian: kedaru du , kedatou ( paucal ) , keda pl
Guaraní: ñande
Gujarati: આપણે ( āpaṇe )
Hadza: onebee f , unibii m
Hawaiian: kāua du , kākou pl
Hiligaynon: kita
Hiri Motu: ita
Indonesian: kita (id)
Ingush: тхо ( txo )
Laboya: yitta
Malay: kita (ms)
Malayalam: നമ്മൾ (ml) ( nammaḷ )
Manchu: ᠮᡠᠰᡝ ( muse )
Mansaka: kita
Maori: tāua du , tātou pl
Maranao: kita
Marathi: आपण (mr) ( āpaṇ )
Mbyá Guaraní: nhande
Mori Bawah: kita
Motu: ita
Niuean: taua du
Ojibwe: giinawind
Old Tupi: îandé
Pijin: iumi
Quechua: ñuqanchik (qu)
Rapa Nui: taua du , tatou pl
Samoan: tā du , tātou pl
Tagalog: tayo (tl)
Tamil: நாம் (ta) ( nām ) , யாம் (ta) ( yām )
Tausug: kita
Telugu: మనము (te) ( manamu )
Tetum: ita
Tok Pisin: yumi , yumipela
Tokelauan: tāua du , tā du , tātou pl
Udihe: минти ( minti )
Vietnamese: chúng ta (vi)
Zhuang: raeuz
items to check for clusivity
the royal we (referring to the sovereign alone acting in their capacity as monarch)
Arabic: نحن (ar)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 朕 ( zam6 ) , 寡人 ( gwaa2 jan4 )
Mandarin: 朕 (zh) ( zhèn ) , 寡人 (zh) ( guǎrén )
Danish: please add this translation if you can
Dutch: please add this translation if you can
French: nous (fr)
German: wir (de)
Italian: please add this translation if you can
Japanese: 朕 (ja) ( chin )
Korean: 짐 (ko) ( jim )
Malay: beta (ms)
Polish: my (pl)
Russian: мы (ru) ( my )
Spanish: please add this translation if you can
Swedish: please add this translation if you can
Tangut: 𗧅 ( *ɣjɨr¹ ) , 𘓊𗸦 ( *zjɨ̱r¹ dźjwu¹ )
Thai: please add this translation if you can
Vietnamese: trẫm (vi)
Determiner
we
The speakers/writers, or the speaker/writer and at least one other person.
We Canadians like to think of ourselves as different.
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Pronunciation
Pronoun
we
( Geordie ) Us .
He was a propa gadgie, and always bought we drinks after a long shift. He was a great guy, and always bought us drinks after a long shift.
And what have you done for we since? Nowt! And what have you done for us since? Nothing!
Usage notes
Not to be confused with Tyneside us ( “ me ” ) .
Anagrams
Abinomn
Noun
we (dual werom , plural wekon )
tree kangaroo
References
Newguineaworld , citing Donohue and Musgrave, Abinomn nominal number (2007: 365)
Anguthimri
Noun
we
( Mpakwithi ) owl
References
Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 189
Caac
Pronunciation
Noun
we
water
kô-ny we
'my (glass/drink of) water'
References
Cameroon Pidgin
Etymology
From English we .
Pronunciation
Pronoun
we
we , us 1st person plural subject and object personal pronoun
See also
Cameroonian Pidgin personal pronouns
Subject personal pronouns
singular
plural
1st person
I
we , wu
2nd person
you
wuna
3rd person
i
dey
Object and topic personal pronouns
1st person
me
we
2nd person
you
wuna
3rd person
yi , -am
dem , -am
Determiner
we
our , 1st person plural possessive determiner
See also
Cameroonian Pidgin possessive determiners
Chuukese
Determiner
we (plural kewe )
( possessive subject marker ) the ( singular )
Dadibi
Noun
wẹ
water
Synonyms
References
Karl J. Franklin, Comparative Wordlist 1 of the Gulf District and adjacent areas (1975), page 67
Karl James Franklin, Pacific Linguistics (1973, →ISBN , page 130: Polopa so /sou woman, cf. DAR sou female animal but we woman. Several multiple cognate sets appeared in the data. Daribi uses both ạị and wẹ for water; some Polopa speakers gave one term, some another. Both are probably known everywhere.
Dutch
Etymology
See wij .
Pronunciation
Pronoun
we (personal pronoun )
we
Declension
subject
object
possessive
reflexive
genitive 5
singular
full
unstr.
full
unstr.
full
unstr.
pred.
1st person
ik
'k 1
mij
me
mijn
m'n 1
mijne
me
mijner , mijns
2nd person
jij
je
jou
je
jouw
je
jouwe
je
jouwer , jouws
2nd person archaic or regiolectal
gij
ge
u
–
uw
–
uwe
u
uwer , uws
2nd person formal
u
–
u
–
uw
–
uwe
zich
uwer , uws
3rd person masculine
hij
ie 1
hem
'm 1
zijn
z'n 1
zijne
zich
zijner , zijns
3rd person feminine
zij
ze
haar
h'r 1 , 'r 1 , d'r 1
haar
h'r 1 , 'r 1 , d'r 1
hare
zich
harer , haars
3rd person neuter
het
't 1
het
't 1
zijn
z'n 1
zijne
zich
zijner , zijns
plural
1st person
wij
we
ons
–
ons , onze 2
–
onze
ons
onzer , onzes
2nd person
jullie
je
jullie
je
jullie
je
–
je
–
2nd person archaic or regiolectal 6
gij
ge
u
–
uw
–
uwe
u
uwer , uws
2nd person formal
u
–
u
–
uw
–
uwe
zich
uwer , uws
3rd person
zij
ze
hen 3 , hun 4
ze
hun
–
hunne
zich
hunner , huns
1) Not as common in written language.2) Inflected as an adjective .3) In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative ).4) In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative ).
5) Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions.6) To differentiate from the singular gij , gelle (object form elle ) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people").
Synonyms
Descendants
See also
Fijian
Noun
we
scar
Fwâi
we
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ , from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ .
Noun
we
water ( clear liquid H₂O )
References
André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)
Galoli
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiR .
Noun
we
( Talur ) water
References
Haeke
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ , from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ .
Pronunciation
Noun
we
water ( clear liquid H₂O )
References
Jean Claude Rivierre, Sabine Ehrhart, Raymond Diéla, Le Bwatoo: et les dialectes de la région de Koné (2006)
Haveke
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ , from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ .
Pronunciation
Noun
we
water ( clear liquid H₂O )
References
Jean Claude Rivierre, Sabine Ehrhart, Raymond Diéla, Le Bwatoo: et les dialectes de la région de Koné (2006)
Hmwaveke
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ , from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ .
Noun
we
water
References
Ido
Etymology
From w + -e .
Pronunciation
Noun
we (plural we-i )
The name of the Latin script letter W /w .
See also
(Latin script letter names ) litero ; a , be , ce , che , de , e , fe , ge , he , i , je , ke , le , me , ne , o , pe , que , re , se , she , te , u , ve , we , xe , ye , ze (Category: io:Latin letter names )
Indonesian
Etymology
From Dutch wee .
Pronunciation
Noun
wé
The name of the Latin-script letter W /w .
Synonyms
See also
( Latin-script letter names ) huruf ; a , be , ce , de , e , ef , ge , ha , i , je , ka , el , em , en , o , pe , ki , er , es , te , u , ve , we , eks , ye , zet
Further reading
Jamaican Creole
Etymology 1
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Conjunction
we
that
2023 , Yuunivorshal Deklarieshan a Yuuman Raits , United Nations, Aatikl 25:Uman we a mada an pikni disorv speshal kier an elp. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. (literally, “Women that are mothers, and children, deserve special care and help. ”)
Etymology 2
Derived from English where .
Conjunction
we
where
2012 , Di Jamiekan Nyuu Testiment , Edinburgh: DJB, published 2012 , →ISBN , Maak 14:14 :Wen im go iina wan ous, tel di uona fi di ous se, "Di tiicha se fi aks yu se: We di ges ruum de we mi kyan nyam di Paasuova fuud wid mi speshal falara dem?" and when he goes into a house, ask the owner where I and my disciples can celebrate the Passover.
Further reading
Japanese
Romanization
we
Rōmaji transcription of ゑ
Rōmaji transcription of ヱ
Rōmaji transcription of うぇ
Rōmaji transcription of ウェ
Jawe
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ , from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ .
Noun
we
water ( clear liquid H₂O )
References
André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)
Kashubian
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈvɛ/
Rhymes: -ɛ
Syllabification: we
Preposition
we
Alternative form of w .
Kikuyu
Etymology 1
Pronunciation
Pronoun
we (second person singular )
you , thou
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
Pronoun
we (third person singular )
s/he
See also
Independent personal pronouns in Kikuyu
singular
plural
1st person
niĩ
ithuĩ
2nd person
we /wɛ(ː)/
inyuĩ
3rd person
we /wɛ/
o
References
“we” in Benson, T.G. (1964). Kikuyu-English dictionary , p. 561. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Laboya
Noun
we
water
References
Greenhill, S. J., Blust. R, Gray, R. D. (2008 ) “The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics”, in Evolutionary Bioinformatics , number 4, archived from the original on 18 April 2017 , pages 271-283
Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*wahiR ”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI
Lower Sorbian
Pronunciation
Preposition
we (with locative )
Alternative form of w ( especially before labial consonants and consonant clusters )
Mandarin
Romanization
we (we5 / we0 , Zhuyin ˙ㄨㄝ )
Hanyu Pinyin reading of 喂
Romanization
we
Nonstandard spelling of wē .
Usage notes
Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Mapudungun
Adjective
we ( Raguileo spelling )
new , recent
References
Wixaleyiñ: Mapucezugun-wigkazugun pici hemvlcijka (Wixaleyiñ: Small Mapudungun-Spanish dictionary), Beretta, Marta; Cañumil, Dario; Cañumil, Tulio, 2008.
Middle English
Etymology 1
from Old English wē ( “ we ” ) , from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ , from Proto-Germanic *wīz , *wiz ( “ we ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *wéy ( “ we (plural) ” ) . Compare wit ( first person dual pronoun ) .
Pronunciation
Pronoun
we (accusative us , we , genitive oure , possessive determiner oures )
First-person plural pronoun: we
First-person plural accusative pronoun: us
Descendants
See also
Middle English personal pronouns
nominative
accusative
dative
genitive
possessive
singular
1st-person
I , ich , ik
me
min mi 1
min
2nd-person
þou
þe
þin þi 1
þin
3rd-person
m
he
him hine 2
him
his
his hisen
f
sche , heo
hire heo
hire
hire hires , hiren
n
hit
hit him 2
his , hit
—
dual 3
1st-person
wit
unk
unker
2nd-person
ȝit
inc
inker
plural
1st-person
we
us , ous
oure
oure oures , ouren
2nd-person 4
ye
yow
your
your youres , youren
3rd-person
inh.
he
hem he 2
hem
here
here heres , heren
bor.
þei
þem , þeim
þeir
þeir þeires , þeiren
1 Used preconsonantally or before h .
2 Early or dialectal.
3 Dual pronouns are only sporadically found in Early Middle English; after that, they are replaced by plural forms. There are no third-person dual forms in Middle English.
4 Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.
References
Etymology 2
From Old English wēa , from Proto-Germanic *waiwô . Doublet of wowe .
Pronunciation
Noun
we (uncountable )
woe , grief , sadness
References
Middle Low German
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Old Saxon hwē , from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ , from Proto-Germanic *hwaz .
Pronoun
wê (accusative wēne or wen , dative wēme or wem , genitive wes )
( interrogative, masculine , feminine ) who
Etymology 2
From Proto-Germanic *wiz .
Pronoun
wê
( personal, first person, in the plural , nominative ) Alternative form of wî .
Nedebang
Noun
we
blood
References
Gary Holton and Laura Robinson, The Internal History of the Alor-Pantar language family , in The Alor-Pantar languages: History and Typology , edited by Marian Klamer
transnewguinea.org (wæ), ASJP 1 (wE i.e. wɛ), ASJP 2 (we)
Nemi
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ , from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ .
Noun
we
water ( clear liquid H₂O )
References
André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)
North Ambrym
Etymology
From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ .
Noun
we
water
Further reading
Darrell T. Tryon, New Hebrides languages: an internal classification (1976)
George William Grace, The position of the Polynesian languages within the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family (1959)
North Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian wī , from Proto-Germanic *wīz , from Proto-Indo-European *wéy .
Pronoun
we ( Mooring )
we ( first-person plural personal pronoun )
See also
Personal and possessive pronouns (
Mooring dialect)
personal
possessive
subject case
object case
masculine referent
feminine / neuter / plural referent
full
reduced
full
reduced
singular
1st
ik
'k
me
man
min
2nd
dü
–
de
dan
din
3rd m.
hi
'r
ham
'n
san
sin
3rd f.
jü
's
har
's
harn
har
3rd n.
hat
et , 't
ham
et , 't
san
sin
plural
1st
we
üs
üüsen
üüs
2nd
jam
'm
jam
jarnge
3rd
ja
's
ja , jam
's
jare
notes
The reduced forms with an apostrophe are enclitic ; they immediately follow verbs or conjunctions. Dü is deleted altogether in such contexts. Et is not enclitic and can stand in any unstressed position; the full subject form hat is now rarely used. In reflexive use, only full object forms occur. Dual forms wat / unk and jat / junk are obsolete. Attributive and independent possessives are not distinguished in Mooring.
Nyelâyu
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ , from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ .
Noun
we
water ( clear liquid H₂O )
References
Jim Hollyman, K. J. Hollyman, Études sur les langues du Nord de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (1991), page 81
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *wiz , *wīz , from Proto-Indo-European *wéy , plural of *éǵh₂ .
Cognate with Old Frisian wī (West Frisian wy ), Old Saxon wī (Low German wi ), Old Dutch wī (Dutch wij ), Old High German wir (German wir ), Old Norse vér (Danish and Swedish vi ), Gothic 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐍃 ( weis ) .
Pronunciation
Pronoun
wē (personal pronoun )
we (nominative plural of iċ )
Declension
Old English personal pronouns
Descendants
Old Javanese
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *waʀi , from Proto-Austronesian *waʀi . Doublet of wari .
Noun
we
sun
day
Usage notes
Zoetmulder used Old Javanese we as primary entry for sun and day sense, while Old Javanese wwe used for water as primary entry.
Derived terms
Descendants
> Javanese: ꦮꦺ ( wé ) ( inherited )
Etymology 2
Noun
we
Alternative spelling of wwe ( “ water ” )
Further reading
"we" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary . 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.
Old Polish
Pronunciation
Preposition
we
Alternative form of w
Pije
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ , from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ .
Noun
we
water ( clear liquid H₂O )
References
André-Georges Haudricourt, Françoise Ozanne-Rivierre, Dictionnaire thématique des langues de la région de Hienghène (1982)
Polish
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈvɛ/
Rhymes: -ɛ
Syllabification: we
Preposition
we
Alternative form of w , used mostly before words that begin with consonant clusters.
Scots
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English we , from Old English wē ( “ we ” ) , from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ , from Proto-Germanic *wīz , *wiz ( “ we ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *wéy ( “ we (plural) ” ) . Cognate with English we .
Pronunciation
( stressed ) IPA (key ) : /wi/
( unstressed ) IPA (key ) : /wə/ ( sometimes spelled wa )
Pronoun
we
we
us
See also
Scots personal pronouns
personal pronoun
possessive pronoun
possessive determiner
subjective
objective
reflexive
first person
singular
A , I , Ik
me
mysel
mine , mines
mine , my
plural
we
us , we
oorsel , oorsels
oors
our
second person
singular
standard (formal)
ye you , yow
ye you , yow
yersel yoursel
yers yours
yer your
Insular (informal)
thoo
thee
thysel , theesel
thines
thy , thee , thees
plural
ye , yese you , youse
ye , yese you , youse theer
yesels yoursels
yers yours
yer your
third person
singular
masculine
he , e
him , im
himsel , hissel
his , is
his , is
feminine
scho , she , shu
her , er
hersel
hers
her , er
neuter
it hit
it hit
itsel hitsel
its hits
its hits
genderless, nonspecific (formal)
ane
ane
–
–
ane's
plural
thay
thaim
thaimsel , thaimsels
thairs
thair
References
“we, pers. pron. ”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language , Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries , 2004–present, →OCLC , retrieved 24 May 2024 , reproduced from William A Craigie , A J Aitken , editors, A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press , 1931–2002, →OCLC .
“we, pron. ”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language , Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries , 2004–present, →OCLC , retrieved 24 May 2024 , reproduced from W Grant and D D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary , Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association , 1931–1976, →OCLC .
Silesian
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈvɛ/
Rhymes: -ɛ
Syllabification: we
Preposition
we
Alternative form of w , used mostly before words that begin with consonant clusters
Slovincian
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈvə/
Rhymes: -və
Syllabification: we
Preposition
we
Alternative form of w .
Further reading
Spanish
Etymology
Variant of güey , representing the relaxed pronunciation of the /gw/ sounds and in some cases loss of the /i/ sound.
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈwe/
Rhymes: -e
Syllabification: we
Noun
we m or f by sense (plural wees )
( colloquial ) dude , guy , buddy
Synonyms: carnal , cuate , tonto , bato
( Mexico , colloquial slang ) chump , punk , dumbass , idiot , jerk
Tocharian A
cardinal numbers
Previous:
sas
Next:
tre
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ . Compare Tocharian B wi .
Numeral
we f
two
Tok Pisin
Etymology
From English where .
Adverb
we
where
1989 , Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin , Port Moresby: Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Jenesis 3:9 :
Turkmen
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Persian وَ ( va ) .
Conjunction
we
and
Etymology 2
Noun
we (definite accusative , plural )
The name of the Latin-script letter W /w .
Uyghur
Noun
we
Latin (ULY) transcription of ۋە ( we )
Vamale
Noun
we
water
References
Welsh
Pronunciation
Noun
we
Soft mutation of gwe .
Mutation
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
West Makian
Pronunciation
Noun
we
leaf
References
Clemens Voorhoeve (1982 ) The Makian languages and their neighbours , Pacific linguistics
Yola
Pronoun
we
Alternative form of wough
1867 , CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY , page 114 , lines 7-9 :and whilke we canna zei, albeit o' 'Governere,' 'Statesman,' an alike. and for which we have no words but of 'Governor,' 'Statesman,' &c.
1867 , CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY , page 114 , lines 21-23 :Ye pace——yea, we mai zei, ye vaste pace whilke bee ee-stent owr ye londe zince th'ast ee-cam, The peace——yes, we may say the profound peace—which overspreads the land since your arrival,
1867 , CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY , page 116 , lines 6-8 :Na oure gladès ana whilke we dellt wi' mattoke, an zing t'oure caulès wi plou, In our valleys where we were digging with the spade, or as we whistled to our horses in the plough,
References
Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland , London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867 , page 114
Yuanga
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *waiʀ , from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *waiʀ , from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wahiʀ .
Noun
we
water ( clear liquid H₂O )
References
Jim Hollyman, K. J. Hollyman, Études sur les langues du Nord de la Nouvelle-Calédonie (1999), page 81
Zaghawa
Pronunciation
Noun
we
head lice
Numeral
we
three
References
Zulu
Pronoun
-we
Combining stem of wena .