What is the difference between thee and you?
thee | you | Synonyms |
(archaic, literary)
* 1598 , Shakespeare, Henry IV part 1 , 1.2.49-50:
*
(Quaker, Amish, Pennsylvania Dutch English) Thou.
* Thee is a little strange, I think.
To address (somebody) as "thee"; to thou.
To thrive; prosper.
* Spenser
(object pronoun) The people spoken, or written to, as an object.
* 1611 , Bible , Authorized (King James) Version. Genesis XLII:
* (William Shakespeare), Richard III :
* 1611 , Bible , Authorized (King James) Version. Genesis XIX:
* 1975 , Joseph Nazel, Death for Hire :
(object pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as an object. (Replacing thee; originally as a mark of respect.)
* (Thomas Malory), Le Morte Darthur , Book VIII:
(subject pronoun) The people spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Replacing ye.)
(subject pronoun) The person spoken to or written to, as a subject. (Originally as a mark of respect.)
* (Geoffrey Chaucer), "The Clerk's Tale", Canterbury Tales , Ellesmere manuscript (c. 1410):
* 1814 , (Jane Austen), Mansfield Park :
(indefinite personal pronoun) Anyone, one; an unspecified individual or group of individuals (as subject or object).
* 2001 , Polly Vernon, The Guardian , 5 May 2001:
The individual or group spoken or written to.
Used before epithets for emphasis.
You is a synonym of thee.
In transitive terms the difference between thee and you
is that thee is to address (somebody) as "thee"; to thou while you is to address (a person) using the pronoun you, rather than thou.As a noun thee
is the name of the letter ⟨(⟩, which stands for the th sound {{IPA|/ð/|lang=en}} in Pitman shorthand.As a determiner you is
the individual or group spoken or written to.thee
English
(wikipedia thee)Etymology 1
From (etyl) thee, the, from (etyl) . More at (l).Pronoun
- Prince Henry: Did I ever call for thee to pay thy part?
- Falstaff: No; I'll give thee thy due, thou hast paid all there.
Usage notes
When used in place of the nominative thou, thee uses the third-person singular form of verbs (see example at "quotations").Verb
See also
(English personal pronouns)Statistics
*Etymology 2
From (etyl) .Alternative forms
* (l) (Scotland)Verb
- Well mote thee , as well can wish your thought.
Derived terms
* (l)Etymology 3
: From Pitman zee , which it is related to phonetically and graphically, and the sound it represents.Anagrams
* English personal pronouns ----you
English
Alternative forms
* ye * ya, yah, yer, yeh, y', yo, yu (informal or eye dialect) * -cha * -ja * u * yoo (eye dialect) * yew * youe, yow, yowe (obsolete)Pronoun
- And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you , saying, Ye are spies [...].
- If I may counsaile you, some day or two / Your Highnesse shall repose you at the Tower [...].
- And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city.
- You'd better get you a gun and kill him before he kills you or somebody.
- I charge you , as ye woll have my love, that ye warne your kynnesmen that ye woll beare that day the slyve of golde uppon your helmet.
- Both of you should get ready now.
- You are all supposed to do as I tell you.
- certes lord / so wel vs liketh yow / And al youre werk / and euere han doon / þat we / Ne koude nat vs self deuysen how / We myghte lyuen / in moore felicitee [...].
- You' are right, Fanny, to protest against such an office, but ' you need not be afraid.
- You' can't choose your family, your lovers are difficult and volatile, but, oh, ' you can choose your friends - so doesn't it make much more sense to live and holiday with them instead?
Usage notes
* Originally, , respectively.) * In some forms of English, are all but nonexistent. * Although , or youse (though not all of these are completely equivalent or considered Standard English). * The pronoun is usually omitted in imperative sentences, but need not be. In affirmative imperatives, it may be included before the verb (You go right ahead''; ''You stay out of it''); in negative imperatives, it may be included either before the ''don't'', or, more commonly, after it (''Don't you dare go in there''; ''Don't you start now ). * See for other personal pronouns.Synonyms
* *: thou *: ye *: yer (UK eye dialect) * *: all of you (plural) *: you all *: you + number *: ye *: yous/youse *: y'all, all y'all (Southern US) *: ya'll (AAVE) *: you-uns (Midwestern US and Appalachia) *: yinz *: you guys/you gals *: you lot (UK) *: allyou (Caribbean) *: yer (UK eye dialect) * , ye, to you, to thee, to ye * ye, to you, to ye, to you all * (one) one, people, they, themDerived terms
* you'reSee also
(English personal pronouns)Determiner
(en determiner)- Have you gentlemen come to see the lady who fell backwards off a bus?
- You idiot!
