“You are” is the pronoun used when you introduce yourself or address someone. It is not the subject pronoun, but it is the same type of pronoun as “I” and “we.” The pronoun of either the first or second person singular in any grammatical category except that of an adjective which must be written in quote. When used as a subject it is written as thee, he, she or it. In all but the simple present tense, it is also written as you.
You can sit in any chair, you used to only as the pronouns of the first or second person in the first or second person singular in the first or second person and as the subject of an adjective, a noun or a verb in the past tense. “You are a student” is still written as you. But the pronoun you is now used in this example to refer to the speaker. When you are addressing a room full of students, you would address them all as you, though you would address the person who is talking as “you,” the first person. The pronoun you are still considering your own preference, though you know well enough how to use it correctly.
Some of these pronouns are so common that we hardly notice them. We use them all the time, even when we are writing or speaking to ourselves. Some pronouns are used all the time in formal speech, like he, she and it, even though they are not pronouns of the first or second person. But sometimes pronouns of one or more persons do occur all the time, as in the third person, or in the past tense. If you have ever encountered the words he, she or it, don’t jump to the wrong conclusions, assuming that the people are talking about you.
As an example, if you are speaking to a group of children, you would address them all as “Your child” or “My kids.” If you are addressing an individual, such as an elderly person, you might use “yourself” or “yourself.” A common mistake with pronouns is that people assume that any instance where you might replace a word with a pronoun (such as “it” for “he”) is an instance where you are saying, “you are.” And sometimes people say “you” too much–that is, they use it to define themselves too much, rather than using it to identify a specific person.
This problem occurs especially with words that are used all the time, such as you, me, we, him and herself. If you think about it, the majority of personal pronouns we use everyday really just refer back to the original “you” or “us” self. We do not address other people as we do ourselves. Even though we may use “we” in reference to groups of people, such as coworkers, neighbors, or church members, we still address everyone by their first name. People are often surprised to learn that you can be direct and address people by their personal pronouns.
In conclusion, you do not need to change your pronouns when you need to change your style or presentation–they are there to help you. But when you want to express yourself in a particular, unique way, you may want to consider writing down your thoughts or finding creative ways to address a specific person, such as “you,” “her” or “hers.” When you are addressing a particular person, it is important that you do not assume that the pronouns “you” and “he” and “she” are interchangeable; they are not.