You is a second person singular or plural pronoun. It is used to refer to indeterminate people, but it also triggers the plural verb agreement. In English, you is more commonly used than the formal indefinite pronoun you. In the present, you can be used in all cases and number ranges. Here are some examples of how you can use you. In formal writing, you should use a “you” when addressing yourself.
The character of Joe Goldberg is a bookstore manager who becomes obsessed with the graduate-school student Guinevere Beck. When the two meet, Joe’s obsession with Beck begins to bloom and quickly turns into a dangerous situation. Netflix has picked up the “You” series, which started on Lifetime and was recently renewed for a second season. Penn Badgley and Shay Mitchell star in the series. If you’re looking for a show to binge watch, consider “You”!
You and ye converged in the 16th century, as English tended to favor you over thou as the subject pronoun. English speakers noticed this loss of thee and thou, but they kept using you in informal writing until the 18th century. The plural form of you for singular usage continued to be used, but it gradually lost respectability. Several special plural forms were created to hold you to the singular form, but none became standard.
Another common mistake English online listeners make is using homophones. The word you is a contraction of you’re. The two words have the same meaning, but their spellings differ. This can be a challenge for English online learners. You should avoid using you’re in formal documents because it’s a contraction of two words. Spell check is likely to pick up on the error, but if you don’t use it correctly, it may not catch it.
In English, the question “what are you up to?” can mean several different things, depending on the tone you use. If you’re suspicious, you’ll use a sterner tone than if you’re simply trying to know what the person is doing. Likewise, if you’re simply asking a friend, use a friendlier tone. For example, you can use “what have you been up to” or “what are you up to today.” These two questions are a part of everyday conversation and should be answered in an open way.