You – The Pronoun You in English Online Listening

you

The pronoun you can refer to both singular and plural people. In Modern English, it is in the nominative case, although in earlier usage it functioned as both the accusative and dative. It is used before nouns. Possessive forms include you, yourself, and yours.

In the past, you marked an intimate relationship between two people. The pronoun you was often used to show that the person was superior to the other person. However, it was sometimes used to show deliberate disrespect. For example, the Queen of England sometimes used the singular form only you in writing. But that is no longer standard.

You was first used in the Middle English language. It is cognate with Old English eow and Swedish I. Both words came from Proto-Germanic *iwwiz, a shortened form of the Proto-Indo-European *yuz. By the 16th century, you was the preferred subject pronoun. Although you lost its respectability in the early eighteenth century, it remained in informal use. Eventually, special plural forms were devised to maintain its singular use.

You season 1 premiered on Lifetime in September 2018. The series follows the story of Joe Goldberg, a bookstore manager who develops an intense obsession with serial killers. The cast includes Penn Badgley, Elizabeth Lail, Luca Padovan, Zach Cherry, and Shay Mitchell. The second season is slated to premiere in December 2019.

English online listening learners are often confronted with homophones, words with similar pronunciations but distinct meanings. They can cause confusion even for native English speakers. You should be aware of these to avoid misunderstandings. Moreover, homophones are confusing to native English speakers as they are not often used in formal documents.